Let's Find Out - The First Norse Gods and Giants | ASMR [soft-spoken book-reading history]

Starting point is 00:00:10 Because I'm such a frequent patron of my local library, I was able to pull some strings and get my hands. I'm the All-Hare's book of Norse myths. Once again, it is a library book. You know it's got this godlike crinkle sounds. Talking about Ragnarok. Which I think is essentially the end. It's the Armageddon, the Apocalypse. the revelation of Norse mythology.

Starting point is 00:01:21 And of course I did it because I felt it was relevant at the time with the movie that just came out by the same name. So let's swing to the other end of the pendulum. And the origins of the gods, and I guess giants. Giants play a big role in Norse mythology. So let's find out with this book. has to say about the creation myths. Well obviously I enjoy myths as much as clearly you guys do as well.

Starting point is 00:02:26 But one of the things that particularly drew me to this book was just how many drawings, how many illustrations, hand drawn, obviously. Illustrations, it's packed full of. This book was written in 1967. All the Gods. Actually before that title page, drawing of all the characters of Norse mythology we have, we have a worldview, which unfortunately the inside dust jacket flap covers the left half of it. But nonetheless, it's something so primal. Now the tree, the worldview depicted as a tree. Interestingly, Gimli represents the high heavens. Gimli was one of the most noble dwarfs you guys all know from Lord of the Rings. And J.R.R. Tolkien was certainly a... very well-versed, very knowledgeable.

Starting point is 00:04:08 Let's begin. It starts off with an introduction. A quick page, context, and background on the historical narrative of the Norse people. When the last Ice Age came to an end, the great glaciers that can Apt northern Europe had melted, uncovering a barren and rugged landscape. On the heels of the withdrawing ice came reindeer, wolves, bears, and foxes. They were pursued by hunters. These men were forever struggling against frost giants, guarded spirits, and the glaciers. But they found shelter as they went, led by a hulking, one-eyed chieftain.

Starting point is 00:06:14 They spurred their horses on until at long last they were stopped by the crashing waves of the North Sea. They could go no further, so they settled and made the land theirs. For these new settlers, the frost giants sent bitter storms, howling down from the mountains. Wild beasts, trolls, and evil spirits lurked in the pathless forests. and cruel mermaids wrecked their ships. The settlers were tough. They were protected by their own gods, the Assyr, who had come with them from the faraway lands.

Starting point is 00:07:05 First among these Assyr gods was Odin, ruler of gods and men. His realm was made up of nine worlds. The world of the dead, of fire, of gnomes, of men of giants, of elves, of the vineyard gods, the Assyr gods, of the world with the roof of glittering stars, where all good souls would one day meet. Through all these nine worlds grew the ash tree, Ektrasil. Only as long as this tree flourished was the reign of the Asir faded to last.

Starting point is 00:07:52 plants, beasts, the Assyr gods too, one day years ago. Christianity conquered the north. The Asir gods perished. They met their destiny on the day of Ragnarok, and the monsters of the mountains and the glaciers destroyed each other. Soon they were almost forgotten in most of the lands where they had once been worshipped. All that remained of them were fragments. in folklore and a few of their names that had been given to the days of the week.

Starting point is 00:08:42 Tuesday is named for Teer, ancient god of the sword. Wednesday is Odin's day. Thursday is Thors. Friday, it's the day of Freya, the goddess of love. Though the Dutch Germans, Franks, and Saxons, forgot these old gods and their battles with the Ice Age monsters. the Norse did not, would gather around their smoky fires in their long halls to hear stories and songs. Keep the trolls and giants away.

