Life and Rebirth

Despite the ever-present threat of death and destruction in the tales of Norse mythology, one of the underlying themes of this sequence of tales appears to be the tenacity and everlasting nature of the concept of life. Although individuals in Norse mythology—whether they are humans or giants or gods—are always susceptible to the consequences of violence and danger, the myths appear to treat the concept of life in general as something eternal and invincible. For example, even in the wake of Ragnarok, which is supposed to be the ultimate form of destruction, the earth is reborn when the world tree Yggdrasil breathes new life back into the cosmos. In addition, the surviving gods are able to create new humans. These humans are called “Life and Life’s Yearning” (280). These humans and their names represent the eternal strength and importance that Norse mythology...