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MTTHIO DIVISIONS OF THE WOELD. 123
rently forms a vault above the Earth. In the midst
of this world is ISavoUr*—the Field of Actwity,
the Assembling-place of the JEsir. Here is Odin's
lofty throne Hli8skjalf,t which towers above the
highest arch of the Heavens.
3. Yanaheimr, the World of the Vanir; the air,
or the space between Heaven and Earth filled only
with clouds.
4. Mannheimr, or Mi5gar8r, the World of Mankind,
the round disc of the Earth, surrounded by
the great World-Gcean. The name MiSgarSr ap-
pears to have been often used as more comprehen-
sive, as including the arch of Heaven, or at least its
lower border, which was actually believed to form
a hedge or defense against the Jotuns.
6. Alfheimr, the World of the Light-Elves—the
fertile surface of the Earth and the next adjoining
region of the atmosphere.
6. Svartalfaheimr, the World of the DarTc-Elves
or Dwarves— ^the interior of the Earth-disc.
7. Jotunheimr, the World of the Jotuns— ^the
mountain wastes around the Earth's disc. "This
world was believed to slope downward, especially
towards the north. It was occasionally placed
within the "World-Ocean, but mostly, and especially
* From ifija, to work ; IS, activity ; vollr, a field.
Evidently derived from hliS {A.-S. hli5), a gate or port ; cogn.
f
with Engl. lid. In the O. Edda (AtlakviSa 14,), liSskjalfar seems
to mean towers. Grimm thinks the word may mean a turret-win-
dow, or ttie seat at a portal or window, and that skjdlf thus corre-
sponds to the A.-8. Bcylfe; Engl, shelf, in the sense of bench.
HliBskjAlf was therefore supposed to be a portal or large window
in Heaven, with its adjoining seat {Deut. Mythol. p. 124).