In the
beginning were only Tepeu and Gucumatz. These two sat together and thought, and
whatever they thought came into being. They thought earth, and there it was.
They thought mountains, and so there were. They thought trees, and sky, and
animals. Each came into being. Because none of these creatures could praise
them, they formed more advanced beings of clay. Because the clay beings fell
apart when wet, they made beings out of wood; however, the wooden beings caused
trouble on the earth. The Gods sent a great flood to wipe out these beings, so
that they could start over. With the help of Mountain Lion, Coyote, Parrot, and
Crow they fashioned four new beings. These four beings performed well and are
the ancestors of the Quichй.
Gisoolg is
the Great Spirit Creator who is the one who made everything. The word Gisoolg in
Mik'Maq means "you have been created." It also means "the one credited for your
existence." The word does not imply gender. Gisoolg is not a He or a She; it is
not important whether the Great Spirit is a He or a She. The Mik'Maq people do
not explain how the Great Spirit came into existence only that Gisoolg is
responsible for everything being where it is today. Gisoolg made everything.
Nisgam is the
sun which travels in a circle and owes its existence to Gisoolg. Nisgam is the
giver of life. It is also a giver of light and heat. The Mik'Maq people believe
that Nisgam is responsible for the creation of the people on earth. The power of
Nisgam is held with much respect among the Mik'Maq and other aboriginal peoples.
Ootsitgamoo
is the earth or area of land upon which the Mik'Maq people walk and share its
abundant resources with the animals and plants. In the Mik'Maq language
Oetsgitpogooin means "the person or individual who stand upon this surface" or
"the one who is given life upon this surface of land." Ootsitgamoo refers to the
Mik'Maq world which encompasses all the area where the Mik'Maq people can travel
or have traveled upon. Ootsitgamoo was created by Gisoolg and was placed in the
center of the circular path of Nisgam, the sun. Nisgam was given the
responsibility of watching over the Mik'Maq world or Ootsitgamoo. Nisgam shines
bright light upon Oositgamoo as it passes around, and this brought the days and
nights.
After the
Mik'Maq world was created and after the animals, birds and plants were placed on
the surface, Gisoolg caused a bolt of lightening to hit the surface of
Ootsitgamoo. This bolt of lightning caused the formation of an image of a human
body shaped out of sand. It was Glooscap who was first shaped out of the basic
element of the Mik'Maq world: sand.
Gisoolg
unleashed another bolt of lightening which gave life to Glooscap but yet he
could not move. He was stuck to the ground only to watch the world go by and
Nisgam travel across the sky everyday. Glooscap watched the animals, the birds
and the plants grow and pass around him. He asked Nisgam to give him freedom to
move about the Mik'Maq world.
After
Glooscap stood up on his feet, he turned around in a full circle seven times. He
then looked toward the sky and gave thanks to Gisoolg for giving him life. He
looked down to the earth or the ground and gave thanks to Ootsigamoo for
offering its sand for Glooscap's creation. He looked within himself and gave
thanks to Nisgam for giving him his soul and spirit.
Glooscap then
gave thanks to the four directions east, north, west and south. In all he gave
his heartfelt thanks to the seven directions. Glooscap then traveled to the
direction of the setting sun until he came to the ocean. He then went south
until the land narrowed and he came to the ocean. He then went south until the
land narrowed and he could see two oceans on either side. He again traveled back
to where he started from and continued towards the north to the land of ice and
snow. Later he came back to the east where he decided to stay. It is where he
came into existence.
Odin is the
All-Father. He is the oldest and most powerful of the Gods. Through the ages he
has ruled all things. He created heaven and earth, and he made man and gave him
a soul. But even the All-Father was not the very first.
In the
beginning, there was no earth, no sea, no sky. Only the emptiness of
Ginnungagap, waiting to be filled. In the south, the fiery realm of Muspell came
into being, and in the north, the icy realm of Niflheim. Fire and ice played
across the emptiness. And in the center of nothingness the air grew mild. Where
the warm air from Muspell met the cold air from Niflheim, the ice began to thaw.
As it dripped, it shaped itself into the form of a sleeping giant. His name was
Ymir, and he was evil.
As Ymir
slept, he began to sweat. There grew beneath his left arm a male and a female,
and from his legs another male was created. These were the first frost giants,
all of whom are descended from Ymir.
Then the
ice-melt formed a cow, named Audhumla. Four rivers of milk flowed from her and
fed Ymir. Audhumla nourished herself by licking the salty blocks of ice all
around. By the end of her first day she had uncovered the hair of a head. By the
end of her second day the whole head was exposed, and by the end of a third day
there was a complete man, His name was Buri, and he was strong and handsome.
Buri had a son named Bor, who married Bestla, the daughter of one of the frost
giants. Bor and Bestla had three sons: Odin, Vili and Ve.
Odin and his
brothers hated the brutal frost giant Ymir, and they slew him. So much blood
flowed from the slaughtered giant that it drowned all the frost giants save
Bergelmir and his wife, who escaped in a boat made from a hollowed tree trunk.
From Ymir's
flesh, Odin and his brothers made the earth, and from his shattered bones and
teeth, they made the rocks and stones. From Ymir's blood, they made the rivers
and lakes, and they circled the earth with an ocean of blood.
Ymir's skull
they made into the sky, secured at four points by four dwarfs named East, West,
North and South. They flung sparks of fire from Muspell high into the sky to
make the sun, the moon, and the stars. From Ymir's brains, they shaped the
clouds.
The earth was
made in the form of a circle and around the edge of it lay the great sea. Odin
and his brothers gave one area, Jotunheim, to the giants. They also established
the kingdom of Midgard, protecting it from the giants with fortifications made
from Ymir's eyebrows.
One day, as
they walked along the shore of the great sea, Odin and his brothers came across
two logs. Odin gave them breath and life; Vili gave them brains and feelings;
and Ve gave them hearing and sight. These were the first man, Ask, and the first
woman, Embla, and Midgard was their home. From them, all the families of mankind
are descended.
Below Midgard
is the icy realm of death, Niflheim. Above it is the realm of the Gods, Asgard,
where Odin sits on his throne and watches over all the worlds. Asgard and
Midgard are linked by a rainbow bridge, Bifrost.
At the center
of all the realms is a great ash tree, Yggdrasil, whose branches shade the
world, and whose roots support it.
of himself,
he created all beings.