In the ancient days of the North, there reigned a king named Gylfi, a man of profound wisdom and curiosity who ruled over the lands now known as Sweden. Gylfi was a magician in his own right, yet he found himself increasingly baffled by the prowess of the newcomers known as the Aesir. These beings, who had migrated from the east, seemed to possess a mastery over nature and fate that surpassed any human understanding. Gylfi’s fascination began when he granted a wandering woman, Gefjun, a portion of land in his kingdom—as much as four oxen could plow in a day and a night. To his astonishment, Gefjun used four massive oxen, who were actually her sons by a giant, to pull so hard that they tore a massive chunk of land from the earth and dragged it into the sea, forming the island of Zealand. Realizing that the Aesir were no ordinary mortals, Gylfi decided to seek them out in their home of Asgard to learn the source of their power.
Fearing that he might be rebuffed if he approached as a king, Gylfi took on the guise of an old traveler and renamed himself Gangleri. He traveled for many weeks toward the stronghold of the gods. However, the Aesir, being gifted with foresight, knew of his coming and prepared a grand deception. When Gylfi arrived at the gates of Asgard, he did not see the true city of the gods, but rather an illusory hall so vast and high that its roof was thatched with golden shields. At the entrance, he encountered a man juggling seven short-swords with such speed that they seemed a blur. This porter asked the stranger his name and his business. Gangleri replied that he was a weary traveler seeking a night's lodging and a few questions for those who dwelt within.
He was led into a magnificent hall where three thrones were set, one above the other. On the lowest sat a figure known as High (Hár); on the middle sat Just-as-High (Jafnhár); and on the highest sat Third (Þriði). These were, in truth, manifestations of Odin himself, though Gylfi did not know this. High challenged Gangleri, stating that he must prove his own wisdom if he wished to leave the hall alive. Thus began the legendary dialogue that forms the core of the Gylfaginning. Gangleri started with the most fundamental of questions: 'Who is the highest and oldest of all gods?' High replied that it was the All-Father, a being who created heaven, earth, and all things within them, and who breathed life into man.
Gangleri then asked about the origins of the world. The three figures told him of a time before the earth was formed, when there was only Ginnungagap, a vast and yawning void. To the north lay Niflheim, a realm of frozen mists and ice, and to the south lay Muspelheim, a realm of raging fire. When the heat of Muspelheim met the frost of Niflheim in the center of the void, the ice began to melt and drip. From these drops, life emerged in the form of Ymir, the first of the frost giants. Alongside Ymir was the cow Audhumla, whose milk fed the giant. As Audhumla licked the salty ice blocks for sustenance, she revealed a man named Buri. Buri had a son named Bor, who married Bestla, the daughter of a giant. Together, they had three sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve. These sons of Bor grew to hate the chaotic nature of the giants and eventually slew Ymir. The blood that gushed from Ymir’s wounds was so vast that it drowned almost all the other frost giants, save for Bergelmir and his wife, who escaped in a hollowed-out tree trunk to continue the giant race.
Odin and his brothers then took Ymir's body to the center of Ginnungagap to fashion the world. They used his flesh to create the earth, his blood to make the seas and lakes, his bones for the mountains, and his teeth for the rocks and stones. His skull was placed over the earth to form the dome of the sky, supported at the four corners by four dwarves: Austri, Vestri, Nordri, and Sudri. Sparks from Muspelheim were cast into the sky to create the stars. Finally, they used Ymir’s brains to create the clouds. As the gods walked along the shore, they found two trees, an ash and an elm, and from them, they fashioned the first humans, Ask and Embla. Odin gave them breath and life, Vili gave them wit and touch, and Ve gave them features and speech. To protect the humans from the giants, the gods built a great wall around a portion of the earth using Ymir's eyebrows, naming this realm Midgard.
Gangleri listened with rapt attention and continued to ask about the celestial bodies. High explained that the sun and moon were the children of a man named Mundilfari, but they were being chased through the sky by two wolves, Skoll and Hati, the offspring of an old giantess. One day, the wolves would catch their prey, leading to darkness. Gangleri also learned of Bifrost, the shimmering rainbow bridge that connects Midgard to Asgard, made with such craft that it burns with fire to keep the frost giants from crossing. He was told of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, whose branches extend over all the nine worlds and whose three roots reach into the wells of the gods, the frost giants, and the mists of Niflheim. At the base of the tree dwell the three Norns—Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld—who weave the fates of all men.