The Nine Worlds: Niflheim

Niflheim literally means "The Home of Mists". In the norse mythology and cosmology this realm is depicted as being very cold, covered by snow, frost and ice. Niflheim is one of the two worlds that collided in the beginning of time, thus creating all the other worlds and life itself. Niflheim collided with Muspelheim - frost and fire.

As I have mentioned before, we speak of worlds not as actually seperate worlds but realms, nine realms of the norse cosmology, so vast that led people to believe (spirit-workers and shamans of old) that the nine realms were actually worlds because of the vastness of the landscape and the different types of weather, flora and fauna that exist in each of the nine realms.

Niflheim is a very ancient world/realm, and its glaciers and mountains were solidified long ago, duo to its famous river, the River Elivagar (Icy Waves). This great river crystallized all things into frost, this everything turned into ice and remained as such. When muspelheim collided with Niflheim, the ice of Niflheim began to melt away in the southernmost areas. It was when the first being was created/came to life, the great frost giant Ymir, born of ice and fire unified.

Unlike the other realms of the norse cosmology, its very hard to be aware of the seasonal changes in Niflheim, it seems to be always winter, similar to the artic regions of out own world. The days are long and the nights longer still at Winter, it seems that night never ends.

More than half of Niflheim is covered by snow and ice, and it will never melt. The weather is often cloudy and shrouded in mist on the low land. The sky is covered most of the time, so it is easy to get lost in here, the stars or the position of the sun and moon are of no avail, and everything in the landscape looks exactly the same thousands of miles in every direction. Closer to Svartalfheim the landscape turns more mountainous and the ice starts to melt by the shore, creating a sea of icebergs and snow-covered islands till it reaches the southern shores of Svartalfheim.

The most important geographical feature in Niflheim, is probably the sacred well named Hvergelmir. Hvergelmir is the largest well sacred well, and hot-spring of turbulent waters from which many rivers flow.

About the fauna and flore of Niflheim, those only exist in the northernmost parts near Svartalfheim. A few plants dotted the soils of the islands and the tundras. In the water there are seals and other cold-water mammals. There are also a few mammoths roaming in the tundras and a dire wolves to the north-east.

Niflheim II Part

I almost forgot, apart from the Frost Giants in Niflheim and some Duergar near the borders between this realm and Svartalfheim, there are a few herbs in this frozen realm, growing in the caves and on the islands. There are a few animals also, once again, near the watery regions, animals such as seals and other mammals who are used to cold water. Birds are seldom seen, but they come often to the islands of the Duergar which I have written in the previous post. Surprisingly, near the border between Niflheim and Helheim, Mammoths can be seen, near the area where the river Gjöll comes out of Niflheim and falls into a huge Waterfall with hidden caves behind it, where Loki once hid himself from the Aesir. Near this are, trees start to grow, and turf fro the Mammoths to feed on.

Niflheim

Niflheim is one of the two primal worlds that collided with each other and created the basis for all the other worlds, fire and ice, the beginning of life. This is the realm of mists, and most of it is frozen. Most of the realm, like I have said, is frozen, but because of a great river called Elivagar, a poisonous river with a particularity which is seldom seen in our own world and even the the other world. The river turned everything into crystallized frost. Ancient mountains lie beneath the frozen wastelands, glaciers can be seen all over the place and nothing grows wherever the river and its streams spread.

The myth goes, that when Muspellheim, the fire world, collided with Niflheim, the frost began to melt away in the southern parts of the realm, and from this event the frost giant Ymir was created.
Niflheim, or most of it, to this day is still frozen and very cold, for the river Elivagar still runs in the depths of the icy realm.

Think of Niflheim as an arctic area, where the changing of seasons is seldom noticed by the people who are not used to this kind of weather, unfamiliar with a snow and ice covered world. As nowadays everybody seems to say "Winter is Coming!" because of the Game of Thrones series, well... in Niflheim Winter isn't coming, Winter is always there!
The days are long but the nights are even longer and the skies are rarely clear, so this might give the impression that it is always dark, for those who are able to travel there.

As I have written, more than half of this realm is covered in ice and snow and it doesn't seem to melt, ever. It is a land with thick fogs, blizzards, snow storms, dense mists and occasional thunderstorms. Suffice to say, this is a very dangerous realm, the nature itself will deal with any traveler.

It seems that this realm and its ice melts where it comes near to Svartalfheim, where the terrain is more mountainous. Most of this part is water formed by the melting ice, so much that ancient mountains now look like islands scattered in the water till it reaches Svartalfheim. There are a lot of icebergs floating as you might imagine.

