Alter Aeon The Great Library

Welcome to the Alter Aeon Historical Archive!

Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  31851
Title: a book titled "The Aesir of Valhalla"

Long ago, there was Primordial Chaos. Here new things arose and faded
constantly in a great churning void - mists, stones, water, fire and
crystal. One day there was born a great flame, called Muspell. Nearby a
spring burst forth, known as Hvergelmir. From Hvergelmir many waters issued
forth, striving with the flame of Muspell, and there arose the mist of
Nilfheim. The mists watered the shadows, which became earth, in which a
seed sprouted.

The seed grew into the mighty ash Yggdrasil, the World Tree. As it grew, it
carried pieces of Primordial Chaos away in its spreading branches,
fracturing it into the Nine Realms. From Yggdrasil's leaves came forth
Nidhoggr, the father of dragons. The fruits of Yggdrasil yielded the alfs,
both dark and light. Around Yggdrasil's roots the ground was soft, warmed
by Muspells flames and yet cooled by Nilfheim's mists. From this mixture,
Ymir, first of the jotnar, the giants, was formed.

Ymir brought forth offspring, giants of power and renown. They began to
build and till the land. Their great ox, Auoumbla, licked at the rime on
the stones left by the mists, and freed a man named Buri. Buri bore a son,
Borr, who married the jotun Bestla. They bore children in their stead:
Odin, Vili and Ve.

Odin conspired with his brothers to slay Ymir, their grandfather, as he
slept. Rivers of blood issued forth from his corpse, drowning all the
giants save two, who sailed away to safety in a distant realm. From Ymir's
corpse, the brothers fashioned a new world.

From Ymir's flesh they made the earth. The bedrock was fashioned from his
bones. His blood became the seas, lakes, swamps and oceans. Rocks and stone
were made from his teeth. Ymir's skull became the sky. Then Odin, Vili, and
Ve gathered sparks of light from Muspell and placed them around the earth,
becoming the sun, moon and stars. With Ymir's eyelashes, they built a fort
in the center of the world to protect against the wrath of the jotnar. This
they named Midgard. The lastly, they formed the clouds from Ymir's brains.

The jotnar banished, Odin, Vili and Ve surveyed this new world. As they
walked along the shore of the encircling sea, they came across two ash
trees. From these were crafted the first man and first woman.  Odin
breathed life into them. Vili gave them feelings and awareness. Ve gave
them their senses and speech. The man they named Askr, and the woman,
Embla. From them came all living men in Midgard. Then the brothers built
the fortress Asgard in the Otherworld, from which the Aesir ruled.

Askr and Embla multiplied after the manner of living things. Their
descendants live in the world yet: the fierce vikings of Archais, who seek
to dwell in Valhalla, the Hall of the Slain in Asgard, when they die.