Whether the world was created from the corpse of an ice giant, nothingness, or the songs of a supreme being's thoughts, similarities remain between these seemingly very different myths. This paper will compare and contrast the spontaneous creation of the world from nothingness, Ex Nihilo, from the biblical account, the creation of the world by Iluvatar's Ainur, and the splitting of the corpse of Ymir to form the Earth. Similarities that shall be covered are birth, mother and/or fathers of humanity, and the presence of supreme beings. Differences that will be coveredare, Ex Nihilo or creation from pre-existing life, and jealousy/benevolence of the involved beings. The creation myth I chose from the assigned readings is the Norse creation
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Ymir eventually turned to evil and was bested by the young gods that Bor had fathered. Ymir's blood ran in such volume that it formed the oceans. All of the frost giants drowned aside from one who had constructed an ark. From Ymir's bones the rocks and crags of the earth were made, and from his hair the trees. His skull created the sky and within it sparks and molten slag from Muspell made the stars. Ymir's brains made the clouds. Viewing Earth as a disk, Ymir's eyelashes were set at the edges to keep the giants at the edges. On the shores of the new seas, logs were found by Bor's sons and from there people were made. From the man and woman created from the two logs, all of humanity would be born. The Myths of Ainulindale, the Bible, and Nordic creation share similar elements. An example of these similarities is that, in all of these myths, the world was 'born.' In Ainulindale, the world was created from the songs of the Ainur, the children of Iluvatar's thoughts. Within the Biblical creation, God spontaneously created each individual element of the universe across the span of seven days. The Norse myth covers the birth of the world from the frozen waters of Niflheim running outward into twelve rivers, eventually giving birth to Ymir who would ultimately become the Earth we know …show more content…
The Norse creation myth has always interested me. Though I wish I knew their explanation for the origin of Niflheim, the creation from the corpse of the Ymir, the father of Earth's frost giants, is different from other creation myths we've studied. These differences make it stand out in a positive way, and cause me to wonder if something in the world's culture at the time of their writing caused it to be different or if it was simply circumstance. The Biblical myth is one I can't really remember my initial reaction to. We as citizens of the South have heard this story over and over since we were children. Perhaps if when I was four years old I had a understanding of what a myth represented, I would have a better way of describing my reaction. In one word, my thoughts on the Biblical account are one of suspicion. Though it isn't as far-fetched as a giant ice man being used as a template, the absolute power of the Christian god allowing him to instantaneously create anything he wishes is different from many other myths where humans are made from clay, or in this case, logs. Ainulindale was a representation of Tolkien's brilliance. His ability to write a myth so closely matching those we study from centuries ago, despite the time he lived in, fascinates me and makes me realize just what a genius and a talent he
Ymir eventually turned to evil and was bested by the young gods that Bor had fathered. Ymir's blood ran in such volume that it formed the oceans. All of the frost giants drowned aside from one who had constructed an ark. From Ymir's bones the rocks and crags of the earth were made, and from his hair the trees. His skull created the sky and within it sparks and molten slag from Muspell made the stars. Ymir's brains made the clouds. Viewing Earth as a disk, Ymir's eyelashes were set at the edges to keep the giants at the edges. On the shores of the new seas, logs were found by Bor's sons and from there people were made. From the man and woman created from the two logs, all of humanity would be born. The Myths of Ainulindale, the Bible, and Nordic creation share similar elements. An example of these similarities is that, in all of these myths, the world was 'born.' In Ainulindale, the world was created from the songs of the Ainur, the children of Iluvatar's thoughts. Within the Biblical creation, God spontaneously created each individual element of the universe across the span of seven days. The Norse myth covers the birth of the world from the frozen waters of Niflheim running outward into twelve rivers, eventually giving birth to Ymir who would ultimately become the Earth we know …show more content…
The Norse creation myth has always interested me. Though I wish I knew their explanation for the origin of Niflheim, the creation from the corpse of the Ymir, the father of Earth's frost giants, is different from other creation myths we've studied. These differences make it stand out in a positive way, and cause me to wonder if something in the world's culture at the time of their writing caused it to be different or if it was simply circumstance. The Biblical myth is one I can't really remember my initial reaction to. We as citizens of the South have heard this story over and over since we were children. Perhaps if when I was four years old I had a understanding of what a myth represented, I would have a better way of describing my reaction. In one word, my thoughts on the Biblical account are one of suspicion. Though it isn't as far-fetched as a giant ice man being used as a template, the absolute power of the Christian god allowing him to instantaneously create anything he wishes is different from many other myths where humans are made from clay, or in this case, logs. Ainulindale was a representation of Tolkien's brilliance. His ability to write a myth so closely matching those we study from centuries ago, despite the time he lived in, fascinates me and makes me realize just what a genius and a talent he