THE SCENE: The mysterious figures Har, Jafnhar, and Thridi tell King Gangler about the origin of the Norse world. It should come as no surprise that it was born through bloodshed.
THE TEXT: “Where dwelt Ymir, and on what did he live?” asked Gangler.
“Immediately after the gelid vapours had been resolved into drops,” replied Har, “there was formed out of them the cow named Audhumla. Four streams of milk ran from her teats, and thus fed she Ymir.”
“But on what did the cow feed?” questioned Gangler.
“The cow,” answered Har, “supported herself by licking the stones that were covered with salt and hoar frost. The first day that she licked these stones there sprang from them, towards evening, the hairs of a man, the second day a head, and on the third an entire man, who was endowed with beauty, agility and power. He was called Bur, and was the father of Bor, who took for his wife Besla, the daughter of the giant Bolthorn. And they had three sons, Odin, Vili, and Ve; and it is our belief that this Odin, with his brothers, ruleth both heaven and earth, and that Odin is his true name, and that he is the most mighty of all the gods.”
“Was there,” asked Gangler, “any kind of equality or any degree of good understanding between these two races?”
“Far from it,” replied Har; “for the sons of Bor slew the giant Ymir, and when he fell there ran so much blood from his wounds, that the whole race of Frost-giants was drowned in it, except a single giant, who saved himself with his household. He is called by the giants Bergelmir. He escaped by going on board his bark, and with him went his wife, and from them are descended the Frost-giants.”
“And what became of the sons of Bor, whom ye look upon as gods?” asked Gangler.
“To relate this,” replied Har, “is no trivial matter. They dragged the body of Ymir into the middle of Ginnungagap, and of it formed the earth. From Ymir’s blood they made the seas and waters; from his flesh the land; from his bones the mountains; and his teeth and jaws, together with some bits of broken bones, served them to make the stones and pebbles.”
“With the blood that ran from his wounds,” added Jafnhar, “they made the vast ocean, in the midst of which they fixed the earth, the ocean encircling it as a ring, and hardy will he be who attempts to pass those waters.”
“From his skull,” continued Thridi, “they formed the heavens, which they placed over the earth, and set a dwarf at the corner of each of the four quarters. These dwarfs are called East, West, North, and South. They afterwards took the wandering sparks and red hot flakes that had been cast out of Muspellheim, and placed them in the heavens, both above and below, to give light unto the world, and assigned to every other errant coruscation a prescribed locality and motion. Hence it is recorded in ancient lore that from this time were marked out the days, and nights, and seasons.”
“Such are the events that took place ere the earth obtained the form it now beareth.”
“Truly great were the deeds ye tell me of!” exclaimed Gangler; “and wondrous in all its parts is the work thereby accomplished. But how is the earth fashioned?”
“It is round without,” replied Har, “and encircled by the deep ocean, the outward shores of which were assigned for a dwelling to the race of giants. But within, round about the earth, they (the sons of Bor) raised a bulwark against turbulent giants, employing for this structure Ymir’s eyebrows. To this bulwark they gave the name of Midgard. They afterwards tossed Ymir’s brains into the air, and they became the clouds, for thus we find it recorded.
“Of Ymir’s flesh was formed the earth; of his sweat (blood), the seas; of his bones, the mountains; of his hair the trees; of his skull, the heavens; but with his eyebrows the blithe gods built Midgard for the sons of men, whilst from his brains the lowering clouds were fashioned.”
– The Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson, 13th Century AD
