Norse cosmology

Norse cosmology is how the ancient North Germanic peoples saw the universe. It talks about time, space, how the world started, and what might happen later. These ideas 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

We learn about Norse cosmology from old poems and books. The two main sources are the Poetic Edda, a group of poems made in the 1300s, and the Prose Edda, written by an Icelander named Snorri Sturluson around that time.

One famous idea is about nine worlds linked by a giant tree called Yggdrasil. This tree connects all parts of the universe, showing how everything is related.

Time and space

Cosmology

The Norse people had a special way of understanding how the world began. Long ago, there were two important places: a very hot land called Muspell and a very cold land called Niflheim. From Niflheim, rivers flowed and turned to ice. In a place called Ginnungagap, where the cold ice and hot sparks met, a giant 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. These are called personifications. The Sun is a goddess named Sól. The Moon is a male named Máni. The Earth has a person called Jörð. Night is a female named Nótt. 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 huge tree that is very important in the Norse view of the universe. It stands in the middle of everything. Its branches reach into different worlds. Many interesting creatures live on and around it. Every day, the gods meet under its branches at their things, traditional governing assemblies. The tree is supported by three roots that reach far away to special places: one goes to a well called Urðarbrunnr in the heavens, another to a spring named Hvergelmir, and the third to a well known as Mímisbrunnr. Some animals live in Yggdrasil, including 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. 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. The gods made them from driftwood and found them on a shore. Different stories say which gods created them. One poem says it was Hœnir, Lóðurr, and Odin. Another says it was Odin, Vili, and Vé who brought the first humans into the world.

Eschatology

Main article: Ragnarök

Ragnarök is an important story in Norse mythology. It tells of a time when big battles and natural disasters will happen. Many gods will die, and the world will be covered in water. After this, the world will come back, green and beautiful. The gods who survive will meet again, and two special people, Líf and Lífþrasir, will help to fill the world with new life.