Bifröst

* Loki
* Ratatoskr

Dwarves
Light Elves
Dark Elves

The Bifröst is a series of specialized and ancient wormhole-like branches in space that connects the Nine Realms. It was originally created and comprises the body of Yggdrasill the world tree. It is currently under the control of the Æsir and Vanir with Heimdall as its all seeing watchman.

*The Bifröst is based on the Bifröst from Norse Mythology and the Bifrost Bridge from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Ame-no-ukihashi from Japanese Mythology, and it is also loosely based on the Second Star to the Right from J. M. Barrie's* Peter and Wendy *novel and specifically the Disney film* Peter Pan *and "The Rainbow" mentioned in the 1939 musical film* The Wizard of Oz*.*

## Description

The Bifröst appears in many different ways throughout the Universe. In its most primal state, the Bifröst takes the appearance of various intersecting and multi-colored nebula clouds. The sheer temperature of this raw energy made others associate the Bifröst with burning, gaining the colloquial name of "burning bridge."

Over time, as the magic settled in the Universe, the nebula-like Bifröst paths of Yggdrasill were made smaller and more refined, appearing more like wormholes which connected the Nine Realms together. These wormholes were still burning, however, and only beings not related to the ice or snow element could traverse it.

When the Bifröst was taken under control by the Æsir, and the Himinbjörg and Bifröst Gates were constructed, The Bifröst was hardly ever shown in its entirety. These gates appeared as burning, rainbow-colored portals absorbing and expelling different colored energies. When a gate is being powered, the energy released starts a localized storm above it with rainbow lighting. When the lighting strikes the Gate, it opens and releasing its user.

## History

### Early Days

#### Yggdrasill the World Tree

The Bifröst was created alongside the formation of Yggdrasill soon after the birth of the Universe. It is forged inside of, emanates from, and is birthed from the Rainbow Dimension, known as Heart of Yggdrasill. In the beginning, the Bifröst was wild, chaotic, and nebular, burning and roaring unchallenged across the young, expanding Universe. The rainbow colored Bifröst burned through the darkness of the Ginnungagap, comprising the metaphysical body of Yggdrasill for hundreds of years. Yggdrasill and the Bifröst were quickly linked to the first two of the Nine Realms, the ones of fire, Muspelheim, and the one of ice, Niflheim.

### War of Niflheim

#### Life Giving Energy

The venomous ice of Niflheim combined with the heat of the sister realm Muspelheim and charged by the primordial, cosmic energy of the nearby Bifröst formed and gave life to the the primeval cow, Audumbla, the primeval Asgardian, Buri, and most importantly, the primeval Ice Giant known as Ymir.

#### Manipulated by Yggdrasill

Soon after the birth of the Ymir, Yggdrasill removed access of the Bifröst from Niflheim, trapping him and his many evil offspring in the realm of ice by sensing they were a threat. Eventually the Æsir killed Ymir and won the war. The Bifröst was allowed back in Niflheim, which the Æsir used to escape the vengeful Ice Giants. They traveled up the Bifröst until reaching the presumably uninhabited planet of Iðavöllr where they constructed the city of Asgard.

### Given as a Gift

#### The Goddess of Rainbows

Iris, the primordial goddess and embodiment of the rainbow, enamored by the Rainbow Dimension and the rainbow-colored Bifröst, was gifted dominion over the dimension and of the Bifröst.

### Random Usages

#### Connecting the Nine Realms

As the Universe grew and evolved, and more planets and dimensions came into being, Yggdrasill, and the Bifröst comprising its body spread. Over time, the Bifröst was connected to nine points in space, Nine Realms, and charged them with cosmic energy. One planet, Avalon was considered by Yggdrasill as one of the Nine Realms and it began adhering the Bifröst to the planet's atmosphere. However, Yggdrasill bailed on the planet in favor of another, Alfheim, leaving a piece of the Bifröst behind connecting Avalon to Earth. This connection became known as the Second Star to the Right.

#### Dark Elf Invasions

When the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim ran out of viable food options in their home realm, they traversed into other realms in search of more. They used the Bifröst to travel to each of the other realms, getting killed in most while two resulted in them being horribly mutated. Yggdrasill stepped in again, sensing the Dark Elves as a threat. It manipulated the Bifröst so that it took them to places where they would meet swift deaths or to habitable realms with no way back to their home realm, trapping them there.

#### Freyr and Muspelheim

In the ensuing war between the Æsir and the Vanir, the leader of the Vanir, Freyr used the Bifröst to travel to Muspelheim to meet its leader, Surtur. He asked Surtur to destroy the Æsir but he instead gave the Vanir the power to use magic against them. Freyr promised that the Vanir would win against the Æsir, allowing Surtur to get revenge on the Asgardians for killing his brother Ymir, and used the Bifröst to return to Vanaheim.

