Tag: norse mythology

Have you ever wondered how the world came to be, according to ancient Norse beliefs? What was there before the earth, the sky, the sea, and the gods? The answer is Ginnungagap, the vast and empty abyss that existed between the realms of fire and ice.

Ginnungagap, which means “the gaping gap” or “the yawning void”, is the name given to the primordial space in Norse creation myth. It is described as a dark and silent place where nothing existed except the potential for life.

In Norse cosmology, there were nine worlds, each with its own inhabitants and characteristics. But before these worlds were formed, there were only two extreme realms: Niflheim, the land of mist and cold, and Muspelheim, the land of fire and heat. Ginnungagap, which extended from north to south, was the barrier separating these two realms.

The first sparks of creation happened when the cold winds from Niflheim met the hot sparks from Muspelheim in Ginnungagap. The clash of these opposite forces produced drops of melted ice, which formed the first living being: Ymir, the giant. Ymir was the ancestor of all the giants, who were the enemies of the gods. Ymir was also nourished by the milk of Auðumbla (Audhumla), the primeval cow, who licked the salty ice and revealed the first god: Buri, the father of Bor, who was the father of Odin, Vili, and Ve.

The three brothers, Odin, Vili, and Ve, decided to kill Ymir and use his body to create the world. They threw his flesh into Ginnungagap and made the earth; his blood became the sea; his bones became the mountains; his teeth became the rocks; his hair became the trees; and his skull became the sky. They also took sparks from Muspelheim and placed them in the sky to make the sun, the moon, and the stars.

They then created the first humans, Ask and Embla, from two pieces of wood and gave them the world of Midgard to live in.

Ginnungagap, therefore, was the origin of everything in Norse mythology. It was the source of life, but also of chaos and destruction. It was the place where the opposites met and created something new. It was also the place where the final battle, Ragnarök, would take place, when the giants and the gods would fight and destroy each other, and the world would end in fire and ice. But after Ragnarök, a new world would emerge from Ginnungagap, where the survivors would start a new cycle of life.

Muspelheim, also known as Muspell or Muspel, is a realm in Norse mythology associated with fire, heat, and the primordial forces of creation. It is one of the Nine Worlds and is often mentioned in the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda, two primary sources for Norse mythology.

The Origin of Muspelheim

According to the Prose Edda, written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, Muspelheim was one of the two primordial worlds that existed before the creation of the universe. The other world was Niflheim, the land of ice and darkness, located in the north. Between them was a vast emptiness called Ginnungagap, where nothing lived.

In the beginning, sparks and flames from Muspelheim flew across Ginnungagap and melted the ice from Niflheim, creating water droplets. From these droplets emerged the first living being, the giant Ymir, and the cow Auðumbla (Audhumla), who nourished him with her milk. Auðumbla licked the ice and revealed another being, Búri, the ancestor of the gods. Búri had a son named Borr (Bor), who married Bestla, the daughter of a frost giant. They had three sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve, who became the first gods.

The gods killed Ymir and used his body to create the world. His flesh became the earth, his blood became the sea, his bones became the mountains, his teeth became the rocks, his hair became the plants, and his skull became the sky. The gods also used the sparks from Muspelheim to create the heavenly bodies, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars.

The Inhabitants of Muspelheim

Muspelheim is the domain of the fire giants, also known as the sons of Muspell. They are fierce and destructive beings who oppose the gods and the other races of the nine worlds. They are ruled by Surtr, the black one, who wields a sword that shines brighter than the sun.

Surtr is the oldest and most powerful of the fire giants, and he guards the border of Muspelheim against any intruders.

Another notable inhabitant of Muspelheim is Logi (Hálogi), the personification of fire. He is the brother of Kári, the god of the wind, and Aegir, the god of the sea. He once competed with Loki, the trickster god, in a contest of eating. Logi devoured not only the meat but also the bones, the plates, and the table, proving his superiority over Loki.

The Role of Muspelheim in Ragnarok

Muspelheim plays a crucial role in Ragnarok, the final battle between the gods and the giants, and the end of the world as we know it. According to the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems from the 10th to 13th centuries, Muspelheim will be the source of the fire that will consume everything.

Before Ragnarok, a series of disasters will occur, such as wars, famines, plagues, and natural calamities. The sun and the moon will be devoured by the wolves Sköll and Hati, and the stars will disappear from the sky. The earth will shake and the mountains will crumble, releasing the monsters that were imprisoned by the gods, such as the Midgard serpent (Jörmungandr), the Fenrir wolf, and the Hel goddess. The rainbow bridge, Bifrost, that connects Asgard, the home of the gods, and Midgard, the home of the humans, will break, and the forces of chaos will invade the world.

Among them will be the army of the fire giants, led by Surtr. They will march across Bifrost and reach the plain of Vígríðr, where the final battle will take place. Surtr will confront Freyr, the god of fertility and prosperity, who will have given away his magical sword to his servant Skírnir. Freyr will fight valiantly, but he will be slain by Surtr. Surtr will then swing his sword and set the world on fire, burning everything to ashes.

After the destruction, a new world will emerge from the ruins, and life will begin again. Some of the gods and the humans will survive the cataclysm, and they will live in harmony and peace. A new sun will rise, and a new generation of gods will rule. Muspelheim, along with the other eight worlds, will be reborn, and the cycle of creation and destruction will continue.

Attestations

Vǫluspá, the first poem of the Poetic Edda:

O'er the sea from the north | there sails a ship
With the people of Muspell, | at the helm stands Loki;
After the wolf | do wild men follow,
And with them the brother | of Byleist goes.

Source: The Poetic Edda

In the Gylfaginning, the first part of the Prose Edda by the Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, the following is repeatedly referenced:

Yet first was the world in the southern region, which was named Múspell; it is light and hot; that region is glowing and burning, and impassable to such as are outlanders and have not their holdings there.

Source: Gylfaginning

Popular Culture

In the video games God of War, players have the opportunity to explore the realm of Muspelheim. Within this realm, they can undertake various side missions, such as navigating through levels to reach the peak of the mountain and confronting one of the valkyries.

In the animated series Primal, the leader of the Vikings is brought to Muspelheim in the presence of Surtr, who bestows demonic powers upon him for seeking vengeance against the protagonists Spear and Fang.

In the Dawn of Ragnarök expansion for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Surtr and his massive oyster hordes from Muspelheim invade the dwarven realm of Svartalfheim, flooding much of the realm with magma pools and streams.

Muspelheim is a fascinating and important part of Norse mythology, representing the primal force of fire and the inevitable fate of the world. It is the origin of life, the source of destruction, the enemy of the gods and the ally of the new order. It is a world of contrasts and extremes, of beauty and horror, of light and darkness.