SP 02 Norse Creation (A Story)
                Collected from Stormsong 
                Parallel Myths by JF Bierlein from www.pagangrove.com 

"Long ago there was no heaven above nor an earth beneath, only a vast bottomless deep shrouded in an atmosphere of mist. Somewhere in the middle of the abyss was a fountain from which twelve rivers flowed out like the spokes of a wheel. As the rivers traveled far from their source, they froze.

South of the world of mist, there was a world of light. Once a warm breeze blew out from the south and began to melt the ice. The contact of the warm air and the cold created clouds. These clouds congealed to form the frost giant, Ymir, and his cow, Audhumbla, whose milk nourished the giant. As the ice melted, salt was exposed, which Audhumbla licked. As she licked and licked she exposed a man buried in the ice. On the first day, his hair was exposed; on the second day, one could see his whole
head and shoulders. By the third day, his whole body was free of the ice. This was the first god, the father of Odin, Vili and Ve.

These three gods slew Ymir and his salty blood flowed out to make the seas (you will remember that Ymir had been nourished by the cow, who had licked salt out of the ice). The bones of Ymir formed the mountains and his flesh formed the earth. From his hair sprang up all manner of plants. Among these were Aske, the ash tree, and Embla, the elm. From the ash tree, Odin fashioned a man, and from the elm a woman. From Odin himself, the humans received life and a soul. Vili gave them reason and
motion, while Ve game them speech and motion.

Odin organized the world, separating the darkness from the light,
creating night and day. Odin fashioned Midgard, or Middle Earth, for mankind to dwell in. He also fashioned Asgard, home of the gods. The universe is supported by Yggdrasil, a mighty ash tree. One of her roots touches Asgard, another Midgard, and a third lies underground where the souls of the dead dwell under the eye of Odin's sister, Hel.

Ymir the giant was not completely killed, part of his body is still
alive and sleeps at the foot of Yggdrasil. When his body stirs, the
earth quakes."