The world of humans, fortified by a wall made from Ymir's eyebrows.
Midgard is the world of humans, fashioned by Odin, Vili, and Vé from the body of the giant Ymir. According to Grímnismál, the earth was made from Ymir's flesh, the mountains from his bones, the sky from his skull, and the sea from his blood. Ymir's eyebrows formed the defensive barrier protecting Midgard against the giants' incursions, as described in Vafþrúðnismál.
Midgard is bound to Asgard by the rainbow bridge Bifröst, which the gods ride daily to hold council at Yggdrasil. In Grímnismál Bifröst is called 'ásbrú,' the gods' bridge, and is said to be red with fire to prevent giants from crossing it. Heimdallr, the watchful god, guards the bridge from Himinbjörg.
Midgard is encircled by the world ocean, and in its depths lies Jörmungandr, the offspring of Loki and Angrboða, who coils around the entire world biting its own tail. The serpent is held back by the weight of the sea but is expected to rise at Ragnarök, when Þórr kills it but dies from its venom.
The first human pair, Ask and Embla, were created by the gods from trees they found on land. Odin gave them spirit, Hönir sense, and Lóðurr blood and healthy colour, according to Völuspá. Midgard is thus the product of a divine creative act that gave humans their essential nature, far more than a physical location.
Sources in the Eddas
- Gylfaginning 8-9
- The creation of Midgard from Ymir's body.
- Grímnismál 40-41
- Ymir's body as building material for the world and Bifröst's function.
- Vafþrúðnismál 21
- The giant confirms that Midgard was made from Ymir's eyebrows.
- Völuspá 17-18
- The creation of Ask and Embla and the gods' gifts to the first human pair.
- Lokasenna 49
- Jörmungandr's encirclement of Midgard is referenced.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Midgard was created from Ymir's body by Odin and his brothers.
Bifröst connects Midgard to Asgard and is guarded by Heimdallr.
Jörmungandr encircles Midgard in the world ocean.
B What we think we know
The identity of Lóðurr in the creation account is contested; candidates include Loki and Freyr.
Whether Bifröst should be understood as an astronomical phenomenon (the Milky Way) or purely as a mythological bridge is debated.
C What we do not know
The order in which the three gods performed their respective creative acts is unknown.
Exactly how Midgard's boundary with Jotunheimr was conceptualized in popular belief is unclear.