Bifrost

norse-mythology · magic · bridges

A rainbow bridge. Bifrost was imagined as a burning bridge that stretched between Midgard, which is Earth where humans lived, and Asgard, the home of the Norse gods. It was one of the most important connections between these two worlds.

Ancient Norse stories. We know about Bifrost from two famous Norse texts written in the 13th century: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. These books collected stories and poems that had been passed down for hundreds of years before they were written down.

Also called Asbrú. The Norse people had more than one name for this magical bridge. Asbrú was another name they used, and in the oldest poems it was called Bilrost. All three names refer to the same legendary bridge.

Made of fire. What made Bifrost special was that it was described as burning or flaming. The ancient Norse people imagined this divine bridge as being both beautiful and dangerous, glowing with fire as it lit the path between worlds.