The Viking cosmology reflects their belief that all things must die including the earth itself. Neither gods nor humans were exempt from the Norns, who predetermined fate, and each prepared for their own mortality. Likewise, their idea of an eternal battle between the forces of good and evil was represented in the wars between gods and giants. Perhaps the Viking's savagely independent nature caused by a hostile, imposing environment acted to create gods that were powerful, wise and clever yet were also victims to the whims of fate. The combined battles of good versus evil, and life versus death seem to have played an important role in the Viking version of creation. As with all creation mythologies, the Viking tales show striking
similarities to other cultures such as the Greek with their polytheistic pantheon of gods and goddesses and the Hopi Native Americans with their layered rather than linear emergence stories.
Before time began there was only Ginnungagap which was an open void. The first world, Muspelheim, was a burning sphere in the southern part of the void and was guarded by the giant Surt. Conversely, the second world, Niflheim was a many layered sphere of ice located in the northern area. The first being was the evil Frost Giant, Ymir, who was born from the mixing of the warm southern air and the cold northern air. Then, the cow Audhumla arose and Ymir survived on her rivers of milk. From Ymir's sweat the Frost Giant lineage began and his children became the mortal enemies of the gods.
From the salty ice block licked by Audhumla, Buri was born and his son Bor and Frost Giant daughter-in-law Bestla gave birth to the first Norse gods, Odin, Vili, and Ve. The gods killed Ymir and his blood drowned all the giants except one man and woman who gave birth to the next evil race. From Ymir's body, Odin, Vili, and Ve created the earth from his flesh, the sea from the salt of his blood, the mountains from his bones, the forests from his hair, the small rocks and pebbles from his jaws and teeth, the sky from his skull, and the storm clouds from his brain. Next, the gods used Ymir's eyebrows to create a barrier between the giants living in Jotunheim by the sea and the soon to be humans living in the middle earth, Midgard. They then went about placing the stars in the heavens from the sparks of Muspelheim and set the sun and moon in motion to provide the changing of the seasons. Viking legend declared that one wolf, Hati, chased the sun and another, Skoll, the moon and that when the wolf caught the sun the world and all its inhabitants would perish.
The World Tree's, Yggdrasil, branches throughout the earth and heavens and its three huge roots grew in Asgard (home of the gods), Jotunheim, and Niflheim and are nourished by three springs, Urd, Mimir, and Hvergelmir. Urd is where the Norns, similar to the Greek Fates, established the destinies of human beings as well as gods. Mimir was the source of wisdom and intuition allowing anyone who drank from it to attain such powers. Hvergelmir belonged to the Frost Giants and was the mouth of all rivers. This tree was the sacrificial vehicle where many savior figures, including Jesus Christ and the Viking god Odin, have symbolically died and resurrected in order to obtain divinity and the promise of life after death. The gods inhabited a portion of middle earth called Asgard where twelve men and twelve women, similar to Greek mythology, created and guided the human race. Also like the Greeks, the Viking gods battled constantly with the Frost Giants in an effort to protect the earth from their evil, careless destruction.
The three main gods were Odin, the All-father and deathgroom of both gods and humans; his son, Thor, who wielded the mighty hammer Mjollnir in the fights with Frost Giants; and Balder, the most beautiful, wise, and best loved of the deities. Loki, the god-giant, was the trickster figure born to Odin who was responsible for both treachery and loyalty to the gods. As the father of the World Serpent, wolf Fefnir, and Hel, goddess of the dead, Loki seems to resemble the Western Christian Satan who is the evil purveyor of the apocalypse as well as the Gnostic Christian's Lucifer who is the giver of light appearing in serpent form. Also, his daughter Hel seems to obviously have influenced the Christian conception of Hell as the Vikings saw her as the companion of hunger and famine who kept the souls of the unwanted diseased and those who died of old age rather than valiant deed. Like Satan, Loki is imprisoned until the last battle upon earth because of his evil ways. It would
appear that Loki represents the necessary evil in all mythologies acting to balance the goodness of other gods while also showing his worth in their occasional request for cunning trickery.
Odin created the first man, Ask, from an ash tree and the first woman, Embla, from an embla tree. Similar to Greek mythology, different gods instilled the necessary life forces into humans whereas Christians believe in the power of a singular deity. Odin gave humans blood and breath, Ve gave them shape and senses, while Vili gave them movement and curiosity. Viking peoples existed as did their gods in constant battle with invading countries. Those warriors who died valiantly for their cause were taken to Odin's golden hall, Valhalla, where they would live until the end of the world, Ragnarok, when god and men joined forces to fight the Frost Giants.
Ragnarok resembles the Christian Revelations in its complete destruction and subsequent rebirth of earth. Also similar is the Viking belief in prophetic circumstances which foretold the beginning of the end. The death of the honorable son of Odin, Balder, at the hand of Loki's treachery, starts the world turning upside down as brother fights brother and innocent blood covers the land. After terrible natural catastrophes including a harvest killing ice age, the wolves catch the sun and moon, and the giant Surt releases his scorching flames sending the stars blazing to earth burning everything in sight. This chaos releases Loki, Fenrir, and the World Serpent who thrashes about spewing poisonous venom. The god Heimdall alerts the others to Ragnarok much like the Christian Arc Angel who trumpets to earth the news of the rapture and Christ's second-coming. However, much unlike the Christian's Jesus, the Viking gods do not win the eternal battle of good versus evil as Odin is devoured by Fenrir, Thor is slain by the World Serpent's venom, and Loki and Heimdall kill each other.
After the earth is again void of evil at the expense of gods and men, it is born anew with plentiful harvests, green fields, and sunshine. Odin's children Vidar and Vali survive the destruction along with Thor's, Modi and Magni who possess his hammer. Together they are joined by Balder released from Hel and they reinhabit Asgard to share the knowledge gained from the complete annihilation of the previous world. One man, Lif, and one woman, Lifthraiser, have stayed safe in the branches of Yddgrasil and they become the parents of humankind's next race.
The Viking gods had magical abilities and their giants were empowered by evil, yet another more omniscient force manipulated them all: fate. Unavoidable circumstance makes Viking mythology unique from Christian or Greek because the latter yields all power to their gods leaving no room for outside intervention. The Vikings intimately knew the horrors of war and death seeking solace and sanity by accepting that both were unavoidable. Perhaps their cruel geography and weather conditions did not allow the Vikings to have faith in any omniscient, omnipotent beings so legends provided the people with a means of coping and fathoming the uncontrollable world around them while elevating personal loss to the heroic and divine.
© Copyright Paula Vaughan
Not to be reprinted without permission.
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