The Creation of the World, According to the Vikings - Yggdrasil, Ginnungagap, Ymir and Audhumla

Yggdrasil and the Norse Creation Myth

Like all belief systems, the Norse had their own myth about how the world was created. But this story isn’t a simple “pop everything together in seven days and boom, there you have it” kind of tale. Instead, it’s filled with vicious giants, dehydrated livestock and a healthy dose of murder.

Somewhere between fire and ice - the Ginnungagap

The Ginnungagap

The Norse believed there were once two opposing worlds; on one side was an icy land called Niflheim, and on the other, a fiery realm called Muspelheim.

In between these two worlds was a vast, empty void of space where ice and fire met to make steam. This void was called the Ginnungagap (cool name, eh?).

Ymir and his wayward brood

In the Ginnungagap, the steamy mist eventually took shape and formed a giant called Ymir.

Yes, kids - that's definitely how babies are made.

Speaking of babies - Ymir had a bunch of children and they were all very destructive. They were the type of family you invite round to your house then immediately regret your decision. They turn up like a whirlwind; breaking all your toys, having a food fight in the kitchen, painting their feet green then jumping up and down on your mum’s beautiful beige couch (sorry mum!).

Ymir was a fearsome giant who may have looked a bit like this. Or not. He might have been even hairier!

This was the same for Ymir’s children. Though of course, at the beginning of time, a bunch of unruly and disobedient kids running around doesn’t matter that much. After all, there’s nobody around to get annoyed at their shocking behaviour. That is, until the first human being turned up.

Audhumla

So what I failed to mention earlier on was that Ymir wasn’t the only creature to be formed from the Ginnungagap’s hazy fog. Another being came to life – Audhumla.

Picture this - you’re staring into the vast nothingness of the Ginnungagap and slowly a shape begins to form. For a moment, you’re awed by the miracle of creation. That is until the shape becomes clearer and all you can see is a big chunky cow floating in the nothingness, probably staring blankly and chewing on some cud.

This is Audhumla, the giant primordial cow. She likes to lick ice.

Turns out Audhumla isn't the only cow who likes the ice - who knew cattle loved the cold so much?

Audhumla attempts to fly-swim her way across the vast expanse of the Ginnungagap in the ungainly manner only ever fully achieved by cattle. She makes it to the icy realm of Niflheim where she finds a nourishing peak of ice, extends her giant primordial cow tongue and begins licking. You watch her while longer, but that’s it. That’s all she’s doing. Licking the ice.

Buri, the first human

As boring an activity as it is to watch, Audhumla’s favourite pastime of ice licking brought about an important turn of events. As the ice Audhumla licked began to melt away, a human being began to emerge. This was Buri, the first human being.

Much like the chaotic giant Ymir, Buri had a bunch of kids too. These kids were Odin, Vili and Ve. They were the first of the Aesir gods, one of the two types of gods in Norse mythology.

The end of Ymir

Now Ymir and his boisterous brood had other creatures to spend time with, and spend time together they did. But it didn’t take long for the three god brothers to grow sick of Ymir and the destruction he left in his wake.

Any polite and well-behaved child would try their best to be responsible in this situation. Walk away and tell a teacher, go play in a different area of the playground, scream and cry until the annoying culprit gives up and goes away. But it’s rather tricky to do these things at the beginning of time when neither teachers or playgrounds have been invented yet.

So the three god brothers had a good think and came up with what they felt was the best course of action – Ymir had to die.

Odin looks out over the world he has created with his brothers

From destruction to creation

So that was that. Ymir was dispatched in the quickest and cleanest possible way by the Aesir brothers. But what to do with the body after their murderous act?

Luckily, Odin, Vili and Ve had planned it all through. They dragged Ymir’s corpse to the centre of the Ginnungagap and put it to good use. First, they used his flesh to create the land, then they used the blood to make water, scattering lakes and seas across the earth. They built mountains from Ymir’s bones and sprinkled his hair everywhere to make plants and trees.

An artist's vision of what Yggdrasil might look like (insert oohs and aahs here).

Yggdrasil, the world tree

And in the centre of the new world they’d created, the god brothers grew an enormous tree that connected everything together.

From the tree sprouted nine different realms where gods, giants, dwarves, elves and humans all lived. The realms were all separate but linked together by the branches of this sacred tree.

The god brothers called it Yggdrasil, the world tree.