The Norse Creation Story In the beginning, the realm called Niflheim (Neflheimr) was located on the northern side of the Great Void called Ginunngagap (Mighty Gap). Niflheim was a dark and cold place that consisted mostly of ice and frost. Everywhere in Niflheim there was a mist for which it gets its name, 'Mist Home' or 'Mist World.' In Niflheim, there was a spring called “Hvergelmir” from which all the cold rivers originated from. The rivers flowed down into the Gininngagap where the cold water would then solidify into a dense layers of ice. This was believed as to why the North was so cold. The Spring Hvergelmir was believed to be the place where living things originated from and where they'd eventually go back to. Also believed to be within the spring were many snakes and the home of the dragon Níðhöggr. On the south side of the Mighty Gap, Gininngagap was the realm of fire called, Muspelheim. From Muspelheim, lava and fire flowed into the South side of the Gininngagap. In the center of the Gininngagap, the ice and fire met and formed the great giant (Jötunn) Ymir. From Ymir more giants formed. As he slept, he had sweat a giant from each of his armpits, a male and a female. And from his legs, a third giant formed. These giants were the first frost giants (Jötnar). The giants were breastfed by Auðumbla, a giant cow that was also created in the Gininngagap from the Niflheim ice being melted by the Muspelheim fire that met in the middle. Auðumbla licked the salt from the ice that had formed in the Gininngagap and one day when she was licking the salt ice, a human hair formed from out of the ice. She continued licking the salt from the ice and on the next day, a human head formed from where the human hair was. ... ... middle of paper ... ... by its branches and roots. Yggdrasil has gigantic roots which go in three separate directions to a wells in different realms. The first root from Yggdrasil went to Asgard, the home of the gods. By this root was a well named Urd’s well. This was where the gods held daily meetings The second root from Yggdrasil went down to Jotunheim, the land of the giants, by this root was Mimir's well The third root from Yggdrasil went down to Niflheim, close to the well Hvergelmir. It was here the dragon Nidhug gnawed on one of Yggdrasils roots. Nidhug was also known to suck the blood out of the dead bodies The Norse gods were divided. There were the Aesir gods and the Vanir gods. Additionally, there were the Jotnar (Giants), whom were counted amongst the Vanir gods. The Aesir were generally considered the warrior gods, while the Vanir gods were gods of fertility and magic.
In truth, the river is the border between the gothic space, the Other, and normal space in the novella. For example, in the beginning of the story, when Danillo and Katherine were travelling home on the Dnieper, they witnessed a rising on the side of the Other. “A withered corpse rose slowly from it [one of the graves in a graveyard]… one could see he was suffering terrible agonies” as he begged for air (Gogol 18). Things that should not happen, that should not be possible, happen on the Other side of the Dneiper because that is the gothic space. It is also in the same space across the river that an old castle can resides on, which can be seen from Danillo’s home – this is the castle where the Sorcerer lives. As is depicted in the quote, space is transformed several times throughout the novel - at some moments in the novella, like the instance in the quote, very obvious and, at other times, more
The Cambridge History of English and American Literature states that the hero of the poem, Beowulf himself, may be the same person as Bodvar Biarki, the chief of Hrolfr Kraki’s knights (v1, ch3, s3, n13). George Clark in “The Hero and the Theme” mentions: “The form of Beowulf taken as a whole suggests both the ‘Bear’s Son’ folktale type (especially as we find it in Scandinavia) and the ‘combat myth’. . . .” (286). In The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, Bodvar is the grandson of a king (Hring); in Beowulf the hero is the grandson of a king (Hrethel). Bodvar’s father has been expelled from his country, Gautland; Beowulf’s father Ecgtheow has been expelled from Geatland. Bodvar’s father is dead; Beowulf’s father is dead (Hrothgar says,”his father, now dead, was named Ecgtheow”) (373). Bodvar as a boy was so strong that he was not permitted to take part in the king’s games past the age of twelve because he injured too many of his opponents; Beowulf as a young man was so strong that “he was the strongest of all living men” (196). Bodvar was huge; Beowulf was “noble and huge” (198). Bodvar was more noble than the people around him; Beowulf refused to accept the kingship from Queen Hygd upon Hygelac’s death, risked his life various times for the benefit of others, put his own welfare last instead of first, and distributed his wealth generously when it was warranted. “Though Beowulf is careful to collect his winnings, ...
youth is in the sea. Gilgamesh dives into the water and finds the plant but
Despite all of these efforts the North is unable to escape the past. The gravestones may be covered with snow, but they are still there. Eventually the snow will melt and everyone will be able to see them. Even the ice palace, the attempt at a building with no past, falls victim to it. The last time an ice palace was built was in 1885, but it is still "peopled by those shades of the eighties"(80).
Hygd, wife of Hygelac, the King of Geats, is mentioned several times, although we never hear her speak. She offers Beowulf the throne when he returns home from fighting the dragon, but the narrarator of the poem tells us, "There Hygd offered him throne and auth...
The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.
