The small child had rolled on her back and pressed her rough paw pads against his nose, a small chuckle escaping the Viking, staying still for her like that for a few minutes before he recoiled, gently, encouraged to begin his story by the small noises she made. He glimpsed a last time at the boys against his side, peered at the den entrance to see if he could catch a glimpse of Thistle before he smiled down at his little Gyda, his own tail making a sweeping arch against the earthen floor of the den as he gathered his thoughts, having decided suddenly, what story he would tell her speaking, “I will tell you the story of creation,” It was the best place to start considering it was the start of everything and even though he knew none of his children could hear it he did not mind telling it, nevertheless.
“Before the soil, grass, or sky there was only the abyss Ginnungagap and it was Ginnungagap that lay between the land of fire, Muspelheim and the land of ice, Niflheim. Each day Muspelheim and Niflheim moved closer and closer until they met in Ginnungagap and the flames of Muspelheim melted some of the ice of Niflheim and from the drops Ymir a God giant was born; and Ymir had a lot of children,” Ragnar let out how precisely Ymir had a lot of children for the Giant had been a hermaphrodite and though he knew his children were still fairly deaf he could not bring himself to tell them the explicit details of it, trying to make it children friendly as he could. “Musphelheim kept melting the ice of Niflheim and this time born a cow named Audhumbla. She fed Ymir from her milk, how your mother feeds you, little one.” Ragnar smiled fondly, “And from the licking the salt in the ice she uncovered Buri and then Buri had a son named Bor who married a giant woman named Bestla and together they had the King of the Gods, Odinn.”
Ragnar took a deep breath, pausing in his story telling to lick Gyda for a few moments, assuming that she had been lulled to sleep already. “Odinn slew Ymir and from Ymir’s body the world was formed, his blood formed the sea, the soil from his skin and muscles, grass, plants and trees from his fur, the clouds from his brain and the sky from his skull.” Ragnar could have continued about the Tree Of Life but he peeked another glance at Gyda waiting for a few moments to see if his story had actually put her to sleep or not.
