"In the beginning there was a void, a big gap of darkness, filled with the primal forces of creation. The heat of Muspel and the ice of Nifel made the essence of life come forth from the void. The first living being, The Giant Ymer, was born out of darkness and he is the ancestor of the creatures of the universe. The world was formed from his slaughtered body. Ginnungagap is the black hole from which everything came out and into which everything will return in the end."

- Therion - "Ginnungagap"

Created for a project on Norse Mythology. Yggsdrasil, or the world tree, shows the cosmology of the world, as the Norse tribes viewed it. First, we have the higher realm, containing Asgard, the home of the Aesir, a race of gods. Within Asgard resides Valhalla, the place where the Einherjar (the slain) and Valkyries (lesser goddesses) reside. Also on the higher realm is Vanaheim, home of the Vanir, another race of gods, and Alfheim, which is the home of the Light Elves. Bifrost, a rainbow bridge connects Asgard to Midgard, or middle-earth, the home of the humans. Midgard is on the middle realm along with Nidavellir, home of the dwarves; Svartalheim, home of the Dark Elves, or svartafer; and Jotunheim, the land of the Giants. On the lower realm resides Helheim, the abode of the dead, and Niflheim, a land of ice and cold. Each realm has it's own well which nourishes the tree. The most important of these three being the Well of Urd, which resides under Asgard. The well of Mimir is beside Jotunheim and the third well, next to Niflheim. The dragon Nidhogg lives here.