Norse myth 101: Creation and Destruction myths

In order to understand the link between creation and destruction of the universe in Vǫlsupá (The Poetic Edda), it is essential to recall that this poem is narrated by a Seeress, hence it’s alternative name – The Seeress’ Prophecy. This seeress can remember events from before the beginning of the world, and can see the fate of the world after its destruction in Ragnarok.

The Creation and Destruction myths are tied to the Gods and their antics; Creation involves the creation of the gods (Æesir) themselves, and ultimately, the Gods are responsible for the destruction of the universe as they fight – amongst themselves and with other mythical beings – until the world is engulfed in fire. The world is then reborn, showing that Norse creation-destruction myths are cyclic, much like Hindu and Buddhist worlds.

Creation myths:

At the beginning of the world, there was neither heaven nor earth, nor seas nor green grass anywhere. Only Ginnungagap existed. This was an empty abyss, and it was said to lie between Muspelheim (containing elemental fire) and Niflheim (containing elemental ice and cold). According to Snorri, life was formed from the meeting of heat and cold since it melted ice from which Ymir – the ancestor of all giants took shape, and form his sweat, more giants were born. Ymir was nourished by his cow Audhumbla who also emerged from melting ice. She nourished herself via salt licks in the ice, and while licking these, she uncovered Buri – the first Aesir god. Buri had a son named Bor, who married the giant Bolthorn’s daughter Bestla.

Creation of the World as a whole:

Bor and Bestla’s children were Odin (chief of Æesir gods), Vili and Ve. Ymir was later killed by Odin and his brothers. [Perhaps this is the reason that the giants and gods are constantly fighting with one another.] The world was then created by Odin and his brothers form Ymir’s corpse. Ymir’s blood became the oceans, his skin and muscles formed soil, his brains became clouds and his skull held the sky up (with the help of four dwarves).

Creation of Life:

According to the Seeress’ Prophesy in The Poetic Edda, dwarves were created after three giant girls come and troubled the Aesir gods. Motsongir and Durin are named as some of the strongest dwarves. Humanity is created by Odin, Lodur and Hænir, who change an ash tree into a man and an elm (embla) tree into a woman.

Read about the Nine worlds of Norse myth here.

Destruction Myth

The story of the nine worlds is not complete without mentioning their destruction, which I shall now proceed to explain. Surrounding the world is the ocean which contains the Midgard serpent, which eventually attacks the Gods during Ragnarok. Despite the breaking of symbolic links between the different worlds, they are ultimately destroyed by the violent clashing of their inhabitatnts. The end of the world is signaled by Odin’s son Baldr’s death by Loki’s hands. Odin is killed by Fenrir – the wolf – one of Loki’s sons. Surt kills Freyr, and Thor and the Midgard serpent kill one another. Odin’s son Vidar avenges him and the entire world is eventually consumed by fire.

Rejuvenation

The end of the world is thus brought about by a collapse in social order. However, the seeress predicts that after Ragnarok, a new world will be born. However, to my knowledge, there is no mention of what this world will be like – if it will look the same, have evil in It etc. Either way, it is worth mentioning that whatever the new worlds be, they can only be formed when the old worlds are destroyed. This shows that Norse mythology is cyclical and not linear in nature.

Thematically, the entire Norse cosmos functions on the concept of cycles. When one cycle ends, a new one begins. This also leads to a system of constant give and take, where the sacrifice of one thing is needed for the birth of another. For example, Ymir’s death/sacrifice was necessary for the creation of the world. And Ragnarok was required for the rejuvenation of the world.

Comparison to Other mythology:

The idea of the destruction of the world is one that is echoed in several other relgions and mythologies including Christianity, and Hinduism.

In Judeo-Christian beliefs, the end of the world is prophesied much like Ragnarok was. I am not too knowledgeable about Christian faith, however I do believe that the creation myths are quite different. In Christianity, ‘God’ creates the world in seven days, whereas in Norse mythology, the nine worlds of Norse myth are created. Another difference is the nature of the worlds themselves. In Judeo-Christian belief, there is one world – our earth, as well as heaven for pure souls and hell for sinners. Norse cosmology is made of nine worlds, and there is no concept of heaven and hell for the dead. This is replaced by a set of three places for the dead, that are not divided on moral bases: Hel[1] hall is for those who die of old age and disease, Valhalla (Odin’s hall) is for those who die in battle, and the third area Folkvang is of an unspecified nature.

Another religious comaprison is in the cyclic nature of the Norse creation-destruction myth. In Norse mythology, Ragnarok comes about after Loki’s trickery and decpetion causes Baldr’s death. The consequences of Baldr’s death lead to infigthing among the gods, and with other beings. This disruption of equilibrium is similar to what exists in Hinduism. According to Hindu beliefs, the passage of time in the universe is divided into cycles of four epochs each[2]. Each epoch is associated with a period of creation, preservation, decline and renewal. The period of decline, known as Kalyug/Kali Yuga (Age of Downfall), is characterized by violence, moral and physical decay and is similar to Ragnarok – the gods, and humans find themselves in disarray due to different circumstances, begin fighting, and eventually kill each other, destroying the world. Just as a pure, and good world is re-born after Ragnarok, a similar ‘good’ phase (Satya Yuga; satya means truth) begins anew following Kali Yuga. This idea of rebirth or re-incarnation is one that is opposed by both Christianity and Islam.

[1] Snorri’s Edda, p.26

[2] This is based on my knowledge of Hinduism. I did, however, check my facts on Wikipedia to make sure that I didn’t report any false facts. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_Yuga>

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