Niflheim.
Niflheim, in Norse mythology, the cold, dark, misty world of the dead, ruled by the goddess Hel. In some accounts it was the last of nine worlds, a place into which evil men passed after reaching the region of death (Hel).
Appearance[]
Niflheim was primarily a realm of primordial ice and cold, with the frozen river of Elivágar and the well of Hvergelmir, from which come all the rivers.
Overview[]
Niflheim was one of the two primordial realms, the other one being Muspelheim, the realm of fire. Between these two realms of cold and heat, creation began when its waters mixed with the heat of Muspelheim to form a "creating steam". Gylfi, the king of ancient Scandinavia, learns from Odin (as Jafnhárr) that Niflheimr was the first world to be created after Muspelheim.
Odin (as Þriði) further tells Gylfi that it was when the ice from Niflheimr met the flames from Muspelheim that creation began and Ymir was formed. In relation to the world tree Yggdrasil, Jafnhárr (Odin) tells Gylfi that Jötunheimr is located under the second root, where Ginnungagap (Yawning Void) once was.