Embla- Norse FigureMortal"First Woman"
Titles & Epithets
Symbols
Description
Shaped from a log on the seashore and quickened by three gods who gave her breath, consciousness, and warmth, Embla was the first woman, placed with Ask in Midgard as the ancestor of all humankind.
Mythology & Lore
Creation on the Seashore
The Völuspá tells it plainly. Three gods walking along the seashore found two logs, lifeless and without fate. They were Odin, Hœnir, and Lóðurr. From the logs they shaped the first man and woman, Ask and Embla. Odin gave önd, breath. Hœnir gave óðr, consciousness. Lóðurr gave lá ok lítu góða: blood, warmth, and a living complexion. What had been driftwood stood up and breathed.
Snorri retells the scene in the Gylfaginning with different names for the three creators. In his version, Odin, Vili, and Vé found the logs. Odin gave spirit and life, Vili gave understanding and movement, Vé gave form and speech and sight. Whether Hœnir and Lóðurr are other names for Vili and Vé, or belong to a separate tradition, no surviving source settles.
After their awakening, Ask and Embla were placed in Midgard. No Norse source names their children or traces any lineage from them. They are the first. That is enough.
Relationships
- Family