Have you ever wondered how everything began, way, way back, before there were any trees, or animals, or even you? Well, it all started in a very big, empty space.

Imagine a giant gap, bigger than anything you can think of! This gap was called Ginnungagap. On one side of this gap, it was super, super cold and misty, like the inside of a giant freezer. This place was called Niflheim. Brrrr! On the other side, it was super, super hot and fiery, like a giant bonfire. This place was called Muspelheim. Whoosh!

Now, what happens when icy mist meets fiery sparks? Sizzle! Pop! Drip! From these drips, something amazing happened. A giant, the very first giant, appeared! His name was Ymir. He was enormous! And because it was warm where the ice and fire met, Ymir got a bit sleepy and sweaty. And guess what? From his sweat, more giants popped out!

At the same time, a giant cow also appeared from the melting ice. Her name was Audhumla. Moo! Audhumla was very thirsty, and she started to lick the salty ice blocks that were all around. Lick, lick, lick went her big cow tongue. After three days of licking, something else amazing happened. Out of the ice popped the first god! His name was Buri.

Buri had a son named Bor. And Bor married a giantess named Bestla. Together, Bor and Bestla had three strong and clever sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve. These three brothers were the first of the gods we know from the stories.

Now, Ymir the giant kept growing bigger and bigger, and so did all the other giants that came from him. Odin, Vili, and Ve knew that the giants were not always friendly and that Ymir was just too enormous. They decided they had to do something. So, they fought the giant Ymir, and after a great big struggle, Ymir was defeated.

But this wasn't the end; it was a new beginning! Odin and his brothers used Ymir's enormous body to make the world.
From Ymir's flesh, they made the earth we walk on.
From his blood, they made all the oceans, rivers, and lakes. Splash!
His big bones became the tall mountains and hills.
His teeth and broken bones became rocks and pebbles.
And his giant skull? They lifted it high, high up to become the sky! Four strong little dwarves, named North, South, East, and West, were chosen to hold up the corners of the sky.
Ymir's curly brain was tossed up to become the fluffy clouds.
And his eyelashes? They used those to build a strong fence around the middle part of the earth, to keep it safe. They called this safe place Midgard, which means "Middle Earth," and it was where humans would one day live.

Speaking of humans, Odin, Vili, and Ve were walking along a beach one day when they found two logs of wood, one from an ash tree and one from an elm tree.
Odin breathed into them, and they came alive!
Vili gave them minds, so they could think and feel.
Ve gave them rosy cheeks and bright eyes, so they could see and hear, and speak.
The first man was named Ask (from the ash tree), and the first woman was named Embla (from the elm tree). And they became the parents of all people.

But the world was still a bit dark. So, the gods grabbed some super bright sparks from fiery Muspelheim to make the Sun and the Moon. They put them in special chariots to race across the sky each day and night, giving light to the world. And guess what? Two speedy wolves, Skoll and Hati, are always trying to catch them in a cosmic game of chase!

And that’s how, from a big empty space, a giant, a cow, and three clever gods, the world we know, with its land, sea, sky, and people, came to be!

1541 Views