This is the only realm with no structures whatsoever, there are no buildings, exept in the border between Niflheim and Helheim. However, there are inhabitants in this frozen realm, the famous Frost-Etins, living underground in elaborated cave tunnels.

The great well called Hvergelmir lies here in Niflheim and it isn't like the other two sacred wells. Hvergelmir is an enormous hot spring with white waters, with very turbulent waters, from which many rivers flow. This great well is the source of most rivers in the Nine worlds, unlike the regular physics of how a river flows (southwards) these rivers flow upwards, it is natural, we do have some rivers in our own world that do this, flowing through the mountainous terrain and their only escape is due north. However, here in Niflheim, it is uncertain whythe rivers flow upwards, it is an high realm indeed, the very mountains are beneath the snow and ice.
The major rivers that flow from Hvergelmir are so named: Svol, Gunnthra, Fiorm, Fimbulthul, Hrid, Sylg and Ylg, Vid, Leiptr, Sid, Vid, Sekin, Ekin, Gipul, Gopul, Gomul, Geirvimul, Thyn, Vin, Tholl, Boll, Grad, Gunnthrain, Nyt, Not, Nonn, Hronn, Vina, Veg, Svinn, Thiodnuma, Slidr and the great river Gjöll that flows into Helheim.

The watery area of Niflheim is filled with many small islands, like small mountaintops protruding up from the waters. Sometimes they are almost indistinguishable from the icebergs that also float around, sometimes the icebergs collide with them. In this area, as it is closed to Svartalfheim, osome duergar, who have wandered from their native land made their home here and the islands they inhabit actually have the names of the duergar who own them. The most famous is Lyngvi Island, which is claimed by a dwarf named Lyngvi (as it might be expected), in the middle of a small lake called Amsvartnir. This island is used by the Aesir, with Lyngvi's permission, to house the most famous current prisoner in the Nine Worlds, Fenris the Great Wolf, son of Loki. The water on the eastern side of the island is red colored.

The Triskell and Triquetra

In another post, I talked about the Fylfot symbol, a symbolism of the triade of gods and today in this post I will continue with another symbol of that same triade, and also the Norns.

The Triskell is attributed to magical work such as reading the runes and as such, it is alsp connected with the Norns, the goddesses of fate. 
The first branch of Triskell (Odin) describes the essence and the ocult meaning. The second branch on the right (Vili) is the principle of movement, energy and life tendencies. The third branch of the left (Vé) reveals the materialization of these impulses in the reality of our body and the world around us.

The importance of numbers in ancient religions has always been very present, as in here we see that the number three simbolizes the wisdom we can all obtain. However, the number nine is also present in the religions of northern Europe (3x3 = 9) which symbolizes that which is beyond our understanding, this is the number that symbolizes a consciousness beyond our mortal body, symbolizes the initiatory process of traveling to the other world as Odin did in his sacrifice hanging on the world tree Yggdrasil.

An older spirituality, the number three symbolized three different worlds, three realities or different planes of consciousness, the upper world, the middle world and the underworld, the foundations of a spiritual work, the foundations of shamanism. We also note this triade with the three types of guardians in the Norse mythology, Heimdall guards the Bifrost Bridge, Modgud the bridge that connects Helheim and Thor protects Asgard.

Retreating further into the origins of life according to the Norse mythology, also in the beginning there were only three planes. Niflheim and Muspelheim and Ginnungagap which was also a form of primeval life. Only then was it possible the appearance of the first signs of life through Ymir and Audhumbla.

Thus we see that the number three instilled in the Nordic symbolism, give us the understanding that this number is the number creator of all life forms, an energy catalyst.

The triquetra is also a Norse symbol closely connected with the Valknut and the Triskelion Horn. There are thousands of artifacts with this symbol in ornaments which have been found in Gnezdilovo ( in Russia ) all the way to York ( in England).
Initially this word designated any three-cornered figures, but now it is applied to the shape formed by three interlocked semicircles at the place where three circles would overlap.

The Triquetra was also used by the Christians to convey their own religious content. As an example, the Triquetra that was struck on the coins by the Christian Norse kings of York, was probably already reinterpreted by York Vikings in the Christian perspective. The same may apply to the silver penny issued by Harald Hardrade (king of Norway from 1047 to 1066).

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The Nine Worlds: Niflheim

Niflheim

The name Niflheim means, The Home of Mists, In the norse mythology and cosmology this is a cold and frozen realm, one of the two worlds that collided and created all the other worlds and life forms, and when i mean worlds, is it because in the myths, there are nine different worlds, but in truth, it is just one, huge enough, with many realms, with different weathers in each one and different fauna, this led people to belive, that there are different worlds, because each realm they visited is so vast, that seems to be a world.  

