Norse mythology · 3 chapters

Ymir, Audhumla, and the First Creation

Before the gods, before the worlds, only ice, fire, and a void

In the beginning there was nothing but Ginnungagap, the great void. From the north came Niflheim, realm of ice and mist. From the south came Muspelheim, realm of fire. Where fire met ice, droplets formed, and from those droplets the giant Ymir came alive. A primordial cow, Audhumla, emerged alongside him, sustaining Ymir with rivers of milk. She licked the salty ice and revealed Búri, the first god. Búri's son Borr married the giantess Bestla and they produced Odin, Vili, and Vé. The three brothers slew Ymir. From his body they built the world: his flesh became earth, his blood the seas, his bones the mountains, his skull the sky. From his brains they made clouds. His death is the foundation of everything.