The 9 realms of the Norse.

Lets look into the amazing world of the Norse starting with the nine realms. Its said that Odin the all seeing father could see all that happened across all nine realms.

Niflheim ~ A place of frost, ice, snow and mist. Niflheim was regarded as a primeval realm associated with obscurity, low temperatures and demise and was also considered the origin of all of the rivers and streams that flowed throughout the Nordic universe.

Muspelheim ~ Muspelheim was a realm of fire , believed to exist before the universe's creation, it was a place of blazing heat and radiant light, serving as the source of all the fire in the Norse cosmos.

Asgard ~ Home to the Aesir , the tribe of gods, Asgard was the most beautiful and radiant of realms located high above Midgard , and was said to be accessible by the rainbow bridge known as Bifrost. It was considered the centre of the universe and home to many of the Norse gods, including Odin , Thor and Frigg. It was seen as a place that holds great power and also a place for feasting storytelling and many more gatherings for the gods. Asgard is also home to Valhalla the famous hall of Odin for specially selected fallen warriors. Despite its power and beauty Asgard sadly fell to the hands of chaos and was destroyed in the great battle of Ragnarok, a battle between the gods and the giants.

Vanaheim~ Home to the Vanir tribe of gods, who were seen as a distinct group of deities from the Aesir. The realm was often said to be a place of prosperity and peace where all lived in harmony with each other and with nature as the lands was described as lush fields , forests and abundant crops. unlike the warlike Aesir gods, the Vanir gods were associated with being generous and kind and was said to promote peace and fertility. Some well known Vanir gods were Njord , the god of the sea and fishing and his children Freyja nad Freyr , who were both associated with ferility, peace and prosperity.

Alfheim~ Alfheim was believed to be the home of th elight elves. It was described as having lush forests, flowing rivers and crystal clear lakes and was considered to be a place of beauty and harmony. The light elves in Alfheim was well known for their artistic and magical skills and they was also known for their great beauty and grace. Despite all its beauty Alfheim was also known to be home to powerful and potentially dangerous entities and forces.

Jotunheim ~ This was a dark and icy realm far from Asgard, home to the frost giants. Its said to have towering mountains, dense forests and deep valleys. The giants who inhabited Jotunheim were often depicted as immense in size, strength and power being unpredictable forces of nature. Although they were chaotic beings, the giants were said to be important figures in Norse mythology, as they were the source of many great challenges that the gods and heroes faced.

Midgard ~ Positioned between Jotunheim and Asgard , Midgar was home to the mortal humans. The gods created Midgar as a place for humans to live and separated it from the rest of the universe by and ocean and an impassable barrier called the Midgard Serpent.

Svartalfheim~ Home to the dark elves, who unlike the light elves were not known for being kind at all. These dark elves were known for their cunningness, malice and greed. Svartalfheim was a gloomy place filled with caves , tunnels, mines and subterranean rivers. Another race lives here too , the Dwarves. The Dwarves were known for their exceptional craft man-ship , producing very valuable objects as well as powerful weapons and tools. This realm was considered a place of danger to outsiders.

Helheim ~ often thought of as a place of eternal doom like the christian place HELL , helheim is actually the final destination for nearly all that pass away. Only those worthy would be placed in Freya or Odins halls, the rest would be sent to Helheim , a bleak underworld overseen by goddess Hel. Despite its grim reputation, Helheim was regarded as a significant dominion in Norse mythology, as it was the ultimate destination for many of the dead and was often depicted as a place of judgement where the dead were evaluated and assigned their fate.

All of these realms have many, many stories and legends linked to them and all place a very important role in all of the mythology of the Norse. Many people still worship the Nordic gods and these places will have personal meaning to those who do.

thanks for reading , i hope to write more Norse mythology to share with you all !

- x Sophie x -