Creation of the human by the North Germanic tribes

As I wrote in my previous post, this one will concern the creation of the human (as well as other beings). I hope you' will like it.

The creation of the day, night, and the seasons did not satisfy the tireless brothers. They intended to fill the world with creatures, for their desire someone to hear and worship them. The Alfas (Light Elves) were the first to arrive. They were not, however, the work of the victorious gods, apparently, they came from afar, built the luminous Álfheimr on the backs of clouds, and lived in it. They put themselves under the protection of the gods and since then, have served them faithfully, helping them in times of need. 

So the gods decided to create beings like the Alfas. They used Ymir's bones and blood as building materials but the work was not as brilliant as the original - the dwarves looked ugly, misshapen and they were afraid of the sunlight. The sunshine was turning the dwarves to gray stone. Therefore, the gods appointed as their whereabouts the underground Svartalfheim, the Dark Alfas or Svartálfar, as the Æsirs called the unsuccessful copies of the spirits of Alfheim. The first dwarves, Mótsognir and Duri made kinsmen out of clay, and these, like worms, crept along the endless underground corridors of their land.

Dwarves are an unruly and wayward tribe, often disobeying the gods, and even harming them. After all, they are known as unmatched blacksmiths, goldsmiths, and builders. 

After the Dwarves, it's time for us - humans. During this time, Odin and the other brothers had already had offspring, and one of them the mighty Loki, the ruler of the Fire Giants joined their ranks. One upon a time, Odin, his brother, Hónir and Loki, traveled to Midgard. Walking along the seashore, they came across two trees - and ash and an elm - growing side by side. Hónir passed by indifferently, but Loki stopped and said to Odin:

- Brother of blood, (Loki and Odin swore eternal friendship, strengthened community of blood) you always wanted Midgard to be inhabited by beings obedient to us. Wouldn't it be good if we made a new tribe out of these trees? 

- Yes, that would be good. - Odin replied. And it happened - out of Ash a man named Askr was made, and from elm - a woman named Embla. But they layed still, their faces were pale, with no sign of life. So Odin infused them the power of breathing, Hónir gave them soul, and Loki the warmth of blood, so their cheeks flushed. All people, even our enemies, who speak a different language come from Askr and Embla. This is how Midgard was filled with servants of the gods. 

After the creation of humans, there was an ebb and flow, and it happened because of two human children. One night, Máni (the Moon) set out on his night-time journey through the sky and gazed at the earth from a great height. He saw two boys, Hjuki and Bil, carrying water in wooden buckets. He took them to his cart to tell interesting stories along the way. And in the morning, after a night full of legends, it turned out that neither he nor the children could live without each other. But they had to get back to earth, finish what they had started. So Mani asked Nótt (Night) for permission to detain the children. In return, he promised to ensure that Hjuki and Bil continued to handle the Earth's water. And so, every night Hjuki fills his bucket in the ocean, and then the low tide comes, and when Bil later empties, so the high tide comes.

The gods had nowhere to live, they wandered like a pack of wolves in winter, so they decided to find a place for their future home. They built the fortified Asgard in the meadows of the sky, a seat full of palaces where the nightly games were held. It was encircled by wide plains fit for battle training. The Asgard was placed even higher than the Alfheim, which is fair since the Alfas (Elves) are only servants of the gods.

Also anchored in the heavens is Vanaheimr, the home of the divine Vanirs, the second line of the highest creatures. It is not known when and how the Vanirs built it, the rumor is that they did much earlier than the Æsir built Asgard. It is said that Vanów was born by the divine Earth and thus became the protectors of our crops.

Years later, it turned out that people are mortal - after all, they do not eat the divine Apples of Youth - and their liberated souls wander around the Midgard, having nowhere to go. Odin, therefore, decided to accept warriors who had fallen on the battlefield to his Valhalla - then let them share the bed with beautiful Freya. What was going to happen to the other souls? The gods found advice for that. Well, deep beneath the earth was Niflheim, a frosty and sad land. It was also decided to send there the souls of people who were not fortunate enough to stand out during their earthly life. It is said that the Earth first handed over Niflheim to the giant Mimir, but then the Aesir removed him and made the terrifying Hel, daughter of Loki, queen of Niflheim.

In the highest spheres of the heavens, Asgard and Vanaheimr drift beneath the skull of Ymir. Asgard is connected to Midgard by a rainbow bridge, Bifrost, the only path between mortals and gods. A luminous Alfheim hangs under the realms of the gods. On the lower floor, there is a flat earth, and its center is occupied by the ocean-drenched Midgard. Muspellheim, the world of the Fire Giants, is burning beyond Garsecg in the south. There is Jótunnheim in the north and Hrimthursheim in the northeast. Both these lands crackle with frost and their lands are choked with ice. Hrimthursheim is said to be colder, and it is not without reason that its inhabitants are called Hrimthurs - Frosted Giants. All Thur's countries, and even their forcibly occupied areas in Midgard, have long been known as Utgard (Outer Region).

Schools of fish swim in Garsecg, followed by voracious monsters, led by terrible Kraken. But the most dangerous of the creatures of the ocean, Jórmungand (Great Stick), hides in inaccessible depths. He is also called Midgardsorm (Serpent of the World), because with all his enormous body he is in the water, surrounding Midgard. It has grown so infinitely that it embraces the human world and is still capable of biting its own tail.

Svartalfheim's smithery roars beneath the flat ground, from where many passages to Midgard have been dug. Still lower, much lower are the dark plains of Niflheim, the land of the dead where no one ever laughs. What is underneath it is unknown. Maybe emptiness, or maybe other lands.

In order for Alda not to fall apart, she was connected by a strong trunk of the Yggdrasill (Ygga, or the Terrible, or Odin) tree. One of the ash roots comes from Niflheim, the other from Hrimthursheim, and the third originates from Asgard. The evergreen crown of the tree stretches over the land of the gods, giving it a pleasant shade. This is how all the lands of Alda are connected, and if that support ever collapses, the stars will fall, the sun will go out, and Midgard and Utgard will plunge into the depths of the ocean.

And that's the end of the story. I hope you like it! As you probably noticed it is in some ways quite similar to the Greek creation myth but I find it even more interesting.

See ya!