How to Use This Timeline
Norse myths do not behave like a modern history book. Different poems and sagas sometimes describe the same event in different ways. This timeline is a clear learning path through the big moments most readers meet first.
If you want to explore as you read, use the links inside each section to jump to gods, worlds, and stories.
The Timeline
Before the Worlds
In the earliest stories, there is no familiar world yet. There is cold and mist in Niflheim, heat and fire in Muspelheim, and the wide emptiness of Ginnungagap between them. When cold and heat meet, the first life begins.
The First Beings and the Shaping of the Cosmos
From the forces of heat and frost come the earliest beings. The myths describe a violent, complicated beginning where the universe is shaped through conflict, change, and craft. This is where the foundations of the Nine Realms take form.
The Death of Baldur
The death of Baldur is one of the most important turning points. It shows that even the gods cannot fully control fate. The aftermath increases fear and tension, and it helps push the myths toward their final disaster.
The Road to Ragnarok
Signs and warnings build. Bonds weaken, enemies gather strength, and the world moves toward a final confrontation. Ragnarok is not just a battle. It is an ending, and in many versions it is also the beginning of something new.
Quick Notes
Order: This follows a common teaching order, not a single official canon.
Sources: Poems and sagas can disagree, especially on names and locations.
Best next step: Read a story page, then return here to place it in context.