Ancient History

         In the beginning, before the world of men and gods existed, the spring Hvergelmir, deep in the frozen wastes of Niflheim, gave rise to eleven rivers known as the Elivagar. Over a long period of time, water of the Elivagar ran across Niflheim and poured into the northern part of Ginnungagap. The water froze, forming vast sheets of ice in the void. Hot air from Muspell melted some of the ice, creating a zone of meltwater amid the ice and snow. Here life began.

(Ginnungagap, in the cosmology of Norse mythology, is the primordial void separating Niflheim, the land of eternal ice and snow, and Muspell, the land of eternal heat and flame.)

         From the drops of melting snow and ice, the divine cow Audumla was created. The cow itself got nourishment by licking hoar frost and salt from the ice. On the evening on the first day the hair of a person appeared, on the second day the whole head, and on the third day it became a woman, Sif, the first God. She is known as the Mother Earth in the oldest of the legends. Soon after "birth," Sif had four children: Alfadir (M), Sleipnir (M), Freki (F), and Geri (F).

         In the fierce battles between Alfadi and Sleipnir for control of the heavens, their mother Sif was slain. As the battles raged, the daughters, Freki and Geri, created a new world upon which the four could live in harmony (their mother's last wish). They used the flesh to fill the Ginnungagap; her blood to create the lakes and the seas; from her unbroken bones they made the mountains; teeth and the fragments of shattered bones became rocks and boulders and stones; trees were made from her hair, and the clouds from her brains. Freki and Geri raised Sif's skull and made the sky from it. Finally, from Sif's eyebrows they shaped Midgard, the realm of man.

         As the brothers saw what had been wrought, they were both filled with remorse and henceforth made peace. (As seen, it is only temporary, but it lasted long enough to "seed" the new world) Together, they built Gladsheim ("place of joy") to be the hall of the gods in the Holy City Asgard. Each of the main gods would have a high seat there. Gladsheim is where the gods meet to make important decisions.

         Meanwhile, Freki and Geri walked on the beach, enjoying the newness and beauty of their mother's world, they came upon two logs of wood which were washed ashore. They picked the logs up and gave them a humanoid shape. Freki breathed into them the spirit of life, Geri gave them sharp wits and feeling hearts; and together they bestowed upon them the senses, expressive features and speech. Furthermore, the sisters provided them with names and clothes. The male they named Ash and the female the named Elm. Ash and Elm became the progenitors of the human race and Midgard was given to them as their residence.

         The four children of Sif separated, to each a corner of the world. Here it is where the two sisters wander out of legend.

         Alfadir founds the Aesir, which is the collective name for the principal Gods; they who lived in Asgard, and ruled the lives of mortal men. The other were the Vanir, sired by Alfadir's brother Sleipnir.

         The Aesir gods under the leadership of Alfadir, included Wasatore, God of Thunder; Jyord, God of the Sea; Mimir, God of Wisdom; Balder, God of beauty; Bragi, God of eloquence; Forseti, God of mediation; Heimdall (guardian of the bridge to Asgard); Hod, God of Dreams; Loki, God of Cunning and Tricks; Tyr, God of war; Vili, Goddess of Music and the Arts; Ve, Goddess of Peace; Vidar, Goddess of the Harvest; Idun, the Moon Goddess, wife of Hod; and Hel, Goddess of Helheim, the realm of the dead.

         Little is known of the Vanir, except that they were originally a group of wild nature and fertility gods and goddesses, sworn enemies of the Aesir. They were considered to be the bringers of health, youth, fertility, luck and wealth, and masters of magic. The Vanir lived in Vanaheim.

         Two of the most popular Vanir were the twins Freya and Freyr. Freya was the goddess of love and fertility, the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses. She was the patron goddess of crops and birth, the symbol of sensuality, and was called upon in matters of love. She loved music, spring and flowers, and was particularly fond of the fairies, one of her creations. Freyr was the God of Sun and Rain, and the patron of bountiful harvests. He was both a god of peace and a brave warrior. Freyr was the most prominent and most beautiful of the male members of the Vanir, and was called 'God of the World' or 'Lord of the Vanir'. Freyr was also called upon to grant a fertile marriage. He was married to the beautiful Gerd, an ex-aesir. She had been Goddess of the Hunt, giving up her god-hood in order to become Freyr's wife.

The enmity between Vanir and Aesir came to an abrupt end when the Fire Giants of Muspell, led by the firey demon Surt, sought to depose the gods and become the new rulers of Mitgard. Only together could the Vanir and the Aesir stop the giants. In the end they could not kill Surt, only imprison him with ensorcelled chains in the heart of the world.

Afterwards, the Vanir moved into the Holy City and a new period of peace ensued.