In this frozen realm, glaciers and mountains were once solidified a long time ago by a great river called Elivagar, the meaning of its name is, icy waves. This great river crystallized all things into frost, and thus, everything turned into ice. When Muspelheim collided with Niflheim, fire and frost, the ice in Niflheim began to melt away in the southernmost areas. By this time, the first being was created from this union, Ymir the frost-giant.

 Time and Seasons: 

There are a few seasonal changes in Niflheim, but those are very similar to any artic area of our own world. For those who live in the artic reagions, it is easy to them to know which season the area might been in, but for those unfamiliar with that, it might just be winter all the time because snow and frost covers everything. The days are long and the nights longer and at winter, the night doesn't seem to have an end. 

Geography:

Half of Niflheim is covered in snow and ice, and it will never melt and the weather is often cloudy, one of the reasons that turns to a difficult work to know in which season this realm is, because the sky is covered most of the time. It is easy to get lost in here, since the landscape is covered in fog many times and blizzard conditions with lots of snow falling, the cold is terrible and deadly, this may be the last place you want to get stuck in. Towards Svartalfheim, the landscape turns more mountainous and the ice starts to melt there. In here, the land is nearly all water, with some mountaintops here and there, forming islands. The water that floats here is freezing cold, running with icebergs.

If you are looking for shelter in Niflheim, it's vain to look for any kind of building, if those ever existed, they wouldn't survive the storms. All the inhabitants burrow underground in caves. Frost-etins have made a lot of cave-tunnels, but if you try to get shelter in those, that is a mistake.

The most important geographical feature in Niflheim, is probably Hvergelmir one of the sacred wells. Unlike the other wells that are small, Hvergelmir is an enormous hot-spring of turbulent water from which many rivers flow. Hvergelmir is located near the gates of Helheim.

 Flora: 

In the Frozen area of Niflheim, none dwell, but there are some plants near the islands and in the tundras.

Fauna: 

Like our artic places, in Niflheim there are some artic-type animals close to the snowy rigions, there are also seals and other cold-water mammals. 

 

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Niflheim Part2

Flora:


None at all in the frozen areas, except for cave lichens. There is some scrub on some of the mountain-islands in the watery areas. Supposedly there are some powerfully healing tundra- type plants on the islands, but they are hard to find. Their main powers seem to be that they are adaptogenics - helping the body become stronger and more able to cope with stress.

Fauna:

There are a few arctic-type animals in the snowy regions, and there are seals and other cold-water mammals in the watery region. They can be hunted, although you ought to make sure that you are not hunting on the territory of a hungry frost-thurse. If one does show up while you are standing there with your kill in hand, offering it to them as a gift may get you spared.



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Niflheim

Niflheim means, literally, the Home of Mists. It is a cold and partly frozen realm, one of the two primal worlds that collided and created the basis for all the others. In this freezing realm, glaciers and mountains of ice once solidified long ago from an ancient river called Elivagar, meaning Icy Waves. It was a river of poison, of a sort which crystallized all things into frost. When Muspellheim collided with Niflheim, the frost began to melt in the southernmost areas, and the first being, Ymir the frost-giant, was formed. Elivagar's drops are still present in Niflheim, although they are spread throughout the world, but even their diluted form is enough to keep this world cold-to-frozen.

Time and Seasons:

There are seasonal changes in Niflheim, but they are similar to that of an arctic area in this world; in Greenland, the Inuit might easily be able to figure out what season a snow-covered country might be, but it would all look like winter to those unfamiliar with the area. The days are long, several days' length in our time, and the nights are longer, and they extend even further in the winter. Since the skies are rarely clear, it is difficult to tell anyway.

Geography:

More than half of Niflheim is covered in snow and ice that never melts. The weather is often cloudy; it is not named the Land of Mists for nothing. Typical weather might include dense pea-soup-thick fogs that roll over the land, or blizzard conditions, or fog with snow in it (lovely combination for a traveler to get lost in). One might even see thunderstorms with snow. The cold in these areas can be brutal and bitter, and it is best to wear warm clothing. As the Home of Cold, this world does tend to suck the heat out of even stalwart types. It is a very dangerous place to get stuck.

Towards Svartalfheim, the terrain gets more mountainous and the ice melts; here the land is nearly all water with random mountaintops forming steep islands. The waters float with icebergs, so boaters should take care. The water itself is near-freezing cold.

