Page 48 - Contents
P. 48

43



























        NORSE MYTHOLOGY


        Norse mythology also means Scand nav an mythology, wh ch was upheld by the V k ngs around the
        t me of the V k ng Age. It  s about the f rst three gods slay ng a g ant, whose name  s Ym r, and
        mak ng the world w th h s body. Then var ous realms spread around the Tree Yggdras l unt l the
        Ragnarök.  The  Norse  mythology   s  a  very  compl cated  and  comprehens ve  mythology  that   s  a
        polythe st c pantheon headed by the one-eyed Od n. It conta ns a lot of gods and goddesses who
        were venerated by the old V k ngs and some other Scand nav ans.

        BEGINNING OF EVERYTHİNG

        Accord ng to Snorr  Sturluson (an old h stor an), before anyth ng else, there were two realms:  cy
        N flehe m and f ery Muspelhe m. Desp te the empty vo d (G nnungagap), the cold and heat came
        together and resulted  n Muspelhe m’s f re melt ng  ce. Because of that, two f gures appeared: the
        g ant Ym r and the cow Audhumla. W th Audhumla l ck ng the  ce,  t uncovered Br  (the ancestor of
        the gods), whose son Borr teamed up w th g ant-daughter Bestla to make the f rst gods,Od n, V l ,
        and Vé. Then these three gods thought that Ym r’s body was useful to create the earth from h s
        flesh,the sky from h s skull,mounta ns from h s bones, and the sea from h s blood. Then Askr and
        Embla were created by the three gods from tree trunks found on the seashore. W th the creat on
        of humans, a new phase beg ns. T me has started, and all gods,other creatures, and the r realms
        w ll  be  do ng  the r  jobs  unt l  Ragnarök.  The  World  Tree  Yggdras l  keeps  the  realms  of  the  gods
        Asgard,  of  the  humans  M dgard,  and  of  the  g ants  Jotunhe m  together.  Wh le  the  three  Norns,
        whose  names  are  Urd  (Norn  of  the  Past),  Verdand   (Norn  of  the  Now),  and  Skuld  (Norn  of  the
        Future),  are  descr b ng  the r  fates  among  the  humans  l v ng  at  the  Yggdras l’s  base,a  dragon  of
        death called N dhogg walks on the roots of the Yggdras l.
         BEGINNING OF THE END

         If  a  g ant  tree   s  not  enough  to  encompass  and  protect  the  realms,the  surround ng  sea  w ll  be
          nhab ted by the M dgard Serpent,a monster who has slept unt l the Ragnarök. Although  t was a
         peaceful world before the Ragnarök (the f nal dest ny of the gods), It w ll become a world full of
         chaos. Ragnarök starts w th a terr ble w nter. The earth s nks  nto the sea. The wolf, Fenr r, gets out
         of the mag c cha ns, wh ch makes h m stop, and he devours the sun. The m ghty Yggdras l shakes,
         and B fröst (the way between Asgard and M dgard) collapses. The gods held an emergency counc l
         to prepare for the battle aga nst the power of the Underworld, wh ch  s clos ng. In order to f ght
         Od n aga nst Fenr r but fa l,the god V darr avenges h m. Then Thor k lls the M dgard Serpent but
         succumbs to  ts po son. The gods and the r enem es d e, and the r corpses get scattered around
         unt l the g ant Surtur sets the world on f re and destroys everyth ng.
                                                                                             BY: ÇAĞRI YILDIRIM
                                             BY: ÇAĞRI YILDIRIM  -8C


                                                                               By:Engl sh Med a Club
                                                                               By:Engl sh Med a Club
                                                                               By:Engl sh Med a Club
   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51