In the beginning of all things, Norse mythology tells us, there existed only the vast and formless void known as Ginnungagap. This primordial emptiness lay at the heart of creation, flanked by two opposing realms: to the north was Niflheim, a cold and mist-laden land of ice, and to the south lay Muspelheim, a fiery realm inhabited by blazing fire giants. The dynamic interplay between these two extremes set the stage for the birth of the cosmos.