Ask and Embla, fashioned from driftwood on the seashore, were the first man and woman — placed together in Midgard as the ancestors of all humankind.
In the Völuspá's account, Odin, Hoenir, and Lóðurr found Ask and Embla as lifeless logs on the seashore. Odin gave breath, Hoenir gave understanding, and Lóðurr gave warmth and the bloom of life.
⚠ The Völuspá names the creating trio as Odin, Hoenir, and Lóðurr, while Gylfaginning 9 gives Odin, Vili, and Vé. Whether these are different names for the same gods or distinct figures is debated; Snorri may have rationalized the Völuspá names into his own genealogy.
Odin, Vili, and Vé found two driftwood logs on the seashore and shaped them into the first humans — Ask and Embla — breathing life, wit, and warmth into them before setting them in Midgard.
⚠ The Völuspá names the creating trio as Odin, Hoenir, and Lóðurr, not Odin, Vili, and Vé. Whether Lóðurr is another name for Vé (or Loki) remains debated; Snorri's Gylfaginning may have substituted his own genealogy for the older names.
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