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21 February 2026
Make your edible space dust We’re going to make our own version of space dust! Whaaaaat?! Surely you need a
YGGDRASIL – Vikings, just like all modern humans, asked questions about the world around them. Norse cosmology gave Vikings answers to these questions by means of epic poems that were entertaining, bonkers and philosophical all at the same time. These poems described the nine realms that make up everything that has ever existed. Yggdrasil is the giant ash tree that connects these nine worlds and is at the centre of the cosmos.
ASGARD – Land of the Aesir giants, made up of 12 realms and ruled by Odin.
Half of all Vikings that die in combat go to Valhalla and the other half to Folkvangr – Freya’s realm in Asgard.
Odin and his two brothers Vili and Ve, the grandsons of Buri, stood on a void and saw the potential for life.
Through killing the giant Ymir and using his body they created the universe.
Odin’s ravens were called: Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory).
HIMINBJÖRG (heaven’s castle) – home to god Heimdallr.
BIFRÖST – Only gods and heroes can pass.
ALFHEIM – land of the light elves.
VANAHEIM – land of the Vanir gods.
SVARTALFHEIM – land of the dwarves and the dark elves.
The four dwarves, North, South, East and West who hold up the four corners of the sky come from here.
MUSPELHEIM – land of flame and fire.
The stars we see at night are flickers from this realm.
SURTR – an immense being stood on the border on guard until Ragnarök. In this icy, fiery union the mighty giant Ymir – the ancestor of all giants was formed.
NIFLHEIM – Land of ice and frost. In the beginning there was a void; dark and empty and edged with mist (Niflheim) and fire.
JÖTUNHEIM – land of the giants. The climate here resembles Earth’s polar regions. The first male and female frost giants were created from the armpit sweat of Ymir.
MIDGARD – land of the humans. From Ymir’s body, Odin and his brothers created the world; the giant’s body formed the land, his bones the hills, blood and sweat the rivers and seas and his skull the dome of heaven.
The gods used giant Ymir’s eyelashes to create a wall that guarded Midgard from the giants.
The ancestors of humankind Ask and Embla were created from logs of the ash and elm trees.
NIDHOGG – Great dragon who gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil.
MIMIR’S WELL – Filled with the waters of knowledge. Where Odin sacrificed one of his eyes for the gift of wisdom (a true seer sees beyond sight).
THE WELL OF URD – Feeds the world tree.
FENRIR – Monstrous wolf, son of Loki and destined to kill Odin during Ragnarök.
HELHEIM – Land of the dead. It is prophesied that Ragnarök (the end of the world), will be the final battle of the gods. Surtr-first-of-all will lead the sons of Muspell down to Asgard and Bifröst will burn, Heimdallr will blow his horn and an endless winter will begin. Odin will lead his Valhalla warriors to the battle and all the armies of the nine worlds (gods, women, men, giants, dwarves, elves, serpents and wolves) will stand and fight with fury, as Yggdrasil trembles and burns and the worlds crack and all that will remain is ash, darkness and ice. In the gloom of the void, it will all begin again – new races, new worlds – where old gods may revive and awake.
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Written by Annalie Seaman. Illustration: Ed J. Brown. Note: spellings can vary.
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