Nine Vast and Rich Realms

Nine Vast and Rich Realms is the second episode in the Ragnarök season from Ubisoft's Echoes of History podcast series.

Description

Odin created Asgard, the kingdom of the gods, but that doesn't mean he's resting on his laurels. The father of all things watches over the Nine Realms, placed in a delicate balance atop the world tree Yggdrasil. These realms are full of mythical creatures, some peaceful, others less so. So, the gods of Asgard must soon face their first conflict.

Transcript

• Gylfi: I must admit, the gods welcomed me when I traveled to Asgard to pay them a visit. Did I tell you why I went there? No? Well, they dared to play a dirty trick on me. On me, Gylfi, king of Sweden! I fell in love with a woman without knowing that behind her rags was hidden the goddess Gefjon. We had a good time together. Then I naïvely proposed to give her the equivalent of land that four oxen can plow in two days, except, that Gefjon cheated! The four oxen were her sons, animals conceived with a giant. Of course, they plowed much more land than normal oxen. As a result, that traitorous woman cut off an entire region of my kingdom! The gods may have created the universe, but trust me, they are certainly not role models to follow...
• Lance Geiger: I'm Lance Geiger, the History Guy, and you're listening to Echoes of History: Ragnarök, a podcast inspired by the video game Assassin's Creed: Dawn of Ragnarök. How much do you know about Odin, Thor, Loki, and their companions? Do you really know them? Dive into Norse mythology alongside gods, elves, magical creatures, dwarves, and giants, a fantastic universe that guided the destiny of the valiant Vikings as much as it inspired the greatest authors. Episode two, nine vast and rich realms. Well-settled on his throne, Odin can observe his work. He, the creator of the universe. He obviously watches over Asgard, the kingdom of the gods, but he also keeps an eye on Midgard, the realm of man to whom he gave life. But this is only a small part of his task, because in Norse mythology, there is not one but nine realms. All of them are installed between the branches of Yggdrasil, a huge ash tree that took root in Ymir's body at the moment of the creation of the universe by Odin and his brothers.
• Gísli Sigurdson: So Snorri constantly refers to all the things he is telling us about as being in the sky.
• Lance Geiger: Gísli Sigurdson, teacher-researcher at the Árni Magnússon Institute in Reykjavik.
• Gísli Sigurdson: The world tree, described as a white, transparent tree trunk, numerous animals, and the halls and places of the gods. And the halls, we're told, belong to the sun and the places belong to the stars, since the beginning of time. He is pointing our attention to the sky, where we have the Milky Way holding up the dome as the white transparent tree. And the sun-owned halls of the gods, in the Norse mythology, they can be located of course in the sky, and they are probably the Old Norse traditional terminology for the signs of the zodiac.
• Lance Geiger: Before we talk about the realms, let's look at the tree itself, because it turns out that a whole bunch of creatures live on the trunk and branches of this immense tree. A deer, an eagle, a squirrel, a goat that is settled at the top and feeds on its leaves. There's also Níðhǫggr, the dragon who feeds on the corpses of the dead and who constantly gnaws on the roots of the tree. These roots shelter a precious well which is used to water them. It is guarded by the Norns, three sisters who write the destiny of each living being from birth. No one can escape their predictions. According to the legend, the Norns use a loom for this purpose.
• Annelie Ireman: There are spirits or goddesses of some sort who have immense knowledge, and the destiny of men depends on these three Norns, since they're the ones who weave the threat of life of each one.
• Lance Geiger: Annelie Jarl Ireman, lecturer in Norse studies at the University of Caen.
• Annelie Ireman: And when they weave a thread, sometimes there are knots, sometimes are tangles, and that means there were problems in the life of that being. And then, they're the ones who decide the lifespan of each one by cutting the thread when it seems good to them. It's not clear why some lives are long and some short, but it also shows that destiny is omnipresent in Norse mythology for both men and gods. And that's what gave the ancient Scandinavians, the Vikings, uh, their reputation: they're never afraid of death because you can't change anything anyway. The time will come when it is supposed to come and there's no point in trying to avoid it.
• Lance Geiger: The world tree, the supporter of all things, is constantly enduring the shocks of the universe, because Asgard and Midgard are not the only inhabited kingdoms. The Nine Worlds are teeming with life. Eric Lacey, lecturer in Language and Literature at the University of Winchester.
