The Voluspa Part 1 - Stanzas 1-26 - The Creation of the World from the Poetic Edda of Norse Mythology

Northern Myths Podcast

In our first episode, we are starting our exploration of the Poetic Edda beginning with the first poem, the Voluspa. In this episode we will cover the creation of the world, the advent of culture, the descent into history, the creation of humans, and the first battle in the world.

This is the Northern Myths Podcast, an archetypal exploration of the myths and legends of Northern Europe, including Norse mythology, the Finnish Kalevala, and more. If you'd like to support the show you can support us on Patreon here: Northern Myths Podcast Patreon

The Poetic Edda is the primary original source for the myths and legends of Norse Mythology. The Poetic Edda includes everything from the creation of the world to its destruction in Ragnarok, from the adventures of Thor to the wisdom of Odin. We are exploring these timeless stories to learn how the Norse people understood the world, and how we can apply their worldview to life today.

Check out our YouTube channel for videos of all episodes and interesting clips of the show: Northern Myths Podcast YouTube Channel

If you'd like to follow along with our reading of the Poetic Edda you can pick up the great translation of the Poetic Edda we're reading by Jackson Crawford, you can purchase it here: The Poetic Edda by Jackson Crawford

It is also available as an audiobook which we highly recommend. Dr. Crawford has a great voice for it, and actually pronounces everything properly. It's a must have if you like our show! Available here: The Poetic Edda Audiobook

Show Outline:

0:00:00 - Introduction to the Northern Myths Podcast, the Poetic Edda, and the Voluspa0:05:05 - Stanza 1: Start of the Voluspa, intro to the seeress and Odin0:07:50 - Stanza 2: The oldest information in the world. Giants as a symbol of the unknown and chaos0:11:25 - Stanza 3: Ymir the first being and Ginnungagap the yawning void, the precosmogonic chaos0:17:41 - Stanza 4: Creation of the world by Odin and his brothers0:20:53 - Stanza 5-6: The sun and the moon, the discovery of time, and cyclical time and its importance0:28:33 - Stanza 7: Building of temples and shrines, workshops and tools0:31:47 - Stanza 8: The mythical golden age and descent into history0:36:29 - Stanza 9: The creation of the lord of the dwarves0:38:06 - Stanza 10-16: The genealogy of dwarves0:45:45 - Stanza 17-18: Ask and Embla, the first humans. The origin of consciousness0:54:51 - Stanza 19: Yggdrasil, the world tree. The water cycle as an analogy for fate1:07:32 - Stanza 20: The norns, Urth, Verdandi, Skuld, personifications of fate1:19:50 - Stanza 21-22: Gullveig, the first murder, rites of shamanic initiation1:37:41 - Stanza 23: More about Gullveig, sacrifice to the Aesir and the Vanir1:43:51 - Stanza 24-26: The first war in the world between the Aesir and Vanir2:01:27 - Conclusion, acknowledgements

If you'd like to follow along with us or learn more about the ideas we talk about on the show, we have a list of recommended books on our website. Included are our recommended copies of the Poetic Edda and the Kalevala, as well as books about archetypal narrative, comparative religion, and more: Recommended Books

We also have Northern Myths Podcast merchandise available at our official shop.

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