Most cosmogonies speak of a primal couple from which all humanity descends. In the case of the Bible they were Adam and Eve and in Norse mythology a couple called Ask and Embla which we already talked about in Supercurioso. Just as Adam and Eve were placed by God in Paradise, the Scandinavian couple also had their place of special residence. That place received the name of Midgard and its formation constitutes the nucleus of the Legend of the Average Earth that created Odín for the men .
The Germanic Scandinavian peoples shared a series of myths and beliefs that are the basis of the Nordic mythology . Unlike Judaism and Christianity, it was not a revealed religion nor did it have a sacred book. Its transmission was oral and it was not until the thirteenth century that they were transferred to texts. The Eddas, whether in the form of poetry or prose, are the medieval writings that collect those myths that have reached our days and in them the legend of the formation of the Midgard .
The Midgard and the Legend of Middle Earth
At the beginning of the creation, a few drops of water, heated and vivified by the southern air, united and formed a living body. This being turned out to be the first giant and his name was Ymir. From him was born the race of the giants of frost. The relations between the giants and the gods were generally stormy and in one of those confrontations, Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve killed the primeval giant.
Ymir's body is the origin of Midgard or Middle Earth and the legend is of great plastic beauty, if you manage to avoid the dismemberment. After the battle, the three brother gods took the corpse of Ymir and took it to the center of the universe in which there was a great void in the form of an abyss and from it they began to create a habitable world. With the flesh of the giant they created the earth, from the blood and the sweat arose the seas and oceans, with their bones they formed the mountains and the rocks and with the teeth the cliffs. They also created vegetation from their hairs and with the dome of the giant's skull they formed the sky that closed Midgard . In order to hold the heavenly vault, four dwarfs called Nordri, Sudri, Austri and Vestri were placed in the four cardinal directions and in this action Ymir's brains were scattered forming the clouds.
However, Odin, Vili and Ve saw that the world was dark and wanted to remedy it. They stole the sparks from the sword of Surtr, the chief of the fire giants that lived in the South. With them they created the Sun and the Moon and with the smallest sparks all the stars of the Universe. Some wolves called Sköll and Hati they chased the cars in which the Sun and the Moon traveled so that they never stopped and only managed to catch them when there was an eclipse. Finally, they added two seasons one winter and one summer. Midgard I was ready to receive the first human beings, Ask and Embla.
The Midgard It is one of the nine worlds of Norse mythology and the only one that human beings can see. The other eight worlds can interbreed with the Midgard in different ways, but they are not visible to men. It is located halfway between the land of Niflheim that is the land of ice that is to the north and the land of fire that is to the south and receives the name of Muspelheim. It is surrounded by a kind of giant snake shaped like uroboro who protects it Access to the world of the gods, the Asgard, is made by the rainbow bridge of fire, the Bifröst, which is protected by Heimdal, the guardian god. This bridge will be destroyed during the Ragnarök .
The name of Midgard comes from "mið / mid" which means middle or center and "garðr / gard" which means settlement or rural type residence. Midgard means, in short, the "settlement of men who are in the middle or in the middle of the known world". It is the Middle Earth or Middle Earth. Tolkien was inspired by the Midgard for the Middle Earth of his works.
Maybe you have not heard of the Midgard , but surely you have recognized "Middle Earth" from "right away" The Lord of the rings " In the case of Norse mythology, that place will be destroyed during the Ragnarök and will sink into the sea with almost all the life that was in it. However, it will rise again in all its fullness in a cycle of creation-destruction that will recommence. What do you think the legend of the Midgard ? If you want to know more about Norse mythology, we invite you to read the post: Jörmundgander | The terrible serpent of Norse mythology.