Even though Loki was considered to be one of the Aesir, the Norse gods, he was actually the son of a giant, Fárbauti (“Loki”, par. 1). However, his close relationships with the gods, particularly those with Odin and Thor, might explain why he is so commonly accepted as one of them. In fact, in some accounts, it is even said to be that Loki and Odin are blood brothers (McCoy, par. 16). Loki has three wives, the first of which being Glut, who bore him two daughters, Esia and Einmyri, the second being the giantess Angrboda, who bore him three monsters, “the wolf-giant Fenrir, Hel, ruler of the Dead, and the world-serpent Jormungand”, and the third being Sigyn, who bore him two sons, Narve and Vali (McLeish, par. 5). In addition, Loki also gave birth to Sleipnir, a horse that he later gave to Odin, “after shapeshifting into a mare and courting the stallion Svaðilfari” (McCoy, par. 4).
recesses of our oceans. The sphinxes, minotaurs, and sirens of early mythology gave way to Beowulf's
Gods have existed almost since the beginning of mankind, as people had things that they worshiped such as the sun, the moon, and many other things. To me the Greeks had the most unique gods, because they had many gods for many different things such as love, war, etc. The gods were almost like human beings as they interacted in the lives of the people they watched over and the people they cherished. The gods were said to have mixed with the humans to make half mortal and half immortal people, blessed with certain powers. Today we all have one god, because it is the way we were brought up, but there are many types of religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, etc. The Greek gods lived among the people on top of a huge mountain called Mt. Olympus. The Romans took over on the gods and gave them different names, but many of them had the same job or duty. There was a king of the gods and his name was Zeus he was god of the sky, and he had a wife and she was called Hera and her duty was to advise her king on the way to run things. Poseidon was a brother to Zeus and was god of the sea and all that lived under it and dared to cross it as he tested many a sailor. Hades another brother of Zeus ruled the underworld or hell. There are many other gods such as Athena, Aphrodite, Hephaetus, Hermes, Helios, etc. The Greeks loved their gods so they would build temples of worship, statues of praise, and many other things to support them. Today the world of Greek gods are portrayed on the motion picture screen in movies, and even in cartoons. Our belief of many of these gods is that they did not exist, but who do you know that lived in that time. Some conclusions are that they could have existed but the people we kno...
There are many gods that play a role in the Aeneid. The main ones are Jupiter, king of all deities, Juno the divine antagonist of Aeneas’ destiny and Venus, his mother and his main protector. There are also the lesser gods such as Neptune, Aeolus, and Mercury, who serve as instruments for the main gods to meddle in the events of the story.
In the beginning of the story, a mythical monster named Grendel who is attacking King Hrothgar’s mead hall Herot. When Beowulf hears of this tragedy, he volunteers to go and fight the mythical beast. The author wrote, “So Beowulf chose the mightiest men he could find the bravest and the best of the Geats, fourteen In all.” Once Beowulf arrives, he is given a feast and then decides to stay in Herot overnight to confront Grendel. Grendel then arrives and kills one of the Geats before Beowulf can get into the battle. Beowulf then goes hand-to-hand against Grendel and ends up tearing off Grendel’s shoulder. Grendel then retreats to his lair to die. This is only a mere example of why Beowulf is a hero.
The Popol Vuh is a collection of mythic narratives that recount the origins and history of the Quiche’ Mayan people. The narrative opens with a description of what it was like before the first creation. “There was neither man nor animals… there was only the calm sea and the great expanse of the sky” (Sproul, Barbra. Primal Myths, Harper Collins Publishers 1979, Pg. 288). Only Tepeu and Gucumatz, the creator couple, existed as sun-fire powers in the void of the dark waters. After agreement, the creator couple said "let it be done", and it was done. From this; the earth emerged from the sea, mountains and valleys formed, the currents of the waters divided, and the wild animals (the guardians of the woods and spirits of the mountains) came to be. The animals were ordered to give praise to their creators and invoke the gods; but they could not speak like men, so they were banished to the forests.
creation myth. It tells that they came into the world through a hollow log. The
The Fountain of Youth myth has been mentioned numerous times throughout history. Mythologies from different cultures had legends about waters that can give eternal life or bring about healing. Herodotus, the Greek historian, had his own theories about the location of the fountain of youth. He claimed that the fountain could be found somewhere in Ethiopia. The Fountain of Youth may also have roots in the Bible. In the New Testament, Jesus healed people from their disabilities and sicknesses in pools or bodies of water. Europeans had heard of the Fountain of Youth myth for many centuries. It appeared in many works of literature such as Alexander Romance and stories about King Prester John. When the New World was discovered, Europeans deduced that the fountain could be found in the New World’s unexplored lands. Also, when Spanish explorers came to the New World, the Indians told them many tales about the Fountain of Youth. Thus, these explorers came to the conclusion that the fountain could be found somewhere in the New World. Many of the Indian tribes in the Americas had their own legends about the location of the fountain. Sadly many of these myths have disappeare...
Hundreds of years ago people did not have the technology to explain different forces of nature. They created gods, each with separate powers, to rule their domains. Some of the gods were merciful, some were wicked, and others were merely servants of more powerful gods. Looking at the gods, it is easy to tell what the civilization most valued. I am going to look at the Greek and the Norse gods to compare what was most important to their societies.