Main article: Norse cosmology See also: At-a-glance/Greek mythology __TOC__ In the beginning, there were two regions: Muspelheim (heaven) in the south, full of fire, light and heat; and Niflheim (cf. "unfallen" nephilim and unfalling clouds) in the north, full of arctic waters, mists, and cold. Between them stretched the yawning emptiness of Ginnungagap. Rivers of fire, called hellwaves, flowed outward away from the burning hot firmament in Muspelheim and cooled as they got further from their source, eventually solidifying and forming layer after layer of ice in Niflheim. Between these two extremes, in the center of Ginnungagap, the river was mild and hospitable and here life arose. Eventually, there evolved a race of fire giants, called the sons of Muspell (cf. Mazda), that lived in Muspe