Snorri opens with a Christian cosmology: God created heaven and earth, and the earth was divided into three parts.
Almáttigr Guð skapaði himin ok jörð ok alla hluti þá er þeim fylgja. Síðarst skapaði hann mann ok gaf honum vit ok líkam. Jörðin var skipuð í þrjár hlutir.
Almighty God created heaven and earth and all things belonging to them. Last he created man and gave him reason and a body. The earth was divided into three parts.