#### Dwarven Piece Offerings

After hearing of Surtur's anger towards the Idavolirians, and his vow to destroy the Nine Realms, the Dwarves of Myrkheim use the Bifröst to traverse to Muspelheim. There they offered Surtur his famed Flaming Sword in exchange for Svartalfheim's protection come Ragnarök. After ensuring their protection from the fire king's vengeful wrath, the Dwarves traveled back to home planet Myrkheim using the Bifröst once again.

#### Loki's Magic

Loki, a powerful Fomorian sorcerer, used his incredible magic to briefly command the Bifröst and moved up the World Tree from his home in Jötunheim to Asgard. There he meets the king of the Asgardians, Odin, and uses and tricks him into getting free reign in and around Iðavöllr.

### Asgard and the Himinbjörg

#### Attempted Siege of Asgard

The Ice Giants of Niflheim, still angered at the Æsir for killing their leader and progenitor, Ymir, attempted to invade Asgard to attack them. Using the Bifröst, The Ice Giants attempted to travel up the World Tree. However, the heat of the Burning Bridge began to damage the ice elementals, regressing them into Frost Giants, and forcing them to stop their journey short, and becoming stranded in Gigantia, soon to be renamed Jötunheim.

#### Hrimthur the Builder

Some time after the attempted attack, a Rune Giant named Hrimthur used the Bifröst to travel from Jötunheim to Asgard. There, he offered to build a magical fortification around Asgard but for a heavy price. The Asgardians cheat their way into winning the bet, causing Hrimthur to attack them, only to be killed by Thor.

#### The Himinbjörg

The Asgardians sought to better control the Bifröst to protect their realm and planet from outsiders. The constructed the Himinbjörg, a powerful wormhole generator that channels and controls energy from the Bifröst. The Himinbjörg was watched over and became the home of Vanir god Heimdall, the Gatekeeper of Asgard. Loki later stole a branch of the Yggdrasillian of Asgard in order to continue to traverse the realms as he pleased.

#### Loki's Children

Using the Bifröst, Loki returns to Jötunheim where he produced three children with the Giantess Angrboda. After learning of the Ragnarök prophecy, the Asgardians used the Bifröst to steal away the three young Fomorians to Asgard, in the hopes of raising them to be allies of the Æsir. However, their Giant physiology proved too much for them and they were all banished from Asgard.

### Fall of the Rainbow Dimension

#### Losing the Heart of Yggdrasill

A Dark One empowered Serpopard known as Apophis attacks the Rainbow Dimension. Using the Darkness, the Ogdoad began shredding the realm to pieces, slowly devolving it into the Crystal Dimension. To protect the Nine Realms, the World Tree disconnected itself from the Rainbow Dimension which gave it its life. With the loss of Yggdrasill's Heart, the World Tree and the Bifröst began slowly depleting itself of its energy with no way to renew it.

### Second Star to the Right

#### Kidnapping of Kinder and Piper Pan

> *[To Be Expanded]*
>
>

#### Kidnapping of Ruby Hood

> *[To Be Expanded]*
>
>

## Bifröst Gates

Littered throughout the Nine Realms lies magical stone platforms that are connected to the Bifröst. These Bifröst gates were built and placed by the Dwarves under order of the Asgardians to gain more control of the Bifröst. Several gates are scattered around each of the realms, outside of Helheim, which only has one gate. Within the realms, a single Bifröst gate is often singled out and used most frequently while the others are covered up and forgotten about. because of his, many Bifröst Gates are overgrown and rusted over but tend to work better than the overused ones. The largest and most powerful of the Bifröst Gates is the Himinbjörg located near the edge of Asgard.

When powered, the runes glow in the colors of the rainbow and conjures a localized thunderstorm above it as the walls between the realms are weakened. The platform opens when it is fully powered, revealing a tunnel of rainbow light and clouds. After being used, the platform closes and a beam of rainbow colored light fires up to the sky.

## Trivia

* Despite popular sources of media pronouncing Bifröst how its spelled phonetically, in old Norse, it would actually be pronounced Bĭv⟨r⟩ōst, a short 'I', rolled 'R', and a long 'O'
* Due to the Bifröst's prismatic coloration and the way it was used in the past, dark age Midgardians mistook the bridge for a rainbow and the Asgardians for gods.
* The Bifröst has many different meanings including: Flickering Rainbow, Trembling Rainbow, and Bridge of the Æsir (Ásbrú)
* It was repurposed into the second star to the right due to its prismatic coloration in the 1953 movie and its similar purpose as a magical portal between realms

## External Links

* *See Bifröst on Wikipedia*
* *See Ame-no-ukihashi on Wikipedia*