Long before the world took shape, there was nothing but Ginnungagap, the gaping void. On one side lay Niflheim, a realm of eternal ice and cold mist. On the other side burned Muspellheim, a fiery world of heat, guarded by the mighty fire giant Surtr, whose sword hurled sparks into the darkness.
When the glowing fire and cold ice met at Ginnungagap, a miracle occurred: drops of melting ice touched the sparks of Muspellheim and gave life to the first giant, Ymir. With him, the cosmos was born, and so began the great cosmogony of the Nordic world.
But the forces that made creation possible also brought strife. Surtr held his fiery sword at the ready, knowing that the balance of fire and ice would never last forever. Loki, the trickster, played his role as instigator of chaos. A master of transformation, he gave fire a new meaning: not just destruction, but renewal.
In Ragnarök, the end of everything, fire and ice battled again. Surtr raised his sword and let the fire devour the world, while the ice retreated into silence. But a new world rose from the ashes and melting snow. A world where fire and ice were no longer enemies, but dance partners in an eternal cycle of creation and destruction.
Thus the memory of fire and ice remains: a struggle, a meeting, and a rebirth.
My name is Gerry van Roosmalen, photographer and author with a passion for images and stories that touch. After years in the corporate world, I followed my heart and chose photography in 2002. I completed the Fotovakschool in Apeldoorn, specialising in portrait and reportage photography.
Documentary and landscape..
Read more…