Scandinavian Myth （北欧神话）(转载)

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Scandinavian Myth
First, there was nothing: no earth, no sky, no sand, no cold waves. There was only giant black abyss Ginungagap. To the north of it there was Nuflheim, and to the south of it - Muspellgheim. It was quiet and hot there, so hot, that no one, except fire giants, couldn't live there. But in Nuflheim, cold and darkness reigned there. In the kingdom of frost a spring of water, called Hvergelmir began to flow. Twelve powerful springs, Elivagar, took their beginning from it, and began to flow towards the south, and then fell down into the abyss Ginnungagap . The cruel frost of kingdom of frost converted the water into ice, but spring Hvergelmir flowed uninterruptedly. Ice blocks started to build up, they got closer and closer to Muspell . At last the ice began to melt from the heat of Muspell . The sparks that flew out from Muspell mixed with the water and breathed life into it. Thus the giant Ymir appeared the first living creature in the world. The same day under left hand of Ymir, a boy and a girl appeared, and from his legs - Trudgelmir was born. Thus the clan of giants called Hrimturses, which were cruel and insidious as the ice and flame from which they were created them came into being. At the same time, from the ice, appeared the giant holy cow Audumla. Four milk rivers began to flow from her udder, giving food to Ymir and his children. There were no green pastures yet, so Audumla pastured on salted ice. At the end of first day of Audumla grazing, hairs appeared on the top of the ice block, the next day there appeared a man's head, and to the end of the 3 days Buri, a mighty giant, walked out from the block of ice. His son Bor took she-giant Besla as wife, and she gave birth to his three sons the gods Odin, Vili and Ve. The three brothers disliked the world where they lived and the cruel dominion of Ymir. They rose against the first of the giants, and after long and cruel war killed him. Ymir was so big, that in his blood, which gushed from his wounds, all of the giants and Audumla were drowned. Only one of the grandsons of Ymir, Bergelmir could build a boat and so he was saved along with his wife. Now no one was left to prevent the three victorious gods from create the world according to their wishes. They made earth from Ymir's body and shaped it like a disc, placing it in the middle of a great sea, which appeared from his blood. Gods called the earth Mitgard.Then the brothers took the cranium of Ymir and created from it the sky. From Ymir's bones they made mountains, from his hairs they made trees, from his teeth, the stones, and from his brain, the clouds. The gods rolled the four corners of sky the into horns and put the four winds within them. The North wind, Nordi, the South wind, Sudri, the West wind Verstri, the East, Austri.. From the sparks, which flew out from Muspell , the gods made stars and decorated firmament with them. Part of stars they placed motionlessly. Other stars (for to find out time) they placed them so they moved along circle for one year. After creation of the world Odin and his bothers planned to make people to live in it, to start they made dwarves from the maggots in Ymir's flesh. Once, while Odin Ve and Vili were walking along the coastline they found two pieces of wood on the shore a piece ash and a piece of alder. The gods cut them, and made a man from the ash-tree, and a woman from the alder. Then one of gods breathed life into the man and the woman, another gave them minds, and the third -- blood and rosy cheeks. So, the first people appeared. Man was called Ask and woman - Embla. The gods didn't forget about the giants that still remained. Far, over the sea, to the east of Mitgard, the gods created the country of Yotunheim, and gave into the possession of Bergelmir and his descendants. After some time there became more gods. The oldest brother of the three gods Odin bore many children. They built a land for themselves, high over the earth, and called it Asgard, and they c