A Tale of Gods and Giants

The Nine Worlds

An Introduction.

In Norse myth, there was only Ice and Fire, and between them, the void; Ginungagap.
And where the firest of Muspell, and the ice of Nifl met stood a great cow; Auðumbla.
And at her udders fed the largest being the North had ever seen; the original Jötunn, Ymir.
Auðumbla fed on a block of salt where fire and ice collided.
And from that block, she licked forth Búri; ancestor of all the gods.

What Norse myth does not tell, is of how Auðhumbla and Ymir ended up in the North.
They came from the South, from a place called Olympos.
Ymir was of the Titánes and ruled over the Earth and Cold.
But when a young Titán named Kronos, overthrew their leader; Ouranos,
Ymir fled Northway with his cattle.
Alas, only Auðumbla survived.

Ginungagap wasn't just a vast space of nothingness.

There were hills, rivers, rocks, and mountains.

But it was barren and lifeless.

When Ymir and Auðumbla arrived, the great Ice had only just subsided

Leaving a vast wasteland of nothing.

And so it would remain for hundreds of years.

Then came the first Æsir tribe. Led by Búri the Fatherly.

Life for the first Æsir was rough and battle-worn.

For Ymir's children cared not for the newcomers.

Generations passed, and the war broke out.

Led by Burr, ancestor of Búri

Burr took a Jötunn for wife, Bestla.

And they had three sons:

Oðinn, Vili, and Vé.

Upon Burr's death, his sons slew the father Jötunn, Ymir.

And once Ymir fell, his earthly powers seeped into the very soil.

His blood gave way to vast fields of green,

His bones grew forests,

His flesh made bushes and flowers.

In myth, Oðinn, Vili, and Vé made Earth of Ymir's corpse.

And then the Æsir founded Ásgarðr, the home of the Æsir.

.

But soon the other races came. First, the Alfar emerged from under the ground.

As if they had been there before Ymir came, then hid from his kin.

Some were tall and ethereal - they were the Ljósálfar

Others donned blackened skin - they were the Avartálfar

And others were foul and impish - they were the Myrkálfar and Dökkálfar

And then came from the East came a people close to nature with strange magics.

They were the Vanr, and they did battle the Æsir for long a time.

.



Fire and Ice, and That Which Lies Between



1. Niflheimr

To the North, there was Niflheimr - a land full of ice and snow.
Eleven rivers pour through Niflheimr, each spewing toxic mists into the cold air.
Élivágar are they called. And their names are;

Svǫl, Gunnthrá, Fimbulþul, Fjǫrm, Slidr, Hríd, Sýlgr, Ylgr, Víð, Leiptr, and Gjǫll.
And they all spring from Hvergelmir.

Niflheimr is the home of the Rimtursar - the strongest of the large Jötnar.
Other Jötnar races live here too - such as the Vindratursar and Fjatlatursar.

Niflheimr was shrouded in myth and legend.
No man walked here still living long.

For only the Jötnar and Aesir could brave this harsh climate.

Niflheimr is also the home to Helheimr; the realm of the dead,
and to Niflhel, the hall of Helreginn where the keeper of the dead, Hel, resides.

It is also here that the dreaded Nástrǫnd is located.

The world of Niflheimr is said to ba ancient, from before the Æsir and Vanr.

From a time when the primordial nature spirit Ymir roamed the land.

Ymir, the father of all Jötunkin.

Niflhel.

If you were to venture into Niflheimr, it is likely you'd come across Niflhel.

Niflhel was a great mountain which held the entrance to Helheimr.

It is here that Hel resides.

Through the pass between the peaks runs Gjǫll,

and above it goes Gjallarbrú, and is guarded by Móðguðr.

Móðguðr is a Rimtursa, and she is a gentle but mighty warrior.

Past Niflhel, you reach Gnipahellir, the entrance to Helheimr.

Bearing the visage of a cave, it is here that Garmr is fettered by the gods.

Garmr guards the passage so that no living may enter, or dead may leave without Hel's permission.

Some say that to pass Garmr, you must feed him a sample of your blood,

Just like Tyr lost his hand when the Æsir bound him.

.

Helheimr

Despite its gloomy atmosphere, Helheimr is not a terrible place.

