Almost every river cruise ship in Viking’s enormous fleet takes its name from Norse mythology, from Aegir right through to Var. This time we’re finding out more about Embla, the first woman in the world according to Viking myth…
Who was Embla?
Embla and Askr were the first humans in Norse mythology. They were thought to have been created from trees growing on a seashore, carved from the timber by three gods. Odin gave them souls; Hoenir gave them sense and Lodur gave them warmth, blood and “good colour”.
More about Embla
According to the Norse creation myth, the three gods gave Embla and Askr the world of Midgard (our human realm) for their home to begin the human race. There’s no snake around in the tale to tempt this Nordic Adam and Eve… but instead the vast serpent Jormungandr was thought to be the one to end all human life on Earth – meaning all of Askr and Emblas’ descendants.
There’s more to the tale than this though. Askr is known to mean ash tree, and it’s thought that Embla meant vessel. Their unity is a metaphor for the wider Norse view of existence – the tree of life, Yggdrasil, and the Well of Urd, a vast expanse of water from which it grows and drips down water to replenish. The masculine tree cannot live without the feminine pool, and the feminine pool cannot renew itself without the droplets that fall from the masculine tree. This mythical understanding of gender and the life cycle is shared all over the world – just one interpretation of the “sky god, earth goddess” balance that crops up in numerous creation myths in vastly different nations.
Interesting facts
The figures of Askr and Embla aren’t just a long-lost myth, but still a popular part of Scandinavian folklore. In 2003 they were included in a special series of postage stamps on the Faroe Islands, by the artist Anker Eli. You’ll also find them shown in wooden panels in Oslo City Hall in Norway, and standing watch over the Swedish city of Sölvesborg in the form of a statue by Stig Blomberg.
So it began with Askr and Embla, but how does it end? Supposedly, once the flames of Ragnarok (the apocalypse) have scorched the world and subsided, two humans will have survived the deathly winter in a great wood. Lif and Lifthrasir will be the ones to begin humanity again – literally Life and lust for Life; the woman and the man.
RiverVoyages.com has a huge choice of Viking river cruises available, and voyages aboard the Viking Longship Embla can take you to some of the most beautiful cities in Eastern Europe.
To find out more about our range of Viking river cruises, or to make a booking, call us on 0800 197 0854 and speak to one of our dedicated Cruise Concierge team today.
Images courtesy of Lorenz Frolich and Anker Eli / Wikipedia.
