Norse mythology is a name used for a body of stories developed in and associated with Scandinavia and Germany. The Norse people lived in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages (400’s to 1400’s). Norse raiders of the period later came to be referred to as Vikings. Norse mythology is also called Teutonic mythology. The basic sources for Teutonic mythology are two works called Eddas. They were oral poems that were written down in the 1200’s (see Edda). Other information on Teutonic mythology comes from legends about specific families and heroes and from German literary and historical works. 
The creation of life.
According to the Eddas, two places existed before the creation of life—Muspellsheim, a land of fire, and Niflheim, a land of ice and mist. Between them lay Ginnungagap << gihn NAWNG ah gahp >> , a great emptiness where heat and ice met. Out of this emptiness came Ymir << EE mihr >> , a young giant and the first living thing. A second creature soon appeared, a cow named Audumla << aw DOOM lah >> . Ymir lived on Audumla’s milk. As Ymir matured, he gave birth to three beings. He bore them from his armpits and from one leg. A divine race of giants was thus born.
Meanwhile, a second giant, Buri, was frozen in the ice of Niflheim. Audumla licked the ice off his body, freeing him. Buri created a son named Bor, who married the giantess Bestla. They had three sons— Odin, Ve << vay >> , and Vili << VIHL ee >> . The sons founded the first race of gods.
The construction of the world.
After Odin became an adult, he led his brothers in an attack on the giant Ymir and killed him. Odin then became supreme ruler of the world. The gods defeated the giants in battle, but the giants planned revenge on their conquerors.
Odin and his brothers constructed the world from Ymir’s body. Ymir’s blood became the oceans, his ribs the mountains, and his flesh the earth. The gods created the first man from an ash tree and the first woman from an elm tree. They also constructed Asgard, which became their heavenly home. Valhalla, a great hall in Asgard, was the home of warriors killed in battle.
Many divinities lived in Asgard. These divinities were called the Aesir << EYE seer >> . The ruler of Asgard was Odin. Thor, Odin’s oldest son, was god of thunder and lightning. Balder, another of Odin’s sons, was god of goodness and harmony. Other divinities included Bragi, the god of poetry, and Loki, the evil son of a giant. The most important goddesses included Frigg, Odin’s wife; Freyja, goddess of love and beauty; and Hel, goddess of the underworld.
A giant ash tree known as Yggdrasil << IHG drah sihl >> supported all creation. In most accounts of Yggdrasil, the tree had three roots. One root reached into Niflheim. Another grew to Asgard. The third extended to Jotunheim, the land of the giants. Three sisters called Norns lived around the base of the tree. They controlled the past, present, and future. A giant serpent called Nidhoggr << neeth HOH guhr >> lived near the root in Niflheim. The serpent was loyal to the race of giants defeated by Odin. It continually gnawed at the root to bring the tree down, and the gods with it.
Teutonic heroes.
Sigurd the Dragon Slayer probably ranks as the most important hero in Teutonic mythology. He appears in a Scandinavian version of German myths about a royal family called the Volsungs. Sigurd became the model for the mythical German hero Siegfried, who appears in the Nibelungenlied, a famous German epic of the Middle Ages. Other heroes in Teutonic mythology include Starkad, who was a mortal friend of Odin’s, and the Danish warrior Hadding. See Nibelungenlied.
The end of the world.
Unlike many other major Western mythologies, Teutonic mythology includes an eschatology (account of the end of the world). According to Teutonic mythology, there will be a great battle called Ragnarok. This battle will be fought between the giants, led by Loki, and the gods and goddesses living in Asgard. All the gods, goddesses, and giants in the battle will be killed, and the earth will be destroyed by fire. After the battle, Balder will be reborn. With several sons of dead gods, he will form a new race of divinities. The human race will also be re-created. During Ragnarok, a man and woman will take refuge in a forest and sleep through the battle. After the earth again becomes fertile, the couple will awake and begin the new race of human beings. The new world, cleansed of evil and treachery, will endure forever.
