Norse Myth Sun and Moon

Every mythology had its own way to explain the creation of things in the cosmos. For example, how the world was created, how humanity was born, and how the world was lit. In this BaviPower blog post, we are to find out what Norse myth had about the Sun and the Moon. 

There were two Norse divinities of the Sun and the Moon in Norse mythology. Their names were Sol and Mani respectively pronounced as "soul" and "mah-nee". They rode their horse-pulled chariots through the sky. The horses that pulled Mani's chariot were unknown while those of Sol were Árvakr and Alsviðr, meaning Early Riser and Very Swift respectively. These horses were supposed to run very swiftly because the chariots of Mani and Sol were always chased by Hati "Hate" and Skoll "Mock", wolves sons of Fenrir. It was not until Ragnarok that Hati and Skoll managed to catch Sol and Mani, sending the whole cosmos into blackness and chaos. 

Hati and Skoll chasing Sol and Mani

There was a figure named Svalinn in the chariot of Sol, holding the shield between the chariot and the earth. Without Svalinn and the shield, the earth and ocean below would be engulfed by the flames of the Sun.  

There were tales about the origin of Sol and Mani. Long long ago, there was a Midgard man whose name was Mundilfari. Hardly did we know anything about this man. However, he was said to be over arrogant about his children who were Sol and Mani. As the gods could not bear this Midgard man, they planned to steal Sol and Mani and put them in the sky to ride the chariots. Accordingly, the Sun and the Moon were created and the world was lit. Besides, there were tales that Sol and Mani existed as soon as the world was created. However, they didn't know what their powers were. And the gods appeared, they created days, nights, years, etc. from which Sol and Mani knew their responsibility in this new world. 

More's the pity, Sol and Mani could not survive Ragnarok. They were caught and swallowed by Wolves of Fenrir, Hati and Skoll. However, the time of darkness finally came to pass thanks to the daughter of Sol the Sun. Sol's daughter was to carry on her mother's responsibility to light up the whole world.