Ask and Embla
From Freepedia
Image:Faroe stamp 430 The First Human Beings.jpg In Norse Mythology Ask and Embla were the first two humans created by the gods, analogous with Adam and Eve.
Odin and his brothers, Ve and Vili, created all nine worlds of Norse cosmology. They then found two logs on a beach and gave them a human shape. Odin gave them the breath of life; Vili gave them wit and emotions; Ve gave them senses and speech. These two people, Ask ("ash"), the male, and Embla ("elm"), became the progenitors of humanity; they lived in Midgard.
Symbolism
The idea that the first humans were shaped from tree-trunks is apparently a part of the cyclic notions, where light and darkness relieve each other, separated by the semidarkness of the dawn and dusk.
We all know the optical illusions of the twilight, where the outline of an object looks like a human being, an animal or some kind of living creature. But when we take a closer look we become aware that the object is a tree-trunk, a tuft or a boulder.
The function of the gods as creators of the visible World is their capacity as the bringers of light and darkness. If you can imagine that a living creature can turn into a rock or a tree-trunk when the light arrives, then why not go the other way around and claim that the first humans originally were washed up driftwood?
Micro cosmos
Another, just as legitimate explanation, could be conceptions concerning the Micro cosmos. According to this kind of notion, the Cosmos repeats itself in all things, great and small.
Our ancestors knew of course, that the skeleton was the basic structure of the human body. The ribs of the chest, the arms and the fingers can associate to the branches of the treetop, while the feet and toes could pass for the roots of the tree.
There are by the way, vague reminiscences of an ancient tree-cult in the Völuspá. The poem often touches on mythical notions regarding trees and woods.
The ash and the elm-tree have always been regarded as suitable timber for everyday use. The wood was especially used as shafts on tools, bows, spears and arrows.
External links
- Tjatsi.fo - Retelling and Interpretation of Völuspá (Public Domain, by Anker Eli Petersen)
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