Happy Saturn’s Day

The ‘Middle Garden” or “MIddle World” is the realm of men.  It is the place where men dwell and live. It like Asgard has protections built around it to protect it from the Giants.  It is on the same level as some of the other realms we will talk about like Svartalfheim and Nidavellir.  The land of the dark elves and dwarves respectively.

As the name implies, it is the middle realm of all the realms and thus has a way to access each of the other realms.  It was formed out of the giant Ymir’s body and thus became the middle world connecting all others. At the same the defense keep partially protected the theory being that Midgard, the realm of men, is striving to be more like Asgard with its civilization and culture, while at the same time affected and protect from giants by both the fence created by Ymir’s eyebrows and the wilderness that is as hostile to giants as it is to men.

In Norse culture, building a fence around one’s farm or another property was symbolic of creating order within and protecting that from without by the fence. Midgard in miniature if you will.  The notion of taking from the wilds what is needed and then fashioning it into order and protection is very present here as Midgard strives to me more like the high realm of Asgard.

One important part of Midgard is the notion of the Midgard Serpent Jorganmund (one of Loki’s children) that encircles it threatening to squeeze it into oblivion.  Thor battles the serpent on several occasions to keep this from happening.

Every mythology has a creation story where the realm of men is made.  It is always lower than the realm of the gods in some way but still very important.  In Norse Mythology, it is the realm of men and struggle between the chaos of the cosmic forces of the giants and the order and structure that is found with the gods.

Every story has a place where most of the action of the story takes place.  In the case of Midgard this mostly true as the Mythology takes place a lot in Midgard but also the other realms get their share. Midgard seems however to be the place of travel and struggle.  The place where men take the wild world around them and shape it into something they can use and grow with as a race.

During Ragnarok, it will sink into the sea and be the bones for the new world that hopefully rise from its depths.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!