Chapter 31

Chapter XXXI
Northern Mythology Valhalla The Valkyrior The stories which have engaged our attention thus far relate to
the mythology of southern regions. But there is another branch
of ancient superstitions which ought not to be entirely
overlooked, especially as it belongs to the nations from which
we, through our English ancestors, derive our origin. It is that
of the northern nations called Scandinavians, who inhabited the
countries now known as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland.
These mythological records are contained in two collections
called the Eddas, of which the oldest is in poetry and dates back
to the year 1056, the more modern, or prose Edda, being of the
date of 1640. According to the Eddas there was once no heaven above nor earth
beneath, but only a bottomless deep, and a world of mist in which
flowed a fountain. Twelve rivers issued from this fountain, and
when they had flowed far from their source, they froze into ice,
and one layer accumulating above another, the great deep was
filled up. Southward from the world of mist was the world of light. From
this flowed a warm wind upon the ice and melted it. The vapors
rose in the air and formed clouds, from which sprang Ymir, the
Frost giant and his progeny, and the cow Audhumbla, whose milk
afforded nourishment and food to the giant. The cow got
nourishment by licking the hoar frost and salt from the ice.
While she was one day licking the salt stones there appeared at
first the hair of a man, on the second day the whole head, and on
the third the entire form endowed with beauty, agility, and
power. This new being was a god, from whom and his wife, a
daughter of the giant race, sprang the three brothers Odin, Vili,
and Ve. They slew the giant Ymir, and out of his body formed the
earth, of his blood the seas, of his bones the mountains, of his
hair the trees, of his skull the heavens, and of his brain
clouds, charged with hail and snow. Of Ymir's eyebrows the gods
formed Midgard (mid earth), destined to become the abode of man. Odin then regulated the periods of day and night and the seasons
by placing in the heavens the sun and moon, and appointing to
them their respective courses. As soon as the sun began to shed
its rays upon the earth, it caused the vegetable world to bud and
sprout. Shortly after the gods had created the world they walked
by the side of the sea, pleased with their new work, but found
that it was still incomplete, for it was without human beings.
They therefore took an ash-tree and made a man out of it, and
they made a woman out of an alder, and called the man Aske and
the woman Embla. Odin then gave them life and soul, Vili reason
and motion, and Ve bestowed upon them the senses, expressive
features, and