There are no aboveground structures in Niflheim; not that most buildings would survive the dramatic storms anyhow. All the inhabitants burrow underground in caves. The exception is found at the border of Niflheim and Helheim, where Mordgud's Tower stands along the Helvegr. Frost-etins have elaborate cave-tunnels, but wandering into them without invitation, even to get shelter from the weather, is a mistake.

Probably the most important geographical feature in Niflheim is Hvergelmir, the great well called the Roaring Cauldron. Unlike the other two sacred wells, which are small, Hvergelmir is an enormous frothy whitewater hot-spring of roiling, turbulent water from which many rivers flow. It is not safe to be too close to it, as it often overflows its banks and floods the area. Due to the cold, the waters often freeze into ice, and Hvergelmir is surrounded by fantastic naturally-formed ice sculptures like frozen waterfalls. Sometimes one can also see ice sculptures actually created by frost-thurses around the rim; it's one of their favorite art forms.

Hvergelmir is the source of all the rivers in the Nine Worlds, flowing upward through the Tree. Why water flows upward here is uncertain; it is one of the mysteries of Yggdrasil, and reminds one of the old Indo-European idea that fire that fell from the sky and water that bubbled up from the ground was sacred. The major rivers that flow from Hvergelmir are named Svol, Gunnthra, Fiorm, Fimbulthul, Hrid, Sylg and Ylg, Vid, Leiptr, Sid, Vid, Sekin, Ekin, Gipul, Gopul, Gomul, Geirvimul, Thyn, Vin, Tholl, Boll, Grad, Gunnthrain, Nyt, Not, Nonn, Hronn, Vina, Veg, Svinn, Thiodnuma, Slidr (a river flowing with sharp knives of ice and flint whose name means "fearful") and the great river Gjoll, which runs parallel to the Gates of Helheim. As the river Gjoll moves away from Hvergelmir, it goes over an enormous waterfall called Franangr, behind which are a series of refuge-caves that only the brave can reach. One of its claims to fame is that Loki once hid from the Aesir in the form of a salmon beneath Franangr's billows.

Hvergelmir is located close to the gates of Helheim, and next to it emerges the third and lowest extruded root of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. It is hard to envision how enormous this root is. It is the size of a small mountain and runs literally off the boundary of Niflheim and into Helheim; the walls of Hel pass over it like a bump in the landscape. The dragon Nidhogg, a thirty-foot wingless earth-dragon in colors of silver and blue, crawls back and forth over that wall to gnaw at the great root on both sides of the border. Nidhogg can generally be safely observed from a distance; she rarely attacks or even takes notice of travelers.

The watery area of Niflheim is filled with many small islands, like small mountaintops protruding up from the waters. Sometimes they are almost indistinguishable from the icebergs that also float around; sometimes the icebergs collide with them. This area of Niflheim is home to some duergar who have wandered from their native land and dug out the frozen mountain/islands, and their islands actually have the names of the duergar who own them. (There are frost-thurses living on the islands, too, but they don't seem to need to name them.) Courtesy dictates that visitors to the duergar islands find the residents and announce themselves. Some will give you succor, and some will simply grunt and go on their way. As opposed to the family-and- tribe-oriented duergar of Nidavellir, these mostly seem to be antisocial single males, who drifted to Niflheim in order to get more silence and privacy. They don't tend to enjoy visitors, and most prefer to be left alone.

The most famous is Lyngvi Island, which is claimed by a dwarf named Lyngvi, in the middle of a small lake called Amsvartnir due to its dark waters. This island is used by the Aesir, with Lyngvi's permission, to house the most famous current prisoner in the Nine Worlds - Fenris the Great Wolf, son of Loki. The water on the eastern side of the island is stained red; two streams of blood pour forth from Fenris's sword-pinned muzzle and trickle out of the cave mouth and into the small bay. An enormous stone (called Gioll, and covered with protective runes) covers the cave mouth, with just enough room for a person to squeeze through. A hole bored in its center gives forth a magical cord, called Gelgia, woven of the hair of many of the Aesir. It is attached inside to the magical chain that binds Fenris, created sorcerously from the six impossible things. The other end is attached high above to another enspelled stone called Thviti, also covered in runes. The reason that the stones and the cord have names is that they are alive, with guardian wights invoked into them that never sleep.

It is possible to visit Fenris - Lyngvi himself does not think of himself as a jailer and doesn't seem to care one way or the other about the prisoner chained in his basement - but one ought to be strongly aware of one's reasons for doing it. Gawking and mocking at the great beast is not a good enough reason. Fenris may be powerless, but he has relations all over the Nine Worlds who check in on him, and disrespect will get you marked down in a bad way with them. Attempts to free him are futile, as the divine magic that imprisons him is far stronger than even a team of human sorcerers could budge.

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