The beginning
In the beginning there was the abyss (Ginnungagapet), North of this there was Nifelheim, the world of cold where Cold and Darkness ruled. Frosty mists rose from the cold well of Hvergelmer. In the south there was the hot Muspelheim (the House of the Destroyers of Worlds), a place where the being Surte ruled with a flaming sword. The mists from Hvergelmer formed the frozen stream of Elivagor which flowed in to the Ginnungagap and filled it with ice. But at the same time flares from Muspelheim fell into the abyss and the falling drops which became the result of the mix of flares and ice formed two giant beings: A cow with the name 'Audhulma' (the Old Cow) and a giant named 'Ymer'. Ymer got his food from the cow by means of four mouths which he used to milk the cows four nipples. Audhulma in turn fed herself with the glaciars of Nifelheim.
One day, while Audhulma was a licking one of these glaciars she uncovered the god Bur from under the snow and also the goddess Bestla who became Bur's wife and who gave birth to his three sons: Oden, Vile and Ve. They were the first and the greatest of the Asa dynasty.
Ymer on his side created several different creatures. From his left arm a lovely couple sprung, from which the three fates Urd, Verdandi, Skuld (Guilt) and the wise Mimer came. His feet on the other hand created a three headed monster which became the ancestor of the evil monsters named Rimtusarnas.
Oden, wich destiny had choosen to become the one who would fullfill the creation, killed the giant Ymer (with help from his two brothers) and used his body as a ground for the new world. His blood became the sea (Where all the Rimtusarnas but one drowned). His skull became the sky which was supported by the four dwarfs North, South, West and East. The bones in his skeleton became mountains, his brain the clouds and his tissues was grinded in the great mill 'Grottekvarnen', around whose main axis the universe turned, to become the dirt. The mill was driven by the giantesses Fenja and Menja (to be read Fenya and Menya). Ymers eyebrows became a wall against the inhabitable surroundings. This new world was called Midgard.
The Tree of Life
The world down under was divided into three kingdoms (Asgard - the world of the gods, Jotunheim - the world of the giants, Nifelheim - the world of the humans) each one with its own well. Hvergelmer, Mimers well and Urda well. From the Ginnungagap a large ash tree with the name 'Yggdrasil' grew. The branches of Yggdrasil covered all the then known world. In Hvergelmer the dragon Nidhhog lies and gnaws on the rots of the tree. Mimers well on the other hand is the well of wisedom, guarded by Mimer's head. Oden once gave his right eye for a drink of the water in this well.
---- please forgive any typoes and/or if names are different in other articles you have read. You might find the same stories written differently. They ussually vary because the Norse mythology is very old and written facts about it are hard to find unlike Roman mythology. Part 2 of the article will appear soon. It will include the description of several important gods and goddesses and the stoy of the Norse Apocalypse (Ragnarok). 
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