Nordic+Mythology

Nordic Mythology Introduction Most cultures have a myth of how the world was created. These myths are interpreted differently all around the world. Most declare that the world was created by at least one higher being. The Nordic people called their myth “The Birth of the Worlds” because they thought there was more than one world in the universe.

Summary “The Birth of the World” reflects the rest of Nordic mythology in one basic way; it is the basis of all Nordic mythology. Since this story is how their world was created and about the history of the Yggdrasil, all of the other myths that took place in any of the nine worlds had something to do with this story. Whether the myth took place in Asgard with the gods, or in Jotunhem with the giants, it all goes back to when and how their worlds were created. “The Birth of the Worlds” is the myth that explains the history behind all nine of Nordic mythology’s worlds. Story Analysis “The Birth of the Worlds,” is the Nordic myth that is the base of all Nordic mythology. “The Birth of the Worlds,” explains about how their world was created and how they had separated it into nine separate worlds for different groups. It also explains how some of the world’s inhabitants were created, too. The world was created from the first frost giant, Ymir. He was killed in a battle between his family and the son of Buri (Bor)'s sons, Odin, Ve, and Vili killed Ymir during the battle. His flesh made the Earth and its valleys, hills and plains. The blood from his wounds created the oceans. His brains made the clouds and so on until the rest of the world was created. The three boys thought it needed something more and so humans were created from tree trunks, according to __Norse Mythology A to Z__, Revised Edition. They then decided who got what world. The humans got Midgard, the dead had Niflheim, and etc., according to pages 39-41 in __the Norse Men.__The Yggdrasil (The World Tree) is what caonnects all nine world s together. Most types of mythology from all around the world had a creation myt h showing how they believed the world was made. “The Birth of the Worlds,” is Nordic mythology’s creation myth explaining how the world was made and how they divided it into nine worlds.   Culture Comparison When the Nordic Myths are compared to the Greek and Roman Myths you can see a similarity between them. The supernatural events that are similar are the gods. In the Nordic myths the leader was who they treated as their father, or Odin. In Greek mythology, the leader and father of some of the gods was Zeus. Although Zeus was the god of thunder, Odin was the god of wisdom and poetry, and of war and death. The Nordic People had a different god of thunder who’s name was Thor. Nordic myths had two different groups of gods, the Vanir and the Aesir. The Vanir were the old gods and the Aesir were the newer gods. This is similar to the gods before Zeus, the Titians, and the gods who were gods with Zeus. A difference was how they thought the world was created. Blood was a major part in both but they created different elements of the earth. In Nordic mythology, one giant was killed and various parts of his body were used to create the earth. In Greek mythology, Gaia had a son and then the children were something and that eventually lead to the over ruling of Cronos and, in turn, how the Greeks perceived how the world was created. The way they thought the Earth was held up is also different. Atlas held up the world as a punishment in Greek mythology. In Nordic mythology, they were one of the nine worlds that were held up by Yggdrasil, or the World Tree. As you can see there are many differences and similarities between the Greek/Roman myths and the Nordic myths.



Culture Analysis The Nordic people used myths to explain things in nature and other thing. These beliefs were reflected in their culture and ways of life. In the story “The Birth of The Worlds” it shows us how the Nordic people believed the universe was created and its three levels and nine worlds. They believed that ice and fire were the creators of the universe meaning they must have been very important to them considering that they lived in a very cold region that had volcanoes also. When the universe was created there were nine worlds. And one of them being a land for the dead called Niflheim. Meaning they must have believed that when you died you went on to another world. Their myths were part of a moral and ethical, often a spiritual belief system. Since the culture didn’t have a central religion the myths helped people structure their lives. The myths often reflected their codes of behavior, their cultural customs and burial, and their ways of worship. They foretell of the eventual breakdown of order, but also of regeneration. They also believed in gods for different things. And there were different groups of gods and the fought. The humans would use those to explain things in nature. The stories in the Norse mythology reflected on the culture of their people.

Conclusion As most cultures they created myths to explain things in nature such as the creation of the universe. And thats what the story "The Birth of the Worlds" is about how the universe was created and the nine worlds. Most of the Nordic myths had similarities with the Greek and Roman myths. These myths also reflected the peoples culture. The Nordic like most cultures around the world used these myths and worshiped them.

Bibliography

** Boucquey, Thierry, gen. ed. "mythology, Norse." Encyclopedia of World Writers, Beginnings through the 13th Century. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ** Daly, Kathleen N. "creation myths, Norse." //Norse Mythology A to Z//, Revised Edition. Revised by Marian Rengel. Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2004. //Ancient and Medieval History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE49&iPin=NMAZ060&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 28, 2008).
 * ItemID=WE49&iPin=EWWI0201&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 24, 2008). **

Daly, Kathleen N. "Scandinavia and Norse mythology." Norse Mythology A to Z, Revised Edition. Revised by Marian Rengel. Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2004. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE49&iPin=NMAZ306&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 24, 2008). Schamp, Virginia. __the Norse Men__. 2008.(35-41)