The Beginning, Death, and Rebirth according to the Vikings.
In the beginning of the world. Ymir, the Frost giant, was created in the area were two worlds merged. Niflheim, the land of endless winter, and Muspelheim the land of summer.
Also the cow, Audhumla arose and Ymir fed from her milk. Ymir slept, and from his sweat blocks of ice fell. The first man and women inside these blocks.
The first cow began to lick the blocks till the man and woman were melted out. Buri, and Bor. Bor married Bestla, and they became the parents of the first three of the gods.
Odin, Vili, and Ve. Odin, Vili, and Ve cut off Ymirs head and flooded the giants with his blood, and drowning them in his blood.
They fashioned the world from his body.
His skull, the sky.
His bones, mountains.
His blood, the sea.
His hair became the forest.
From his eyebrows, they made the a barrier between the surviving Joten(giants) and men.
The Æsir(gods) then made fire, and took the embers and through them into the sky and made stars.
They made the Sun, and they made the Moon. Which were to be chased by wolves, creating the day and night cycles.
They made the first man from and Ash tree, and they made the first woman from an Elm tree.
Happy with their creation, they made Asgard, home of the Gods.
Yggdrasill, the tree of life, that each of its roots went into each world. The root that ran to Asgard has a spring, Urd, where the Norn live. They create the fate of men. The root that runs to Jotunheim, is nourished by the stream, Mimir, that feed the well of knowledge and understanding.
Odin went to the well, for he wanted a drink from it. But before he drank, he had to sacrifice one of his eyes. A small price to pay, for when he did, he saw everything that ever was, ever is, and ever will be.
Odin sits in Asgard, along with two ravens and a wolf. He sees all from Asgard. He is also the patron of the dead. After every battle, the Valkyries, daughters of Odin, took the souls of the brave up to Odin’s hall, Valhalla. Every night they feast and fight until the Ragnarok when they will fight alongside Odin.
Other Gods of mention were Frigg, Odins wife.
Thor, Odins son, Strongest of all the gods.
Baldr. whom was beloved by all the gods of Asgard.
Frey, who controls the sunshine, and the rain fall.
Idun, keeps the apples that the gods eat to stay young.
Heimdall, the watchman of the gods.
Forces of evil of note:
Fenir. The great wolf. Son of Loki.
Hel. Daughter of Loki. The Goddess of the Dead.
Jörmungandr or The World Serpent. This being was cast into the sea by Odin, and will remain there, encircling the Midgard until the Ragnarok.
Loki. Technically a god. Father of Lies, and Disgrace of Gods and Men. He sometimes assits the Gods and sometimes he creates mischief and chaos. All positive relations ends when he engineers Baldrs death.
Ragnarok. The Twilight of the Gods.
Baldr’s death will be the first sign of its coming.
Then three back to back of the coldest winters. Followed by summers of black suns.
Men will succumb to adultery and incest. Civil war will wage cross the world. Famine and plague also.
A great Earthquake will break Loki’s bonds of imprisonment. Setting him free. These are the signs of the final battle between evil and the Gods.
Jörmungandr will arise out of the sea, and flood the world.
Odin will lead the souls of the slain warriors out to fight The Serpent, Fenir, and Surt the evil giant.
Fenir will swallow Odin whole. Odin’s son, Vidar will kill him. Thor will battle the World Serpent. We will slay Jörmungandr with his hammer Mjölnir, but the Serpent will bite and poison him. Frey will be slain by Surt with a giant sword of flame. Surt will then set the worlds of both gods and men ablaze with that sword, and the whole of the world will burn.
Only a man and a woman will survive from Midgard. Lif and Lifthrasir. The ride out the Ragnarok in a branch of the tree Yggdrasill, and will go on to start the world anew.
Also the cow, Audhumla arose and Ymir fed from her milk. Ymir slept, and from his sweat blocks of ice fell. The first man and women inside these blocks.
The first cow began to lick the blocks till the man and woman were melted out. Buri, and Bor. Bor married Bestla, and they became the parents of the first three of the gods.
Odin, Vili, and Ve. Odin, Vili, and Ve cut off Ymirs head and flooded the giants with his blood, and drowning them in his blood.
They fashioned the world from his body.
His skull, the sky.
His bones, mountains.
His blood, the sea.
His hair became the forest.
From his eyebrows, they made the a barrier between the surviving Joten(giants) and men.
The Æsir(gods) then made fire, and took the embers and through them into the sky and made stars.
They made the Sun, and they made the Moon. Which were to be chased by wolves, creating the day and night cycles.
They made the first man from and Ash tree, and they made the first woman from an Elm tree.
Happy with their creation, they made Asgard, home of the Gods.
Yggdrasill, the tree of life, that each of its roots went into each world. The root that ran to Asgard has a spring, Urd, where the Norn live. They create the fate of men. The root that runs to Jotunheim, is nourished by the stream, Mimir, that feed the well of knowledge and understanding.
Odin went to the well, for he wanted a drink from it. But before he drank, he had to sacrifice one of his eyes. A small price to pay, for when he did, he saw everything that ever was, ever is, and ever will be.
Odin sits in Asgard, along with two ravens and a wolf. He sees all from Asgard. He is also the patron of the dead. After every battle, the Valkyries, daughters of Odin, took the souls of the brave up to Odin’s hall, Valhalla. Every night they feast and fight until the Ragnarok when they will fight alongside Odin.
Other Gods of mention were Frigg, Odins wife.
Thor, Odins son, Strongest of all the gods.
Baldr. whom was beloved by all the gods of Asgard.
Frey, who controls the sunshine, and the rain fall.
Idun, keeps the apples that the gods eat to stay young.
Heimdall, the watchman of the gods.
Forces of evil of note:
Fenir. The great wolf. Son of Loki.
Hel. Daughter of Loki. The Goddess of the Dead.
Jörmungandr or The World Serpent. This being was cast into the sea by Odin, and will remain there, encircling the Midgard until the Ragnarok.
Loki. Technically a god. Father of Lies, and Disgrace of Gods and Men. He sometimes assits the Gods and sometimes he creates mischief and chaos. All positive relations ends when he engineers Baldrs death.
Ragnarok. The Twilight of the Gods.
Baldr’s death will be the first sign of its coming.
Then three back to back of the coldest winters. Followed by summers of black suns.
Men will succumb to adultery and incest. Civil war will wage cross the world. Famine and plague also.
A great Earthquake will break Loki’s bonds of imprisonment. Setting him free. These are the signs of the final battle between evil and the Gods.
Jörmungandr will arise out of the sea, and flood the world.
Odin will lead the souls of the slain warriors out to fight The Serpent, Fenir, and Surt the evil giant.
Fenir will swallow Odin whole. Odin’s son, Vidar will kill him. Thor will battle the World Serpent. We will slay Jörmungandr with his hammer Mjölnir, but the Serpent will bite and poison him. Frey will be slain by Surt with a giant sword of flame. Surt will then set the worlds of both gods and men ablaze with that sword, and the whole of the world will burn.
Only a man and a woman will survive from Midgard. Lif and Lifthrasir. The ride out the Ragnarok in a branch of the tree Yggdrasill, and will go on to start the world anew.