The Elder Voluspa
And thus it was before that first aeon, when stood only the great Irminsul, Allpillar, of Skyfather Teiwaz, and about it swirled only the Ginnungagap, its great expanse; for all else in the cosmos was not yet to be. Neither the land nor the sea, nor sky, nor depths, not even time herself; the void was all, save the pillar, and the pillar all, save the void, and thus it was in the begining, before time. From this immemorial begining, order was yet to be imposed upon the terrrible void, but lo, already, there had arisen three great roots to the pillar.

And these roots were to find firmament, and gather onto themselves all manner and means of athem. The first was height Urthra, the second Verthrandi, and from these first arose the third, Skouldth; and they were to weave the very fabric of the universe, like a tapestry, but not yet.

And there was a loud booming cry, the wantlust of becoming, and this first sound, Orgalmer, set in motion the roots, the eldritch Norns. As these great three Norns awoke, so did that column, in the East, was worldly Erdtha from the West washed over Aegir, in the South burned bright Logi, and in the North wind-swept Kari. And these were the first beings of the multiverse They gave rise to all that followed, the etins and gods, Dis and Alf, and between them the children of Ask and Embla.

Kari opened her eyes and from their brilliance the Irminsul first was seen, Teiwazfader. And he placed a son named Buri deep in the ice of Nifelheim as it was comming to be; sprung forth from Hvergelmir, daughter of Aegir and first wave bourne of the seas. Buri and Greta had begotten one named Tiw, and he was the flyjja-sprig of his Great Grandfather and the brightest star in the heavens.

The mighty Logi spit fire upon the Sky and the twins Tiazzi and Surt came forth, and together they begat Muspellheim. Their daughter Zeisa took with Teiwaz to beget Groa, whose fire burns bright in the Northern Skies.

Njord washed down about the pillar, and his child Aegir had taken Ran, and begat the Nine Waves, who in turn, mothered Heimdall, from them spring all manner of sea-wight and maid. From their waves the Ice of Nifelheim formed.

Amongst the earth-wights Ertha was first, and she had a daughter named Fulla who's sister is Frigga. And from her line all twelve handmaids spring, eldest is Frejya, and first of the Dis bourne of the Earth. They are the Mothers and Antecessors of all nine tribes.
From this Past becomming arose the race of Etins too, the twin , Ymir, who was to beget Augelmir and Bergelmir...and so too, he was placed in the ice, though much later in the formation of Nifelheim.

At the top of this World Tree perched the Eagle, eyes of the Brilliant and Glorious God, and he surveyed the work of the three Wyrd Sisters. Even as They grew up from the bottom, so too did He grow down to the firmament from the Sky. As it happened above, so too below it came to be.

These creatures at the root, who were together height the Nornir, the weavers of the life of the Nine Worlds yet to be, Measurers, and Keepers of Time, marked this the beginning, and so it was.

Thus did the first three worlds came to be, the land of Fire and that of Ice, and the force of order between them, called Gladsheim. There those Elder Watchers met and held counsel, there the plans for the Nine Worlds were laid, and there, all-doom sealed.