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

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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Upphaf - Skapa Miðgarðr

 Upphaf - Skapa Miðgarðr

The sky was shapeless
in depths of the void
Earth, wrought from emptiness
where darkness once coiled

Ginnungagap, bounded by fire and ice
in turmoil came life
nourished by Auðumbla's sacrifice
Ymir, began his strife

Búri emerged, father of fathers
with Borr, conflict was shared
enhanced by Óðinn and brothers
Ymir's sons, none was spared

From Ymir's body, mountains shaped
blood poured through the sea
from flesh and bones Óðinn made
a wondrous land for thee

To the children of the earth
the gods whispered windward
to whom ásynjur gave birth
that now dwell in midgard

Arith Härger

Cσρуяιgнт © 2013™


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Vili Brother of Odin

Odin is one of the most famous gods in the Norse pantheon, i dare say he is one of the most famous gods of all the European deities, for even those who do not follow the Norse traditional paganism and faith know him one way or another. However, people seldom talk about his brothers, and today this post will be about one of his brothers called Vili.

Vili is the god of motivation, like his brother, Vé, little is known about them, for among the three brothers, it was Odin that mortals, gods and other beings gave more importance, and his brothers were put aside. The three brothers together slew Ymir the mountain frost giant which many realms were built using his body parts. Before Odin became the king of Asgard, the three brothers were very close, and worked together in many ways. It is said that the brothers of Odin went to Asgard with his wife Frigga, when Odin was wandering for nine years in search for wisdom, but there are other versions of this story, for instance, one says that when Odin finally came back to Asgard, he threw is brothers out, it isn't clear what happened in truth, but in what we can be certain is that the three brothers got separated in some way and never again had the same connection they had before.

One of the most famous tales involving the three brothers, is that of when they created the first humans, when after the great flood resulting from Ymir's murder, and his blood flowed over the nine realms, the three brothers found a pair of logs on the beach and decided to bring them to life. Odin gave them breath and so life flowed in them, Vili gave them the ability to think and gave them senses, and Vé gave them other gifts. The human couple were left alone, they were called Ask and Embla. A passing boat of fleeing Giants led by Bergelmir, found the two humans, and before they drowned because the tides were spreading, they set the pair in a tree so they could survive.

Vili is the god people can cal upon when they have new ideias, inspirations, things they actually want to put in action and perform, but they lack of motivation, and Vili is the god that helps in the first step to realize and put into practice any ideas. He can also be called to help in thinking,  free will or feeling, when it comes to physical illness that prevents us from feeling when talking about the sense of touch.

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Working with the gods: Surt

We have all heard about Muspellheim, one of the nine realms in the Norse cosmology but it isn't a famous place as much as Asgard is for exemple, people tend to stick with the knowledge most appealing to them, we know better about the beautiful landscapes and beings of Asgard or Vanaheim or even Álfheim because those are places of light and beauty, of magic and wondrous powers, but all the other realms are equally important. What ever you might know of Muspellheim, the first thing you need to know is about the deity who rules over that realm.
Muspellheim is the eternal land of Fire where the fire-etins live, their king is Surt / Surtur the Black , whose sword gave the first sparks to create all the other realms, and it is said that he is the oldest living being in all the nine realms, few have seen him and even fewer had the opportunity to meet him, but for those who have, they have shared their knowledge with us and i am here today to talk about Surt as a contribution to the vast lore of the Norse/Germanic pagan traditions.

Surt is the king of fire, the supreme deity who has turned all his powers to the fire element in the Norse Mythology, he is also the king of all the fire-giants/etins and his realm is Muspellheim. We know about Ginnungagap, the great vast blackness of the universe and the only existing thing in the beginning and Surt appeared out of that blackness with his flaming sword eventually creating the land of Fire called Muspellheim which in some time got close enough with the realm of ice Niflheim and as such, the frozen earth melted revealing Ymir the primal frost-giant and Audhumla the great cow. Thus life was created in such matter, the meeting of fire with ice in the Norse mythology. Surt's children had connections with Ymir's children and they mixed their bloodlines. Surt was the only living thing in the beginning, lighting all that blackness with his great sword Laevateinn, and he is the oldest living being also, unfortunately, no one knows where he came from or how, or what brought him, but it is interesting to know that the element of fire and of ice is indeed the first things to appear in the creation of any planet, and so he is the very symbol of creation.
Most people don't know, but Surt is the godfather of Loki and raised him as his own son, as it is told in Loki's birth tale, when his mother Laufey came to Muspellheim to give birth to him when running away from the most powerful clans of Jotunheim after defeating Farbauti, Loki's father.
Surt is a powerful being, having the knowledge about all kind of fires, even the primal fires from which stars and worls are made of, he knows about the energy of such fires and the power of heat.
In the lore, it is said if Ragnarök comes to pass, Surt will rise up with the legions of Hela's dead beings and attack Asgard, and if that happens, Surt will kill Freyr who gave up his sword for love, after that, much of the world will be consumed by flames and Surt will rebirth it again. This is the very symbol of the power that fire has over nature, Freyr the god of fertility and light with his powers over the land, giving life to it, as we see all the landscapes around us filled with life, and when a great fire comes, in this case Surt, bringing death with him ( Hella ) burning all the land, and as Freyr will do, giving up his sword, refusing to fight the inevitable chaotic power that is too powerful to face, such as nature does, it has no powers to face the fires and it stands there, waiting to die and be consumed by it, just to rebirth after that in great beauty and stronger.

For those who want to call upon Surt and ask for his aid, Surt gives energy and courage, and the fire within all of us is lit, he is the very force that kindles the fire in all of us, that little spark that might spead into a great power which gives us the capacity to face all the hazards of life when we feel saddened and unmotivated. He can also be called upon for inspiration, for those who are musicians and those who are dancers, for all fire-etin love to dance and love to hear music.

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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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Mythology around Runes: Fehu

As i write about a Rune, i will also write about its mythology and as i wrote about Fehu, i will begin with that.

Mythology: Fehu
According to the sagas of iceland, which, although composed during the middle ages, recorded the beliefs of the ancient Norse, the first living creature was a cow called Audhumla. This cosmic animal was born from the union of fire and ice that predated the creation of the nine worlds. Coming into existence in an environment barren of nourishment, Audhumla licked a great block of ice, thus freeing the giant Ymir, who either lay within it or was shaped by the actions of the great cow's tongue. Ymir became the ancestor of the gods, humans and the later race of giants, all of whom existed because of Audhumla and who continued to be nurtured by her, as are calves by their mothers.
The belief in Audhumla as the precursor of all that lives harks back to a remote time when the mother goddess was usualy personified as a totem animal. In Greece, for example, Athena was imagined as an owl, while Aphrodite was envisaged a dove.
In the Nordic culture, the mother goddess is the gentle, milk-producting cow. The rune Fehu is also directly related to some of Audhumla's Vanir descendants, especially Njord the God of Seas and Oceans and his children, the peace-loving Frey and the amorous Freya, each of whom have an association with wealth and fertility.