The below list of places and objects are illustrated and organized as a clickable image map of the Teutonic cosmos on the first page of this site.
Alfheim
The land of the light elves, in Asgard, ruled over by Freyr
(Crossley-Holland, 239).
Asgard
The heavenly world of the gods. In the
Teutonic myth of creation, after the Aesir created man and woman and
set Night, Day, Moon and Sun in the sky, they made the dwarves. Then,
the sons of Bor, the Aesir of Odin and his brothers, built their own
realm, Asgard. This world was the smallest of the concentric circles
of the universe, a mighty stronghold with green plains and shining
palaces that loomed over Midgard, the middle world (Chantepie de la
Saussaye, 346). The two regions became linked by Bifrost, the flaming
rainbow bridge. All the Aesir, the guardians of
men, crossed the bridge and settled
in Asgard. There the all-father Odin and the (12) other gods and
goddesses lived (Crossley-Holland, 6, 7, 9-14). Unlike the relative
isolation of Greek gods in Olympus, the gods of Asgard are constantly
threatened by giants and monsters from the cold and dark worlds
(Davidson, 3).
Bifrost
"Quivering Road," the flaming rainbow
bridge that connected Midgard,
the world of men, to Asgard, the world of the gods. The bridge was
guarded by Heimdall against the giants. According to one myth, the
bridge may be an explanation for the Milky Way (Davidson, 171).
Hawk
Vedrfolnir, "Weather-Bleached" sits on the head of an
eagle.
Hel
The citadel of the dead, a place with towering walls and
forbidden gates. Hel is ruled by Hel(la), a giantess who is
half-alive and half-dead, to whom Loki
in female form gave birth (Crossley-Holland, 244; Davidson, 213).
--For more on the importance of Hel in Teutonic mythology, see the
symbol of Hell.
Jormungand
The terrifying
serpent who lay in the ocean
surrounding Midgard. He was so long that he encircled Midgard and bit
his own tail (Crossley-Holland, xxi).
Jotunheim
The underworld land of the
giants. It lay either within
Midgard in the mountainous eastern part along the coast, or across
the ocean, although one source says the road to Jotunheim ran
eastward from Asgard (Crossley-Holland, 24, xxi; Davidson, 172).
Midgard
"Middle World," the world of
mortals and humans, also the second
level of the Teutonic universe's tricentric structure. Midgard is
surrounded by a vast ocean (Crossley-Holland, 247, xxi).
Nidavellir
"Dark Home", on the second level of the universe, Midgard,
in the North where the dwarves lived. It was a land of
caves and potholes
(Crossley-Holland, xxi).
Nidhogg
The dragon who chews at the
lowest root of Yggdrasill in Niflheim and who sends Ratatosk the
squirrel up and down the branches to torment the ash tree
(Crossley-Holland, 248).
Niflheim
"Foggy Hell". The world of the dead, a realm of freezing
cold under one root of Yggdrasill. Nine days ride northwards and down
from Midgard, the third level of the Teutonic universe. Its citadel
is Hel. The Teutons distinguished between the worlds of Hel and
Niflheim--evil men passed through Hel to die again in Niflheim. Or,
in another interpretation, Niflheim is a place of
fog and darkness below Hel which
seems to have been the realm of utter stagnation and sterility
(Crossley-Holland, 248, xxii; Davidson, 173 ).
Ratatosk the
squirrel
A creature whose name means "Swift Teeth" and who runs up
and down the trunk of Yggdrasill in carrying insults from the dragon
Nidhogg who lives in Niflheim, the world of the dead, and to the
eagle that lives in the top branches that hang high above Asgard.
Since Yggdrasill was in the minds of the ancient Teutonic people the
tree of life that projected a reflection of itself, defective and
imperfect, creatures like Ratatosk represent the strife and tension
that exists in the world (Chantepie de la Saussaye, 16).
Spring of
Hvergelmir
The spring that lies under the root of Yggdrasill in
Niflheim. It is the origin of the eleven
rivers called Elivigar (Crossley-Holland, 245).
--See Teutonic mythology symbolism dictionary to learn about the
sacredness of water.
Spring of
Mimir
A well of wisdom in Jotunheim under a
root of Yggdrasill. Its waters brought inspiration and knowledge to
those who drank from it. Mimir (Mime) was a god of the Aesir, killed
by Vanir. His head sits by the Well. Odin gave up one of his eyes in
return for a drink from the spring; and thus Odin has become known as
the god of poetry (Crossley-Holland, 247; Davidson, 26).
