Before the earth, sea, or sky, there was only a vast, grassless void. The medieval chronicler Snorri Sturluson, writing in the Prose Edda, calls this place Ginnungagap—the yawning gap. To its north lay Niflheim, a realm of freezing mist and darkness, home to a spring whose icy rivers flowed into the void. To the south lay Muspelheim, a world of constant, searing fire, guarded by the giant Surtr and his flaming sword. Between these two extremes, the air in Ginnungagap was as still and mild as a windless sky. Here, in the center of the void, the glowing embers from the south began to meet the biting frost from the north. The meeting of these two primal forces would not leave the void empty for long.
The Creation of the Cosmos
The Norse creation myth: how fire and ice met in the void of Ginnungagap, and the gods built the world from the body of the first giant, Ymir.
Chapter 1
The Yawning Gap
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the Norse creation story come from?
The most complete account comes from the Prose Edda, a work compiled in the 13th century by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson. He gathered and retold many of the ancient myths and poems that had been passed down through oral tradition for centuries.
Who was Ymir?
Ymir was the first living being in Norse mythology, a massive frost giant formed from melting ice and fiery heat. He was not a god but the ancestor of all the jötnar, or giants. After he was killed by the gods Odin, Vili, and Ve, the world was built from his body.
What is Yggdrasil?
Yggdrasil is the 'World Tree,' a colossal ash tree that stands at the center of the Norse cosmos. Its branches and roots connect the nine different realms of existence, such as Midgard, the world of humans, and Asgard, the world of the gods.
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