THE NINE WORLDS OF NORDIC MYTHOLOGY

 

 

In Norse Mythology, there were nine worlds, and these Nordic mythology the existing nine worlds were broken into three levels. In the first level was Asgard, the home of the Aesir.  Vanaheim, the home of the Vanir. Alfheim, the home of the Light Elves. In the middle was Midgard “Middle Earth”, the home of the Humans. Midgard was connected toAsgard by Bifrost “The Rainbow Bridge”  Jotunheim, the home of the Giants. Svartalfheim, the home of the Dark Elves. Nidavellir, the home of the Dwarfs. Niflheim was to the north, inside somewhere under the ground were Helheim home of the dead was.  Muspelheim was to the south, it was the home of the fire Giants and Demons.

Niflheim: World of Fog

Niflheim “Mist home” was the darkest and coldest region, in Norse Mythology. Niflheim was the first of the nine worlds; Niflheim was located in the northern region of Ginnungagap. In Niflheim there was the eldest of the three wells, called Hvergelmir “bubbling boiling spring” protected by the dragon Nidhug. Hvergelmir it's said that all cold rivers came from here, and it was said

to be the source of the eleven rivers. Hvergelmir was the origin of all living and the place where every living will go back. Elivagar “ice waves” are the rivers which existed in Niflheim at the beginning of the world. They were the streams floating out of Hvergelmir. The water from Elivagar flowed down the mountains to the plains of Ginnungagap, where it solidified to frost and ice, which gradually formed a very dense layer. That was the reason that there was very cold in the northern plains. As the world tree Yggdrasil grew up into the sky, it stretched one of its three large roots far into Niflheim, and drew water from the spring Hvergelmir.

 

 

Muspelheim: The Land of Fire

Muspelheim was created far to the south of the world. Muspelheim was a burning hot place, filled with lava, flames, sparks and soot. Muspelheim was the home the of fire giants, fire demons and ruled by the giant Surt. He was a sworn enemy of the Aesir. Surt will ride out with his flaming sword in his hand at Ragnarok “the end of the world” Surt will then attack Asgard, “the home of the gods” and turn it into a flaming inferno.

 

Valhalla was in Asgard: Asgard: Home of the God

In the middle of the world, high up in the sky wasAsgard. It was the home of the gods and goddesses inNorse Mythology. The male gods in Asgard, was called Aesir, and the female gods was called Asynjur. Odin was the ruler of Asgard, and the chief of the Aesir. Odin was married to Frigg; she was the Queen of the Aesir. Inside the gates of Asgard was Valhalla; it was the place where the Vikings that died in battle would go for the afterlife.

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Valhalla was in Asgard: Home of the fallen Vikings

Valhalla was located in Asgard, where there was 540 doors. The doors was so wide that through each huge door, 800 warriors could walk side by side. The roof was covered with golden shields, and the walls around Valhalla were made from wooden spear shafts. This was the place were half of the Vikings who had died in a battle would come for their afterlife. The other half of the Vikings was given to the goddess Freya; she always had the first choice from every dead warrior. Each and every morning the Vikings in Valhalla would take their weapons and put on their armor and then walk out to the big plains in Asgard and fight. It did not matter if they got their arms, legs or head cut off. Because when the great dinner in the evening came they would all be restored to normal.

In the evening they would return home to Valhalla and sit down and eat and drink.Saehrimnir “A giant pig” the pig was a magical pig. When the cook Andhrimnir cut steaks from the side of the pig, it would grow back immediately. There was also a goat named Heidrun, it was standing on the roof of Valhalla, and ate from the branches of the tree of life “Yggdrasil” While from its udder floats a lot of mead, down to a huge tub, big enough to make everyone in Valhalla drunk every day. The Valkyries would serve the Vikings, pork and mead.

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Midgard: Home of the Humans

Midgard “middle earth” were located in the middle of the world, below Asgard. Midgard and Asgard was connected by Bifrost the Rainbow Bridge. Midgard was surrounded by a huge ocean that was impassable. The Ocean was occupied by a huge sea serpent, the Midgard Serpent. The Midgard serpent was so huge that he encircles the world entirely, and biting his own tail.Odin and his two brothers Vili and Ve, created the humans from an Ash log, the man and from an elm log, the woman.

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Jotunheim: Home of the Giants

Jotunheim was the home of the jotuns, and the giants. They were the sworn enemies of the Aesir. Jotunheim consisted mostly of rocks, wilderness and dense forests, so the giants lived from the fish in the rivers, and the animals in the forest, because there was no fertile land in Jotunheim. The whole world was created from the corpse of the first Jotun, named Ymir. It was Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve, who killed Ymir.

The Jotuns and the Aesir were constantly fighting, but it also happened from time to time, that love affairs could occur. Odin, Thor and a few others, had lovers who were Jotuns. Loki also came from Jotunheim, but he was accepted by the Aesir and lived in Asgard. Jotunheim was separated from Asgard by the river Iving, which never freezes over. It lies in the snowy regions on the outermost shores of the ocean. Mimir's well of wisdom is in Jotunheim, beneath the Midgard root of the ash tree Yggdrasil. The stronghold of Utgard was so big that it was hard to see the top of it. And there the feared Jotun king Utgard-Loki lived. Utgard was carved from blocks of snow and glistening icicles.

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Vanaheim: Home of the Vanir

Vanaheim was the home of the Vanir gods. The Vanir gods was an old branch of gods. The Vanir were masters of sorcery and magic. They are also widely acknowledged for their talent to predict the future. Nobody knows where the land, Vanaheim lies, or even how it looks like. When the war between the Aesir and the Vanir ended, three of the Vanir came to live in Asgard, Njord and his children Freya and Freyr.

 

Alfheim: Home of the Light Elves

Alfheim was right next to Asgard in the heaven. They were beautiful creatures. They were considered the “guardian angels” The god Freyr, were the ruler of Alfheim. The Light elves were minor gods of nature and fertility; they could help or hinder humans with their knowledge of magical powers. They also often delivered an inspiration to art or music.

 

Svartalfheim: Home of the Dark Elves

Svartalfheim was the home of the dark elves. The dark elves hated the sun so they lived in the murky underground. They were hideous and could be a great pain in the neck to the humans many described them as being extreme annoying. The dark elves were nothing but trouble. Many thought that dark elves were also responsible for nightmares. These dark elves were called mare. A mare would sit on a sleeping person’s chest and whisper bad dreams to haunt the person. A mare could also haunt animals, particularly horses. The dark elves could not be exposed to the sun, if they got touched by the beams of light from the sun, they would instantly turn into stones.

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Nidavellir: Home of the Dwarves

The dwarves lived under the rocks, in caves and underground, at a place called Nidavellir. Hreidmarwas the king of Nidavellir,  Nidavellir means Dark fields. The dwarves were masters of craftsmanship. The gods of Asgard, the Aesir received many powerful gifts. Like Thor's hammer