--For more on the universal symbol of the well, see
WELL
in the Symbolism Dictionary.
Svartalheim
The land of the dark elves, north of Midgard but below
Nidavellir. The distinction between the light and dark
elves came late in the history of
Teutonic mythology, maybe as a result of Christian teachings about
angels. The elves originally may have been the same as the Vanir
(Crossley-Holland, xxi; Davidson, 172).
Thingvellir
Maybe the name of the meeting of the gods at the Well of Urd. In
Iceland, Thingvellir is an actual place where in old times the "most
important meeting of the year for the...state" occurred (Davidson,
15).
Utgard
In Jotunheim, the citadel of the giants. Here
Thor and his companions were taken for a
ride and tricked by the giants' evil magic king, Utgard-Loki
(Crossley-Holland, xxi, 250; Davidson, 172).
Valhalla
"Hall of the Slain". One of the nine worlds, a huge hall, ruled
by Odin, where Einherjar (dead
warriors) fought, feasted and awaited Ragnarok. Valhalla had 540
doors and when it became time to fight Fenrir, 800 warriors would
march out each door to the final battle (Crossley-Holland, 61-2, 174,
201, 252).
Valhalla in Wagner's Ring
Vanaheim
Located in Asgard, the world of the Vanir or fertility
gods. In the first war between the
Aesir and the Vanir, the Vanir destroyed the walls of Asgard. Then
the Aesir retaliated, causing great damage in Vanaheim. Eventually
becoming wearied of war, both sides made a truce and swore to live
side by side in peace, agreeing to exchange leaders to prove their
good intentions. But, the Aesir tricked Vanir. So, for revenge, the
Vanir seized the wise Mimir, cut off his head and sent it to Odin and
the Aesir. To end this strife and to mourn the loss of the wisest
god, Odin smeared Mimir's head with herbs to prevent decay and gave
it speech. Thus, Mimir's wisdom became Odin's wisdom. The head of
Mimir sits at the Spring of Mimir. (Crossley-Holland, 7).
Well of
Urd
In Asgard, the place where the gods held their daily assembly or
court, possibly called Thingvellir. Under
a root of Yggdrasill, the Well is named after Urd (Fate), one of the
three Norns (Fate, Being and Necessity) who guard the sacred waters.
The Norns shaped the paths of human lives by carving runes into the
trunk of Yggdrasill. Everyday the Norns nourished the Yggdrasill's
suffering by sprinkling water from the well on the Tree's branches
(Crossley-Holland, 15; Davidson, 163-5).
--See Well of Urd in Wagner's
Ring to learn how Wagner adapted this element to his opera
cycle.
--For more on the symbolic nature of wells, see
WELL
in the Symbolism Dictionary.
Yggdrasill
The name of this tree means "The Horse of Yggr." Yggr is
"the terrible one," or Odin. The World Ash Tree is the spine of the
Teutonic universe. The Tree
precedes the gods and outlasts their rule. It linked and sheltered
all of the nine worlds. As a symbol, this tree is a "source of luck
and protection" (Davidson, 170). The identification of this tree as
an ash "might be the bunches of 'keys' which hang from the branches
like bodies of tiny men, recalling the practice of hanging
sacrificial victims from trees"(Ibid). A symbol of nourishment,
healing, source of rivers of the world. The first root of Yggdrasill
is the location of the Well of Urd in
Asgard, the second extends into Jotunheim where lies the
Spring of Mimir and the third goes
into the depths of Niflheim, from under which flows the
Spring of Hvergelmir. Ratatosk
the squirrel runs up and down the trunk of the World Ash Tree
carrying spiteful messages from the dragon Nidhogg in Niflheim to
the eagle with a hawk between its eyes who
sits in Yggdrasill's uppermost branches. This living tree is tortured
by Nidhogg gnawing at its roots. Nibbling at the World Ash Tree and
ripping off the growth of its new branches
are Heidrun the goat whose milk is the
source of the mead of the gods and
a deer from whose
horns flows the water that feeds
the Spring of Hvergelmir which in turn is the source of all the
worlds' rivers. As Ragnarok approaches, Yggdrasill will tremble. Two
humans, Lif and Lifthrasir, will hide within its trunk and thus will
survive the end of one cycle of time to create the human race anew in
the next (Crossley-Holland; Davidson; Rydberg).