Midgard

Midgard was the home of the human race. It was also called Manheim, Mannheim or Manna-heim (the home of mankind).

After the three gods, Odin, Hœnir (Vili) and Lodur (Ve), created Midgard, they started to create the human race from the tree trunks that they came upon at the beach. From these timbers, they made the first man and first woman: Askr and Embla.

Each god gave them a gift: Odin gave them breath; Hœnir gave them understanding and spirit; and Lodur gave them senses and outward appearance.

According to the Rigsthula (the List of Rig), in the Poetic Edda, Heimdall or Rig was the creator of the human society. Heimdall divided mankind into three social classes.

Heimdall enjoyed the hospitality of three old couples in three different houses. Each couple was old and were already great-grandparents. Heimdall secretly slept with the wife of each house. Each wife gave birth to a son.

Rig spent three nights with the first couple. Rig slept with the great grandmother, who had a child who was called Thrall, the labourer, who formed the lowest social class. When Thrall grew into a strong young man, he met and later married a woman named Slavegirl, and they became ancestor of all the thralls or slaves.

The next couple Rig met, he slept with great grandmother, who had bore him another son named Farmer. Farmer also grew into a strong, young man, who would later marry a woman and have many children. Farmer had many descendants who became farmers like him.

The last couple Rig visited, he again slept with this great grandmother who also bore him a son who was named Lord. Lord married Erna, daughter of Chieftain, and they became ancestors of the noble class, the highest of the Norse social classes.