Creating the World Poetic Edda

1 Hearing I ask from all the tribes,
greater and lesser, the offspring of Heimdall;
Father of the Slain, you wished me well to declare
living beings’ ancient stories, those I remember from furthest back.

2 I remember giants born early in time
those nurtured me long ago;
I remember nine worlds, I remember nine giant women,
the mighty Measuring-Tree below the earth.

3 Early in time Ymir made his settlement,
there was no sand nor sea nor cool waves;
earth was nowhere nor the sky above,
a void of yawning chaos, grass was there nowhere

4 before the sons of Bur brought up the land-surface,
those who shaped glorious Midgard;
the sun shone from the south on the stone-hall,
then the ground was grown over with the green leek.

5 From the south, Sun, companion of the moon,
threw her right hand round the sky’s edge;
Sun did not know where she had her hall,
the stars did not know where they had their stations,
the moon did not know what might he had.

6 Then all the Powers went to the thrones of fate,
the sacrosanct gods, and considered this:
to night and her children they gave names,
morning they named and midday,
afternoon and evening, to reckon up in years.

7 The Æsir met on Idavoll Plain,
high they built altars and temples;
they set up their forges, smithed precious things,
shaped tongs and made tools.

8 They played chequers in the meadow, they were merry,
they did not lack for gold at all,
until three ogre-girls came,
all-powerful women, out of Giant-land.


- Poetic Edda, Völuspá