Northern mythology

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. 141
the hair_, the first growing plant ; then the head, the abode,
of thought, came forth -,
and lastly, the entire human creature.
Vegetable, intellectual, and animal life came into
activity, the strictly so-called creation began, the first intelligent
being existed.
It had power through its internal
virtue, it increased itself of itself : Buri, the bringer forth,
produced Bor, the brought forth. Bor married Bestla, or
Belsta^, a daughter of the giant Bolthorn; the higher
mental powder began to operate in the better part of the
miserable material, which was thereby ennobled, and the
creative powers, the iEsir, came forth : they were good
gods, opposed to monsters, to the wicked giants. The
iEsir are represented as three brothers, that is, three directions
of the same agency, Odin, Vili, and Ve, or Mind,
Will, and Holiness. These sons of Bor slew Ymir or Chaos,
and formed of him heaven and earths But a part of the
material escaped from their quickening power, the highest
mountain peaks remained untouched by the inundation
produced; the sea gradually subsided, and around the
inhabited earth
high ice-bergs were formed, the family of
Bergelmir. From the world of light came the bright
heavenly bodies,
but they wandered about without object
or aim. The gods placed them in order and fixed their
course :
night and day, winter and summer, took each its
turn; days and years might be reckoned. The most
central part of the earth, or Midgard, was appointed for
the future human race ;
the ^sir fixed their abode in Asgard,
the highest part of the world. This was the fii'st
period of creation : they rested.
Illustration.—The word salt, Lat. sal, salum, Gr.