• Eric Lacey: [We] know that they had this idea of the Nine Worlds—that appears in their poetry, it appears in Snorri's Edda—but what we don't ever get is a convenient list of what those Nine Worlds are, probably because it's so obvious to everybody that it didn't need to be stated. So, scholars have taken their best bet—generally following what, um, Snorri says—to say what these Nine Worlds are. And I think it's a pretty good stab at what the the Nine Worlds, uh, entail, but it's not, it's not going to be a hundred per cent sure. There's a little bit of doubt as to what these Nine Worlds entail.
• Lance Geiger: With the exception of the realm of men, which has a somewhat special status, the other eight work in opposition in groups of two. Asgard, the domain of the gods, is opposed to Helheim, the realm of the dead. The fertile plains of Vanaheim mirror the chaotic ruins of Jotunheim. The overwhelming heat of the realm of Muspelheim counterbalances the icy realm of Niflheim, while the darkness of Svartalfheim answers the light of the realm of Alfheim. It is precisely in the darkness of Svartalfaheim, or Nidavellir according to the text, that the dwarves live. They were created by Odin and his two brothers from the larvae that infested Ymir's corpse. Endowed with a human form, great intelligence, and being very skillful with their hands, they set up great forges and became outstanding craftsmen. They are the ones who made the magical objects that became indispensable to the gods. Thanks to them, Odin is the proud owner of Gungnir, a spear that nothing can hold back; and Draupnir, a ring that is an inexhaustible source of wealth. His son Thor, on the other hand, receives the hammer Mjölnir, the flashing lightning which allows him to increase his strength tenfold. Only he can wield it, and he never loses it because wherever he throws it, Mjölnir always returns to his hands. Its association with the Megingjörð strength belt makes the god of thunder practically invincible. The dwarves also make the tie that binds the Fenrir, the terrifying wolf that Odin will have to fight at the time of Ragnarök. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, the ultimate fight is still far away. Let's just remember that the dwarves of Svartalfheim are very good blacksmiths and allies of the gods of Asgard. Odin and the other gods need allies to control the tumult of the Nine Realms. There are enemies everywhere: Asgard is threatened by its mirror world Helheim, the kingdom of the dead over which the terrible Hel reigns. Her appearance is terrifying, the first half of her body is breathtakingly beautiful, while the other half is made of decomposed flesh. She inspires terror and fear. Hel is slowly building an army made up of the souls of all those who did not die in battle, the sick, the infirm. For men, there are thus as many gods to venerate as there are gods to fear, but little is known of their pagan religious practices.
• Gísli Sigurdson: The recent excavation at the farm called Hofstaðir in the north, northeast of Iceland, that has long been associated with the idea of that place having been a temple. The archaeologists and they are presenting the results in such a way that, um, there was clearly some ritualistic behavior going on in and around that building. The animals were not slaughtered in a normal farmer's way, but rather in a very ceremonial manner with a huge and heavy metal weapon, and also the house was decorated on the outside with the skulls from, um, from the animals. This seems to have been a huge building built for ceremonial ritualistic behavior in the culture. How exactly they practiced it, we don't really know.
• Lance Geiger: For Asgard, danger sometimes comes from where Odin least expects it. When the enemies are other gods it's a catastrophe, because at the top of the world tree, two kingdoms of the gods coexist: Asgard, where Æsir live—more so warrior gods including Odin, Thor, Baldr, and others—and Vanaheim, where the Vanir live, associated with the Earth and fertility. All of them could have co-existed peacefully, but a dispute between them will trigger the first war of the universe. It all began the day the Æsir tried to kill Gullveig, a Vanir witch. The gods of Asgard consider her evil and suspect her of leading women astray. They rush her and pierce her with their spears before burning her body. They make three attempts, but it's all in vain. Nothing does it, the witch survives every attempt. From that moment on, in spite of everything, the Æsir have a moral obligation to redeem themselves from the Vanir. It's up to Odin to decide, and this is where his name, which means "fury", takes on its full meaning. Instead of trying to calm everyone down, the father of the gods sends his spear Gungnir towards the Vanir, a solitary initiative that questions his role as the leader of the gods.
