INTRODUCTION
Background
The term Norse is used to refer to the people of
Western Scandinavia (Norway and Iceland). The stories of the
Norse convey a sense of adventure and mystery that is characteristic of
the lands where they were conceived. Rigid environments left people
with few options for survival, and those who were not fortunate enough
to be prosperous land owners often found themselves in the service of
foreign kings, or forced to leave their homes to seek their fortunes in
less reputable ways. This harsh reality produced a strong sense of
kinship, courage, and devotion in the Norse people that is present in
the framework of their mythology. Though the events in these tales
ultimately lead to destruction, the imagery and poetry used by those
who put the stories into writing evoke a sense of beauty, simplicity
and magic that make them timeless, and enticing.
The
Eddas
The Prose and Poetic Eddas were my main sources for this work, as they
are the best and most informative sources of Norse mythology today. The
Prose Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, while
the Poetic Edda was a compilation of poems from the Codex Regius (the
King's Manuscript). Both works are organized in the same way,
beginning with the creation and the myths of the gods and ending with
the sagas of men.
The
Stories
As the story begins Yggdrasil, the world tree, is dying. The great
battle of Ragnarök (the Norse apocalypse) is now over, and the Old
World has been destroyed in order to give rise to the new world of men.
Yggdrasil tells four tales: the creation of the Old World, a tale from
the heavens, a tale of men, and a tale from Helheim, the underworld. He
hopes that his
stories will be shared throughout this new world so that the old ones
will not be forgotten. These stories reveal the culture of the Norse
and introduce some of the important gods and men within it.
The
Fall of the Old World
I
am Yggdrasil, the great Ash.
I am heaven and earth, gods and men, past and present.
From my branches comes all life, and in death, all return to my roots.
Listen well, for I have not much time.
For three long years, Niflheim, the darkest land of the underworld,
plagued the earth with icy fog
until sinister Loki, betrayer of the gods, summoned his monstrous
children onto the battlefield Vigrid.
The first to stand at his father’s side was the black wolf
Fenrir, who swallowed the sun and the moon.
Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, was the next to approach,
followed by Hel, the evil queen of the underworld.
Next, Loki called forth the giants from the fiery land of Muspelsheim,
and as they rode over Bifrost, the gleaming bridge shattered beneath
them,
splitting the heavens from the earth.
Heimdall, the guardian of the heavens, blew his war horn
and the gods too assembled on Vigrid with their leader Odin.
It was Fenrir who first charged onto the battlefield with his jaws
opened wide.
He swallowed Odin, but was encountered by the god’s son Vidar.
Gripping Fenrir’s muzzle with both hands, Vidar used his iron boots to
split the wolf's jaws apart.
That was Fenrir’s end.
Then, Jormungand came forward.
Thor, the mightiest of the gods met the serpent with a fatal blow from
his hammer Mjolnir.
The god stepped back as poison burst forth from the snake's mouth,
but even Thor could not escape his death.
Loki met with Heimdall and on that bloody field both met their fate at
the other’s hand.
Ragnarök has come and the age of the gods must give way to the age
of men.
Now, all is as it was in the beginning...
Come close so that I may recount the events of the past. Of my birth
from the Giant Ymir, of the battle between the mighty Aesir and the
fair Vanir,
Of sagas of men: of kings and heroes, and of Hel, from whose bowels
came my inevitable fate.
Let the children of men know of these tales.
Let them learn of our victories, of our sorrows, and of our fate.
For in this time and in this place,
We were the greatest and best of all creatures...
Author's note on
Ragnarök: Some of the events were changed or left
out for the sake of continuity. I chose not to include events such as
the earthquake that releases Loki, Fenrir, and all those who have been
bound by the gods, the emergence of the war ship Naglfar, also the
mention of Surt, Garm, Frey, Tyr and the Frost Giants. Some sources
also speak of an assembly of the gods before they advance into battle.
That has been left out along with Odin's excursion to the well of Mimir.
Among the events that I changed was
the role of Fenrir. Some sources
claim there are three separate wolf figures present at Ragnarök;
Skoll and Hati are the wolves that devour the sun and the moon
respectively. I decided to leave them out, so Fenrir takes on the task
of swallowing both sun and moon. There is no source that actually
states that the three winters called Fimbultvetr come from Niflheim,
but I decided to introduce the "Dark World" here because of the role it
will play in the creation myth. It is also a good contrast to
Muspelshiem, which is mentioned in the original sources. Overall, the
account was shortened in order to proceed to the main focus of the
introduction, which was Yggdrasil's request that his stories be told
among the people of the new world.
Source
Information
Story: Gilfaginning
(The deluding of Gylfi)
Book: The Prose Edda
Author: Snorri Sturluson
Translation: Jesse L. Byock
Year: 2005
Hard Copy
Electronic Copy available
from Sacred Texts Archive (Translation by Arthur Gilchrist
Brodeur 1916)