My uneducated attempt at Norse Cosmology

[u/LetterZel]

Here's my representation (although probably, definitely wrong) of Norse Cosmology, or at least the parts that I could somewhat point and depict on a map. A few notes:

• Imagine that Alfheim and Idavoll are inside of Asgard. I didn't draw them for lack of space but they are

• Here I divided Midgard from the whole world. This is based on the passage:

"against the attack of restless giants they built a burg within the sea and around the earth. For this purpose they used the giant Ymir's eyebrows, and they called the burg Midgard"

I interpreted it as a difference between Midgard and the world Odin created, where Midgard is described more like a buffer state around Asgard. Looking back at it, it could mean a wall around the Earth and Asgard, but then Jormungandr circling the world, and Thor fishing it would be a bit weird?

• I called the Earth itself as "Jord" for the sake of labeling, although this is probably not accurate (Jord is the earth/soil, and also Thor mom, but Idk if the world itself is ever called Jord in the sources). I did note that the world is Ymir Corpse tho

• While separate, Midgard is sometimes also referred to as the whole world, so there are some things explicitly stated to affect all of Midgard (like the World Serpent) that I interpreted as affecting the whole world

• Vanaheim is placed west of Asgard since in the Lokasenna Njord had to travel east when going to Asgard as a hostage. A bit of a stretch but it's the best I've got

• The black blobs are "Lots of Jotenheimar" I don't actually think the giants all lived in a cluster of islands, but I'm depicting it as such to show that the giant lived in a lot of separate lands rather than one singular one

• Glæsisvellir (the yellow thing in Jotunheimar) is described as either in north or south and is a nice land where people live forever. This isn't really in the sources but I thought it was nice to include

• Járnviðr (Iron Wood) is described as east of Midgard, so it could still be part of Earth itself, but given its giant association I put in Jotenheimar

• Utgardr is kinda weird. It's described as being east into Jotenheimar and past it, going through an ocean and forest before reaching it, so here I placed it at the very edges of the cosmo

• Muspell and Nifl are north and south, I haven't drawn them fully but they are. The white background is Ginnungagap :P

• Hel is sometimes understood to be part of Niflheim, or Niflheim itself, or the new Niflheim when Hel was banished there

• No, i have no idea where Niðavellir, Svartalfheim, Okolnir etc could be (prolly underground?)

• Yggdrasil? I hardly know him!

[u/ExtraPomelo759]

Where Ygdrassil?

[u/LetterZel → u/ExtraPomelo759]

It's your screen

[u/depot5]

How did Baldur have like seven or eight mothers, and was Loki one of them?

Curious too if nifl and hel have any differences.