The Beguiling Of Gylfi

Gangleri asked: "How were things wrought, ere the races were and the tribes of men increased?"

Then said Hárr: "The streams called Ice-waves, those which were so long come from the fountain-heads that the yeasty venom upon them had hardened like the slag that runs out of the fire,--these then became ice; and when the ice halted and ceased to run, then it froze over above. But the drizzling rain that rose from the venom congealed to rime, and the rime increased, frost over frost, each over the other, even into Ginnungagap, the Yawning Void."

Then spake Jafnhárr: "Ginnungagap, which faced toward the northern quarter, became filled with heaviness, and masses of ice and rime, and from within, drizzling rain and gusts; but the southern part of the Yawning Void was lighted by those sparks and glowing masses which flew out of Múspellheim."

And Thridi said: "Just as cold arose out of Niflheim, and all terrible things, so also all that looked toward Múspellheim became hot and glowing; but Ginnungagap was as mild as windless air, and when the breath of heat met the rime, so that it melted and dripped, life was quickened from the yeast-drops, by the power of that which sent the heat, and became a man's form. And that man is named Ymir, but the Rime-Giants call him Aurgelimir."

From Gylfaginnin, The Prose Edda

Creation Myth

"In the beginning there was the void. And the void was called Ginnungagap. What does Ginnungagap mean? Yawning gap, beginning gap, gap with magical potential, mighty gap; these are a few of the educated guesses." Nicole Cherry, Author

Norse Mythology Homepage

Eva Ryn Johannissen

I recently came across the works of Eva Ryn Johannissen. She is a Swedish contemporary artist who creates beautiful abstract paintings.

Here she discusses her Nordic Mythology collection:

"These abstract paintings were all, to some extent, inspired by the old Nordic mythology. Like all great mythologies (and all great art) the colourful sagas of my Nordic ancestors were an expression of man's constant struggle to make sense of the world and ourselves. In their imaginative interpretations of the beginning and the end of the world and the birth, life and death of the gods these ancient stories contain a wealth of wisdom. As a contemporary artist I'm interested in their timeless aspects. Amidst all the contemporary belief in our own superior thinking and the ever-escalating pace of scientific progress, these myths are a poignant reminder that deep down man himself remains the same: a creature with a possibility to do good, and a tragic tendency to cause death and destruction." Eva Ryn Johannissen


Check out all her amazing work at evaryn.com