The dead do here, what they did in life. And so will they continue come Ragnarök.

Helheimr is a valley in Niflheimr so deep that some parts never see the light of day.

But it is indeed a serene place at times. Rolling mists cover large villages and vast fields.

And although the Jötnar fights hard to keep the dead in this realm, the gods often cause them trouble.

The Æsir and Vanr learned powerful magic to bring the spirits back from Helheimr.

And if they were quick enough, they could lure the souls to Ásgarðr instead of Helheimr

If there's one place that strikes terror in the hearts of all, it is Nástrǫnd.
Nástrǫnd lies just beyond Niðafjöll where the righteous live.
Nástrǫnd is where those who did evils in life end up.
There, souls wade in venom in houses made of serpent bones.
This is where the unrighteous work and suffer to sustain Helheimr.
In death, the wicked are forced to work for the good as punishment.

Niðafjöll is a beautiful mountain range, bordering Svartálfheimr in the East
Here those who were kind and righteous live in beautiful villages adorned with gold.
In the caves below rests the fearsome dragon Níðhǫggr.
The dragon comes forth to spew venom on the souls of the wicked in Nástrǫnd

Élivágar

This is the home of the Keeper of the Dead, Hel, the Helreginn.
She is the daughter of Lóki and Ángrbóða.
Hel lets few enter her abode, and past the threshold is Fallandaforad.
A trapdoor that leads to her dungeon.
There are four seats in Élivágar.
Two large at the front, and two past them to the sides.
These are reserved for Hel and her mate, Baldur,
and her mother and father, Ángrbóða and Lóki.

.




2. Svartálfheimr

To the East of Niflheimr lies Svartálfheimr, charred and blackened by the toxic fumes of Nifl.
It is home to the beautiful Svartálfar whose skin is as black as the soil upon which they live.
Svartálfheimr is likely one of the oldest kingdoms, and the people even older.
Some say the Svartálfar lived here before even Ymir.
And when the giant took the land, the Álfar went into hiding.

Svartálfheimr is home to three peoples. The Svartálfar, the Dökkálfar, and the Myrkálfar.
They live in relative harmony where the Svartálfar dwell on the surface,
And the other two dwell in caves.

The Svartálfar live in small huts and shallow caves, all hidden in a layer of black soil.
Like the Ljósálfar, the Svartálfar are beautiful and tall.
But their skin is blackened to better blend with the charred environment.
Here reigns Hár, the High. Whom is known for being very tall.

Niðavellir.

Niðavellir is the home of the Dökkálfar, excellent craftsmen.

The Dökkálfar are foul and impish, and have greyish skin.

And they are also called Dvergi.

And they are favoured by the Aesir.

Most famous of the Dökkálfar are Brokkr and Eitri;

Creators of Gullinbursti, the golden bristled mechanical boar,

The golden armring Draupnir which was able to replicate itself each night.

And Mjǫllnir, the short-handled thunder hammer.

It is Hreiðmarr who reigns here, and he is known to have fathered the Álfar-turned-dragon; Fafnir

Myrkheim.

Myrkheim is the home of the Myrkálfar, master craftsmen.

The Myrkálfar were not as horrid as the Dökkálfar yet not as beautiful as the Svartálfar.

They are not honoured by any, but favoured by the Jötnar.

Most famous of the Myrkálfar were the sons of Ivaldi;

Creators of Skíðblaðnir, the foldable ship - grandest of all,

The spear that never missed its mark Gungnir,

And the ever-growing golden hair of Sif.

Sindri rules here, and he is known for having built the golden Hall of Sindri in Niðafjöll

.

3. Álfheimr.

Most beautiful of all the areas of Yggdrasil was Álfeheimr.

It was the home of the Ljósálfar, the most ethereal beings of the North

.

4. Ásgarðr

.




Muspelheimr

To the South lies Muspelheimr, the world of fire and blaze.
Only blazing hot fire is found here. Blackened mountains spewing glowing lava.
This is where the Eldtursar live, the sons of Muspel.
Ruling them is Surtr, one of the oldest beings in Yggdrasil.
He has a sword that blazes such a hot red, one could think it was the sun.
Ásadrepnir he called it. The Æsir-killer.

Surtr does not rule alone.
At his side is Sinmara.