Mythsaying Of Vala

Myths provide people with explanations for things previously unknown. Myths can be ambiguous and can be interpreted differently depending on the person listening. Since they’re passed on from generation to generation many myths are altered slightly, or expanded on in the form of narrative fiction for the entertainment of an audience. ‘The Soothsaying of the Vala’ is a very important myth that was used to describe how the world came to be to the knowledge of the Norsemen. This particular myth is written in stanzas mainly consisting of four lines but adding a fifth every so often. It is clearly broken up into different sections based on content and context but this wouldn’t be clear by just looking at the pages. Some aspects of this myth have
Thou too, Odin, who bidst me utter the oldest tidings of men that I mind!” This first line reveals a lot in just a few words. It shows that since men are sons of Heimdal, the watchmen of the gods and guardian of the Bifrost, they automatically are considered holy. This is interesting because in some cultural myths, like the Indian myths, only the highest of societies ranks were considered holy. Not only did the priestess refer to all beings as holy, but they also stated that Odin, the All-Father of all the Nordic gods, asked them to make this speech, to basically educate people about their ancestral past and how things came to be the way they are. This stanza is a little different from the ones that follow it because of this introductory statement. The speaker addresses the audience here and shows off the importance of the speech to come because they even ask Odin to listen. It effectively sets the tone for a very important message to follow, which seems to be the creation of the
The speaker begins by essentially thinking back as far as their memory will allow in order to give the history of the creation of the world as they know it. They begin by saying,“I remember of yore were born the Jotuns, they who aforetime fostered me,” this is especially significant because the Jotuns were giants and weren’t friendly with the gods. The speaker was raised by giants which makes it interesting that they live among gods at this time. They continue by saying, “nine worlds I remember, nine in the Tree, the glorious Fate Tree that springs ‘neath the Earth.” This is the first description we get of the “Fate Tree”, which presumably, is Yggdrasil, which is the connecting body between these nine worlds that were spoken of. According to Martin Hojbjerg, the tree is considered the “tree of life” and is located in Asgard. The tree connected these nine worlds by way of its long-reaching branches which even connects it to heaven. It has roots as well, three of them. “The first root from Yggdrasil is in Asgard, the home of the gods. By this root is a well named Urd’s well. This is where the gods held daily meetings. The second root from Yggdrasil goes down to Jotunheim, the land of the giants, by this root is Mimir's well. The third root from Yggdrasil goes down to Niflheim,” or the underworld (http://www.viking-mythology.com/yggdrasil.php). This tree has immense importance in Norse