The nine worlds
Yggdrasil and the realms around it, from Ginnungagap, the yawning void, to Asgard, Midgard and Hel.
Álfheimr
The home of the elves: in Grímnismál a hall given to Freyr as a tooth-gift, in Snorri a heavenly dwelling of the light-elves.
Asgard Ásgarðr
The stronghold of the Æsir, walled against the giants, full of halls such as Valhall and Bilskirnir; Snorri also identifies it, confusingly, with Troy.
Ginnungagap
The empty chasm that existed before the world, between the ice of Niflheim and the fire of Múspell, where the giant Ymir came to life.
Hel (the realm) Hel
The underworld of the dead, ruled by Loki's daughter Hel: reached by the Hel-way and the Gjöll bridge, set down and to the north, under one root of Yggdrasil.
Jötunheimr
The land of the giants, at the edge of the world beyond rivers and sea, usually to the east of the gods and men. Thor goes there to fight, and gods go there to court and steal.
Midgard Miðgarðr
The world of humans, made by Odin and his brothers from the body of the giant Ymir and fenced with his eyebrows against the giants who live around the ocean's edge.
Muspellsheimr
The burning world of the far south, guarded by Surtr: its sparks lit the sun and stars at creation, and its 'sons' ride out to destroy the world at Ragnarök.
Niðavellir
A place named once in Völuspá, where a golden hall stands for 'Sindri's race'; modern lists often make it the dwarves' world, which the sources do not quite say.
Niflheimr
The cold, misty world of the north in Snorri's creation story, source of the rivers and later Hel's realm; the poems know only Niflhel, a deep region of the dead.
Svartálfaheimr
Snorri's 'home of the black elves', where the gods go to have dwarves forge their treasures; the name occurs only in his prose, and his merging of black elves with dwarves is debated.
The nine worlds níu heimar
The Eddas say there are nine worlds but never list them; the familiar list of nine realms is a modern reconstruction built mostly from Snorri's place-names.
Útgarðr
The castle of the giant Útgarða-Loki, far to the east beyond the sea, so huge that Thor's party must crane their necks to see over it. It vanishes when Thor tries to smash it.
Vanaheimr
The home of the Vanir, the gods of Njörðr's family; the sources mention it only as the place Njörðr came from and will return to.
Yggdrasil Yggdrasill
The world-ash at the centre of the Norse cosmos: its roots reach the realms of gods, giants and the dead, and the gods hold court beneath it every day.
Hel (the realm) Hel
The underworld of the dead, ruled by Loki's daughter Hel: reached by the Hel-way and the Gjöll bridge, set down and to the north, under one root of Yggdrasil.
Jötunheimr
The land of the giants, at the edge of the world beyond rivers and sea, usually to the east of the gods and men. Thor goes there to fight, and gods go there to court and steal.
Midgard Miðgarðr
The world of humans, made by Odin and his brothers from the body of the giant Ymir and fenced with his eyebrows against the giants who live around the ocean's edge.
Muspellsheimr
The burning world of the far south, guarded by Surtr: its sparks lit the sun and stars at creation, and its 'sons' ride out to destroy the world at Ragnarök.
Niðavellir
A place named once in Völuspá, where a golden hall stands for 'Sindri's race'; modern lists often make it the dwarves' world, which the sources do not quite say.
Niflheimr
The cold, misty world of the north in Snorri's creation story, source of the rivers and later Hel's realm; the poems know only Niflhel, a deep region of the dead.
Svartálfaheimr
Snorri's 'home of the black elves', where the gods go to have dwarves forge their treasures; the name occurs only in his prose, and his merging of black elves with dwarves is debated.
The nine worlds níu heimar
The Eddas say there are nine worlds but never list them; the familiar list of nine realms is a modern reconstruction built mostly from Snorri's place-names.
Útgarðr
The castle of the giant Útgarða-Loki, far to the east beyond the sea, so huge that Thor's party must crane their necks to see over it. It vanishes when Thor tries to smash it.
Vanaheimr
The home of the Vanir, the gods of Njörðr's family; the sources mention it only as the place Njörðr came from and will return to.
Yggdrasil Yggdrasill
The world-ash at the centre of the Norse cosmos: its roots reach the realms of gods, giants and the dead, and the gods hold court beneath it every day.