Norse cosmology

Norse cosmology is the way the ancient North Germanic peoples understood the universe and its laws. It includes ideas about time, space, how the world began, and what will happen in the future. These beliefs are part of Norse mythology and the Old Norse religion.

A depiction of the personified moon, Máni, and the personified Sun, Sól by Lorenz Frølich, 1895

The stories and ideas of Norse cosmology come mostly from old poems and writings. The main sources are the Poetic Edda, a collection of poems put together in the 13th century, and the Prose Edda, written by an Icelander named Snorri Sturluson around the same time.

One of the most famous ideas in Norse cosmology is about nine worlds connected by a huge tree called Yggdrasil. This cosmic tree links all parts of the universe together, showing how everything in the world is connected.

Time and space

Cosmology

The Norse people had a unique way of understanding how the world began. Long ago, there were two special places: a very hot, bright land called Muspell and a cold, foggy land called Niflheim. From Niflheim flowed rivers that eventually turned to ice. In a place called Ginnungagap, where the cold ice and hot sparks met, a giant being named Ymir was formed.

Three powerful gods — Odin, Vili and Vé — created the world from Ymir’s body. They made the earth from his flesh, the mountains from his bones, and the sea from his blood. They shaped the sky from his skull and placed it above the earth. They also created humans from trees, giving them the ability to think, feel, and speak. The gods lived in a special place called Asgard, while humans lived in Midgard.

Personifications

In Norse mythology, many natural things like the Sun, Moon, and Earth are given human-like qualities, called personifications. The Sun is seen as a goddess named Sól, and the Moon as a male named Máni. Even the Earth has a person, Jörð. Night is shown as a female named Nótt, while Day is Dagr. Water also has personifications, like the goddess Rán and her husband Ægir.

Yggdrasil

A 19th century attempt at illustrating Yggdrasil as described in the Prose Edda

Main article: Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil is a great tree that stands at the center of the Norse view of the universe. Its branches reach into different worlds, and many interesting creatures live on and around it. Each day, the gods meet under its branches at their things, traditional governing assemblies. The tree is held up by three roots that go far away to special places: one to a well called Urðarbrunnr in the heavens, another to a spring named Hvergelmir, and a third to a well known as Mímisbrunnr. Among the animals that live in Yggdrasil are a dragon called Níðhöggr, an unnamed eagle, and four stags named Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór.

Nine Worlds

Old Norse stories talk about Níu Heimar, meaning "Nine Worlds". These worlds are said to surround a huge tree called Yggdrasil. One old poem, called Völuspá, mentions them, and another poem, Vafþrúðnismál, also talks about these worlds.

In another book called the Gylfaginning, it is said that Odin put his daughter Hel in a place called the underworld and gave her control over all Nine Worlds. While the old texts do not list all the Nine Worlds clearly, some ideas suggest they might include places like Ásgarðr, Vanaheimr, Álfheimr, Miðgarðr, Jötunheimr, Múspellsheimr, Svartálfaheimr, Niflheimr, and Niðavellir.

Henry Adams Bellows translation, 1923:

I remember yet the giants of yore,
Who gave me bread in the days gone by;
Nine worlds I knew, the nine in the tree
With mighty roots beneath the mold.

Jeramy Dodds translation, 2014:

I recall being reared by Jotuns,
in days long gone. If I look back, I recall
nine worlds, nine wood-witches,
that renowned tree of fate below the earth.

Bellows translation, 1923:

Vafthruthnir spake:
"Of the runes of the gods and the giants' race
The truth indeed can I tell,
(For to every world have I won;)
To nine worlds came I, to Niflhel beneath,
The home where dead men dwell."

Dodds translation, 2014:

Vafthrudnir said:
"I can tell you the true secrets of the Jotun
and all the gods because I've journeyed
into all of the nine worlds below Niflhel
Where the dead dwell below Hel."

Anthropogeny

Main article: Ask and Embla

In Norse mythology, the first two humans were named Askr and Embla. They were made from driftwood by the gods, who found them on a shore. Different stories tell us which gods created them. One poem says it was Hœnir, Lóðurr, and Odin, while another says it was Odin, Vili, and Vé who brought these first humans into the world.

Eschatology

Main article: Ragnarök

Ragnarök is a series of future events in Norse mythology, including a great battle and natural disasters. It is said to result in the deaths of many important gods and the world being covered in water. Afterward, the world will reappear, lush and green. The surviving gods will gather, and two special people, Líf and Lífþrasir, will help repopulate the world.