Northern mythology

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. 5
they fixed the earthy around which it lies in a circle ; of
his skull they formed the heaven, and set it up over the
earth with four regions, and under each corner placed a
dwarf, the names of whom were Austri, Vestri, Northri,
Suthri; of his brain they formed the heavy clouds, of
his hair the vegetable creation, and of his eyebrows a wall
of defence against the giants round Midgard {Mi]?gar^r),
the middlemost part of the earth, the dwelling-place of
the sons of men^ They then took the sparks and glowing
cinders that were cast out of Muspellheim, and set them
in heaven, both above and below, to illumine heaven and
earth. They also assigned places for the lightning and
fiery meteors, some in heaven, and some unconfined under
heaven, and appointed to them a course. Hence, '^ as it is
said in old philosophy,^' arose the division of years and
days. Thus Bor's sons raised up the heavenly disks, and
the sun shone on the cold stones, so that the earth was
decked with green herbs. The sun from the south followed
the moon, and cast her^ right arm round the heavenly
horses' door (the east) ;
dwelling lay, the moon knew not his
stars know where they had a station.
but she knew not where her
power, nor did the
Then the holy gods
consulted together, and gave to every light its place, and a
name to the new moon (Nyi), and to the waning moon
(NiJ^i), and gave names to the morning and the mid-day, to
the forenoon (undern) and the evening, that the children
of men, sons of time, might reckon the years thereafter^.
Night (Nott) and Day (Dagr) were of opposite races.
Night, of giant race, was dark, like her father, the giant
Norvi (or Narfi) . She was first married to Naglfari, and
had by him a son named Aud (Au^r) ; secondly to Anar
1 See p. 10.
* In the Germanic tongues the sun is feminine, the moon masculine.
3 Gylf. 7, 8. Voluspa, Str. 4, 5, 6. VaO?ruduism. Str. 20, 21, 29, 35.
Grimnism. Str. 40, 41.