In the beginning, Muspelheim is in the South. Niflheim is in the North. In between is the great spring Hvergelmir. Hvergelmir is located in Ginungagap, a chasm between Muspelheim and Niflheim. Ginungagap means "gap of gaps." Niflheim is nothing but ice. Muspelheim is nothing but fire. Hvergelmir is a huge boiling spring of water slowly melting the ice of Niflheim is the largest area. The action of the ice melting creates a giant called Ymir. Ymir emerges from the ice and is hungry. A second creature also emerges: Audhumla a cow which provides Ymir with milk. Audhumla licks the ice for salt, and as she licks she revels more beings. From Ymir come more creatures as well. From his legs a race of giants is created. Man and woman are created from his armpit. Audhumla uncovers the head of a god. He is called Buri which means "He Who Is Born." He comes out of the ice and takes a giantess for a wife. Audhumla then finds Borr he too takes a giantess for a wife. They give birth to Odin, Vili, and Ve.
Borr farthers Odin, Vili, and Ve. Odin, Vili, and Ve recognize that Ymir is evil and begin a war against him and the giants. They kill Ymir, and his blood pours out and floods everything. It drowns the humankind and all of the giants except one couple: Bergelmir and his wife escape in a boat. Later the races of giants give the gods much trouble because of this escape. When the blood subsides Odin, Vili, and Ve roll the body into Ginungagap and cut it up and create the universe. His skull becomes the sky. His bones become rocks. His flesh becomes the earth. His blood becomes the oceans, lakes, etc. His hair becomes vegetation. Odin, Vili, and Ve find maggots in the corpse. From the maggots they create elves and dwarves. There are light elves and dark elves. Dark elves are sometimes seen as being the same as dwarves. The skull of Ymir has to be held up by the sky. They use four dark elves for this job: Nordri, Sudri, Austri, and Oestri the four directions. Odin, Vili, and Ve take a walk along the lakeshore. They then from two trees, from which they create a man and woman to tend the earth: Ask (the ash tree = male) and Embla (the elm or elder tree = woman).
