It is said to be so large that it can swallow the tip of its tail. It is inhabited by the Midgard Serpent, Jormungand. Midgard is surrounded by an impassable ocean. It lies beneath Asgard to which it is connected by the rainbow Bifrost which is itself protected by the god Heimdal. 4 - The World of MidgardĪlso known as Middle-earth, the Midgard is the realm of the humans. The builder revealed his true nature as a giant and Thor, the god of thunder, killed him with his short hammer, the Mjollnir. The time was up and the wall was not finished. The builder tried somehow to catch up with his horse but it was too late. Svaðilfari stopped working and chased the mare. Thus, Loki made a beautiful mare appear in front of the stallion Svaðilfari. The gods were displeased and asked Loki to find a ploy or a trick to make up for it. It turned out that the duo was remarkably efficient, so that by the third day they had almost finished. With the help of his horse Svaðilfari, he set to work. This fortress was rebuilt by a giant after the war with the Vanes.Īccording to the legend, the builder (who was actually a giant) would receive the moon, the sun and the goddess Freyja if he managed to build the wall in less than half a year. Here is the list of the temples associated with their god:Īs explained at the beginning, Asgard is a stronghold of the Aesir gods. On it are twelve temples for the twelve main gods of the Viking pantheon. Idavoll is the name of the plain where the gods reign. It is in this place that Valhalla is located, the resting place after death for all the Einherjer who died in battle while attacking. The name Asgard, comes from Ásgarðr which means "pregnant with the Aesir". Asgard was created after Midgard by Odin, Vili and Ve, the sons of Borr. It connects to the realm of men, the Midgard via the Bifrost Bridge. 3 - The world of AsgardĪsgard is a fortress, home of the gods and goddesses of Norse mythology. The Muspelheim lies south of the Gunnningagap and will help in the formation of the giant Ymir and the cow Audhumla. He is the enemy of the Aesir and especially of the god Thor, who hates this race of giants. He carries with him his flaming sword with which he will destroy the nine kingdoms of Yggdrasil in Ragnarok. Surt rules the fire giants and the fire demons. It is a land of heat, lava and flames, sparks and burning soot. Like its neighbour, the Niflheim, this fire world is a creative world of the Viking universe. This giant will be at the origin of the creation of the rest of the universe but we will linger on this aspect in future articles. This frost coming into contact with the heat of the world of Musspelheim will form the giant Ymir and the cow Audhumla in the Ginnungagap. From these rivers come out a poisonous smell in the form of frost. It is protected by the Nidhug dragon or snake which gnaws a root of the Yggdrasil ash tree (also called Nídhögg) depending on the version.įrom here, the eleven rivers of Elivágar (the name of these rivers) start. This place is where life begins but also where it ends. In the centre of Niflheimr is Hvergelmir, the meeting of ice and lava. Niflheim lies under the third root of the world tree Yggdrasil. On the other side of this abyss lies the world of Musspelheim in the south. This world is said to be north of Ginnungagap, the gaping void in old Norse. However, according to some, the Niflheim is the equivalent of the kingdom of the dead of old age and disease, the Helheim. It should not be confused with the Niflhel, which is only a part of the kingdom of the dead, the Helheim. Yet it is here that the origin of the universe will be created. This makes it an inhospitable and icy world. This world is considered the darkest and coldest of all. It is first of all composed of mist and fog, but also of darkness and gloom. The kingdom of Niflheim is a place of ice. If You are not a realy big fan about Reading, we found for you the best Youtube Movie for learn everythings about the nine Worlds, Enjoy! In this article we are going to discover who are these nine worlds that live or nourish the cosmic tree Yggdrasil. In the beginning, as in the Christian religion, everything was nothingness. The cosmogony in northern mythology is a very interesting aspect. Here is the list of the 9 worlds in Norse Mythology:
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