• Eric Lacey: He's really unlike the other gods, leader of the gods, in that he doesn't really seem to bear much in terms of leadership. He's very, we might call him Machiavellian: he likes to operate behind the scenes, he likes to manipulate people, but he's not there out-and-out at the front saying, "I am Odin, leader of gods, leader of men, look up to my leadership". He's really operating out of the shadows, and his associations with death, his associations with war, and his associations with poetry are not because he's celebrated for all these, but because all of these arts relate to manipulation as well.
• Lance Geiger: The Vanir didn't need any more incentive to take up arms. After a short conflict that neither side wins, the two parties decide to organize a peace conference. The Æsir and the Vanir spit in the same vat, and their mixed saliva gives birth to Kvasir, the wisest of all creatures. The peace is concluded by the exchange of deities: Njörðr, the Vanir god of wind and sea, moves to Asgard while Hœnir—another name given to Vili, one of Odin's brothers—is sent to Vanaheim. At first, he is revered by the defeated, but he eventually falls into disgrace because of his lack of initiative, which will earn him the nickname Hœnir the Indecisive. In short, from beginning to end, this episode does not show the gods in the best light, and this is a particularity of Norse mythology.
• Eric Lacey: The gods are worshiped because they have these human qualities. They're extraordinarily powerful, but they are people, and I think that for pre-Christian societies, there's something comforting about seeing the same dramas that we see played out in the the social stage being played out across the divine stage. So, the idea that even the powerful gods are unfaithful to their spouses, even the divine gods cheat and lie to each other. And that makes it OK, in some ways, that people do that. Obviously, there is a moral code behind that as well, and there are admonitions to not lie, cheat, or only lie, cheat in certain scenarios. The gods are there in many ways as role models, but as flawed role models. If even a liar, cheater can accomplish these great deeds, then people who aren't as horrible liars and aren't as horrible cheaters, then it's OK for us as well. We've got everything we need to accomplish great deeds, too.
• Lance Geiger: Anyways, Æsir and Vanir are finally reconciled. The gods can now move on to another important subject, the giants who are their common enemy. In particular, the frost giants that populate the world of Jotunheim. It is in this country, covered with forests and gigantic rocks, that the descendants of Ymir settled, well-decided to avenge the death of their ancestor. their leader is Utgard-Loki, a formidable specimen. A master of illusions with exceptional strength, he reigns from his fortress in Utgard, biding his time.
• Gísli Sigurdson: The way they are presented is that these gods, the Æsir, they are always fending off the outer enemies, the evil forces in the world that are constantly just beyond the horizon but creeping up and trying to get at us. So we here down on earth, with the the good gods above us, we are playing together in a team with the giants on the outskirts. So there is this, um, importance of, uh, physical, uh, strength, and, and so on, but also everything that happens within the secured walls. That is more like a domestic life and the peaceful life that we all dream of: be free from violence.
• Lance Geiger: But these frost giants are not the only ones Odin must fear. The powerful Surtr, the master of Muspelheim, the world of fire, commands a whole army of ferocious giants. And if one believes the prophecy of Ragnarök, when the time comes he will brandish his sword of flame on Asgard and reduce the universe to ashes. And that, Odin knows. Fortunately, the father of all things can count on his best warriors to lead his battles.
• Gylfi: How proud they were, High, Just-as-High, and Third, sitting on their thrones telling me how Odin created the universe and all that is in it. I had to convince them to tell me about the war between the Æsir and the Vanir. What a ridiculous feud! Humility is clearly not a quality of the gods of Asgard. In fact, they find any pretext to hit each other. Don't they have anything else to do?
• Lance Geiger: Thank you for listening to Echoes of History: Ragnarök, a Ubisoft podcast brought to you by Paradiso Media.

Cast

(By order of appearance, host indicated with italics)

• James Brack as Gylfi
  • David Sighicelli (French)
  • Mark Bremer (German)
• Lance Geiger as himself
  • Benjamin Brillaud (French)
  • Marios Gavrilis (German)
• Prof. Gísli Sigurdson as himself
• Prof. Eric Lacey as himself
• Prof. Annelie Jarl Ireman as herself

Gallery

• File:ECHOES OF HISTORY - RAGNARÖK EP 2 - Nine vast and rich realms