Humans Made from Trees

How did trees become human beings?

In “The Seeress’s Prophecy,” 3 mighty, kindly gods arrived. On land they found Ask and Embla, weak and without a destiny. They had no breath or spirit, no bodily warmth or movement, and no healthy color in their faces.

Odin gave them breath, and Hoenir gave them spirit. Lodur gave them bodily warmth and healthy color. In this poem, each god offered a different gift to bring Ask and Embla to life.

In “The Deluding of Gylfi,” the sons of Bor were walking along the shore when they found 2 trees. They picked them up and made human beings from them. The first god gave them breath and life; the next gave them understanding and the power to move.

The last god gave them their features and the powers of speech, hearing, and sight. The gods also gave them clothes. They named the man Ask and the woman Embla. From this pair came the human race.

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