Teaching The Controversy Part II

Last time I wrote about teaching the controversy I mentioned the Norse gods: "Does your god kill shit tons of frost giants in a bloody, multi-dimensional hammer war?". So I figured it would be nice to explain the origin of the world from Norse mythology. Norse mythology is brutal in a lot of ways (Odin once tears out his eyeball, stabs himself with a spear, and hangs himself as a way of discovering the runes used in Teutonic magic) and I appreciate that their version of the end of the world is as bleak as it is. Seriously, basically every god dies in a bloody war and the outcome of the world is murky at best. So with that in mind, on to the Norse origin of the world.

Before time their was great void known as Ginnungagap (which is super fun to say out loud) in between two places known as Muspelheim and Niflheim. Niflheim (which means mist home) is a land filled with ice and mist that basically represents everything dark and cold. Muspelheim on the other hand was land covered in lava, sparks, and fire. In Muspelheim live fire giants, fire demons, and Surt. Surt will eventually grab his flaming sword and engulf Asgard (the home of the gods) in flames, so the gods don't like him very much. Now, both lands began to encroach on the Ginnungagap and when they meet the fire and ice essentially cancel each other out and produce steam and water droplets. From these drops of water a frost giant is born, Ymir, as well as a large cow named Audhumla.

Ymir, not having much to do I guess, slept and in his sleep sweated out two more frost giants who would make more (bow chicka bow wow), a race who would be known as the Jotun. The Jotun, including Ymir, suckled ffrom the cow, who in turn licked the salty ice from Niflheim. While licking this ice, Audhumla began to uncover a person, who, after 3 days was, completley out of the ice. This man would be known as Buri. Buri had a son named Borr, who would marry a Jotun named Bestla. These two would eventually have three sons; Odin, Vili, and Ve. The first of the Aesir (Norse gods).

The three sons grew worried over the mass propagation of the Jotun and decided that the best response would be to murder the shit out of all of them. The three brothers assaulted Ymir as he slept and after a long battle killed him. When his blood poured out form his body all the other Jotuns drowned save for two, Bergelmir and his wife, who hid in Niflheim. all Joten beyond this point are descended from these two survivors.

Odin, Vili, and Ve took Ymir's corpse to the center of Ginnungagap and broke it down and used his parts to make the world. Ymir's blood became the oceans and other bodies of water, his meats became the land, bones and teeth became mountains and rocks and his hair became the trees. His eyelashes formed a circle around a new realm known as Midgard ( also known as middle earth where humans would eventually live). Ymir's brains became clouds and his skull became the sky. While all of this was happening, maggots ate the flesh and became the Dwarves who would live in the ground. Later the Dwarves would become master craftsmen and make weapons for the Aesir such as Thor's hammer Mjolnir and Odin's spear Gungnir. Four of these Dwarves were conscripted by the Aesir to hold up the sky since they worried it would fall. These Dwarves are named Nordi, Vestri, Sundri, and Austri for which the cardinal directions are named (North, West, South, and East respectively.)

A man named Mundilfari from Midgard had two children whom shined brightly. He decided to name his daughter Sol (the sun) and His son Mani (the moon). The Aesir were angered by his hubris and put both children in the sky. The Jotun also contributed to the sky. There was a Jotun named Nat (night) who has a son named Dag (day). These two pull the heavens across the sky (night and day) pursued by two Jotuns in the form of Wolves; Skoll, meaning treachery, and Hati, meaning he who hates. Hati is constantly trying to eat the moon and sometimes takes bites out of it, though it regenerates the damage eventually (phases of the moon). During Ragnarok (the end of the world) The wolves will catch the sun and the moon, eating them up.

From Ymir's corpse also grew Yggdrasil, a giant ash tree that supports the nine worlds. These nine worlds are Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard (where the gods live and where Valhalla is located), Midgard (where humans live), Jotunheim (home of the Jotun), Vanaheim (Home of the Vanir, a group of gods that fought with the Aesir, and eventually made peace. Njord and his daughters Freya and Freyr are Vanir), Alfheim (home of the elves), Svartalfheim(home of the dark elves) and Nidavellir (home of the Dwarves). Odin, Vili, and Ve found two logs from Yggdrasil and from them carved the first man and woman Ask and Embla. Ask, Embla and all of their descendents where given Midgard as it was protected from the Jotun by Ymir's eyelashes.

So there you have it, some mild genocide and corpse-desecration and bam, The Universe. If you want a more complete version of this I would suggest reading the Prose and Poetic Eddas. They are full of badass Norse mythology, all of which is at least as entertaining as most stories written today while also being fucking insane in a lot of places. I cannot recommend them highly enough.