In the Norse Creation story the great giant Ymir, who was the first living being, was created when the fire from Muspelheim met with the Ice from Niflheim.ĭescriptions of Nilfheim depict a world that is inhospitable and largely uninhabited, even by the hardy frost giants. Niflheim was said to be a primordial land of ice and mist, where all life in the universe began. Niflheim - primordial world of iceĪlong with Muspelheim this was one of the oldest of the 9 realms, although the climates of the two realms could not be more different. Mountain out of the Mist - Albert Bierstadt, 1873 5. Aesir gods were often described as crossing the river to enter Jotunheim in order to search for giantess lovers, and according to the Prose Edda even Thor himself was said to have travelled there on a quest. This chaotic realm was located beneath Asgard and was separated from it by the river Ifingr, which was notoriously difficult to cross and never froze, no matter the temperature. Loki was said to be one of the Jotun and it was supposed that he too could have been a hostage that was exchanged in order to keep the peace between Jotunheim and Asgard, in a similar way to the hostages exchanged after the Aesir-Vanir war. Jotunheim was a realm of pure chaos and disorder, in stark contrast to the worlds of the Gods such as Asgard and Vanaheim. They appeared often in Norse Sagas, often playing the role of the antagonists, causing various problems for the Aesir. This world was inhabited by the 'Jotun' who were a race of frost giants. The Course of Empire: the Pastoral or Arcadian State - Thomas Cole, 1834 4. It is thought that they went to war with the Aesir over cultural differences about issues such as incest and the use of forbidden magic. Most of the Vanir gods were associated with fertility, sorcery and fortune telling. Vanaheim was thought to be a fertile and magical land, however there are no surviving descriptions of this realm that are of sufficient detail to support this thesis. In both the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, Vanaheim was said to be the realm of the prominent Vanir god, Njord. Amongst these hostages were Vanir gods such as Frey and Freya, who lived in Asgard as part of the peace agreement. According to the Norse Sagas they had been at war with the Aesir in the past and exchanged hostages in order to keep the peace intact. Vanaheim was home to the tribe of Norse Gods known as the Vanir. These slain warriors were known as Einherjar.īifrost between Asgard and Midgard - Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold, directed by Otto Schenk, 1990 3. The realm of Asgard was also the home of Valhalla, a great hall where worthy Viking warriors who died in battle would go and wait to be called to fight at Ragnarok. It was from his throne, Hildskjalf, in this great city that Odin could see all of the 9 realms. This bridge was operated by Heimdall, and allowed for inter-world travel by the Gods.Īsgard was described in the Prose Edda as a great city with many towers and high walls. It was connected to the aforementioned Midgard (the world of men) by a rainbow bridge known as the Bifrost.
Asgard was the home of the Aesir and was vaguely described in the sagas as being located somewhere in the sky. In Norse mythology Gods including Odin, Thor, Loki, Frigg and Heimdall, amongst others were all part of the most prominent tribe of Norse Gods known as the Aesir. The earth was also referred to as Midgard in one famous Old English poem known as Beowulf. It was said that he would rise up from the oceans and cause huge waves to wash ashore bringing great destruction and wreaking havoc upon humanity. His arch-nemesis, the giant serpent Jormungandr, was sometimes called the 'Midgard Serpent' or the 'World Serpent', due to his role in encircling the oceans of the world. In norse sagas the god of thunder, Thor, was said to be the protector of Midgard. This was said to be the only one of the nine realms which was fully located in the visible world. The story says that the three brothers made the first man and woman, Ash and Elmba, from the ashes of an elm tree. These two then went on to populate the world and give birth to the rest of mankind. It was created by Odin and his two brothers from the body of the giant Ymir, and was the made to be the realm of men. Midgard translates from Old Norse to "middle enclosure".
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