Starting point is 00:09:31 They used to paint Thor's hammer on their barn doors. In the dragon's head that they carved on their church portals were there to frighten away the heathen spirits. To this very day, in lonely valleys, the people may tell. of the meetings of trolls and gnomes and of other strange creatures of the outlying islands of Iceland were volcanoes and glaciers stand side by side to the seer gods

Starting point is 00:10:06 was kept alive longer than anywhere else passed on word by word from father to son these stories were at last written down in two books the poetic edda in the prose edda The poetic edda is a collection of Norse

Starting point is 00:10:30 Old Norse verse Set down in the 10th and 11th centuries The prose edda A collection of myths and fanciful tales Was written by Snorri Sturluson About the year 1200

Starting point is 00:10:48 From these two great Icelandic books scattered folklore and songs. We know today how the ancient Norsemen thought the world of their ancestors was created, how it flourished, and how it came to an end. You can see the first gods and giants. Early in the morning of time, there was no sand, no grass, no lapping wave. There was no earth, no sun, no moon, no stars.

Starting point is 00:12:16 There was Niflheim, a waste of frozen fog, in the Muspelheim, a place of raging flames. And in between the fog and the fire, there was a gaping pit, the Ginnung Agap. For untold ages, crackling embers from the Mospelheim, and crystals of ice in dismal pit. Here we have a dip in faster. Fire kindled a spark of life.

Starting point is 00:13:41 A spark of life within the ice. An enormous ugly shape rose roaring from the canoeagab. It was the frost giant, Emir. First of the race of the Jotans. At his side was a hornless, ice cow that came mooing from the pit. We can see a emma, his hornless ice cow from the pit. Together, Jotan and cow, they lived on the rim of Gununga Gap.

Starting point is 00:14:21 The Jotan did not lack food. Four rivers of snow-white froth flowed like milk from the huge cows, the huge ice cows, And Imir drank and drank and grew to a towering height. As for the cow, she found plenty of food, licking the salty brim of Gununga Gap. So I guess, I guess these whirls might be the icy froth milk flowing from her udders. In this, the salty brim, Nunga Gap, female Jotan came to life in the warmth of the warm of his left armpit, in a troll with six heads. These monstrous creatures grew quickly in the head offspring of their own.

Starting point is 00:16:04 They were all big and rough, and Amir was the biggest and wildest of. The Ice Cow had also brought forth life. As she licked and licked, her tongue grew warm, for she had to lick hard enough to to make enough food for Imir and his brood. Then under her warm, the head of hair sprouted on the briny brim. And as she went on licking, a face appeared. God, that is such an interesting story. Six-headed troll.

Starting point is 00:17:10 And the two in female jotans popping out of his left, warm left are salty brim until his warm tongue. manifested a face out of the ground. Went right on licking. Shoulders and chest came forth, thin legs, and at last outstepped a whole new creature. He was straight and quite handsome, not ugly like the Jotans and the trolls.

Starting point is 00:18:20 He had a son who was even more handsome. And the son took for his wife a beautiful Jotan maiden. For it sometimes happened that an ugly frost giant would have a lovely dog. She bore her husband three sons. It were so fair that a radiance spread from them and lit up the darkness around them. They were the first of the great Assyra gods. Their names were Odin, Honir, and Ludir. Spirit will.

Starting point is 00:19:10 They were high. They were high and very holy. and they had the power to create a world, but before they could create the world in their own image, they had to get rid of the frost giant emir. He had always been wild, and old age had made him worse. So the three young-as-ear gods went against the old Jotan, pushed his huge Hulk, were drowned too, except for two, and very strong Yotan and his mate. They clambered up onto the ice flows and went to live out on the outer shores, the wild outer shores of the sea made by emirs.

Starting point is 00:21:13 The Assyr did not pursue them and almost right away this ice-bound wilderness. Jottenheim was teeming with their offspring. These uncouth Jotans and trolls hated the Assyr for what they had done to their kinsmen. They watched as the handsome gods Made a new world illustration here is The three Asir

Starting point is 00:22:00 Odin, Honier and Luter Pushing the final foot Of big Giant Old Sted the Jotens And the trolls and giants On for Dear Life onto the big Glacial

Starting point is 00:22:29 Glacial Glacial Ice Flows In the background Do what you guys think About these myths I think they're fascinating. That's probably because my ancestry is Swedish, I believe, and some British. So interesting to me.

Let's Find Out - The First Norse Gods and Giants | ASMR [soft-spoken book-reading history]

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.