Shape of the Earth

You can ask ChatGPT about what shape the ancients thought the Earth was and it will tell you the ancient thought the world was flat, but here's the thing, nowhere in any of their writings do they actually say they believe the Earth was flat. Every ancient civilization believed in a geocentric world (with spherical heaven and earth) but the part about it being flat, they made that up to dissuade you from contemplating what earth actually is.

There never was a flat earth belief among the ancients.

https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_memoirs-of-monmouth-shir_rogers-nathan_1708

https://www-rolf--keppler-de.translate.goog/3frame.htm?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&fbclid=IwY2xjawElm7NleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSmsFonHHp9NBgM4mcCNT_5FleqEll5PyaISWSo5f31IXrzeWoZdesQ-IQ_aem_fpNmXR8sdYLstIP6vgEdNA

The Icelandic Eddas, particularly the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, do not explicitly describe the Earth as flat in the same way that we might expect a direct statement like "the Earth is flat" in modern language. However, the descriptions of the world and the cosmology presented in these texts imply a view of the Earth that is consistent with a flat, disk-shaped landmass surrounded by a vast ocean. Here are some relevant passages:

### Prose Edda - Gylfaginning

In the Prose Edda (specifically in Gylfaginning), the Earth is described as being formed from the body of the giant Ymir:

> "From Ymir’s flesh the earth was created, and from his blood, the sea, from his bones, the hills, and from his hair, the trees, and from his skull, the heaven; and from his eyelashes the gentle Æsir created Midgard for the sons of men; but from his brain were created all dark clouds..

This passage suggests a world where the Earth (Midgard) is formed from the flesh of Ymir, and the sky is made from his skull, with the four dwarfs holding it up. This kind of creation myth aligns more with a conception of the Earth as a flat surface or disk rather than a sphere.

### Poetic Edda - Völuspá

In the Völuspá, a poem from the Poetic Edda, there are references to the Earth and the heavens that align with a flat Earth conception. The heavens (the sky) are described as being held up by four dwarfs, suggesting that the sky is something that rests above a flat plane:

> "East of the hall, a house stands. That house is on Nida Fells. Within it will Sindri's sons sweat over a smoldering forge. A golden roof rises above it. The earth sinks into the sea."

In this passage, the Earth is described as sinking into the sea, which suggests that the Earth has edges or boundaries—a concept consistent with a flat Earth.

### Prose Edda - Gylfaginning (Further Description)

Later in the Gylfaginning, the surrounding sea and the existence of Midgard as a central landmass are described:

> "The earth is round, and without it lies the deep sea. On the shore of that sea, the gods gave lands to the tribes of giants to dwell in; but on the earth itself, they made a fortified enclosure round the world against the hostility of the giants. This stronghold they called Midgard."

Here, the description of the Earth as "round" can be misleading if interpreted with a modern perspective. In the context of the Norse cosmology, "round" often means circular, like a disk, rather than a sphere. The Earth is surrounded by the sea, and Midgard is enclosed in a fortress-like boundary, again suggesting a flat, circular concept of the Earth.

### Prose Edda - Gylfaginning (Sky and the Four Dwarfs)

Another section of the Gylfaginning explains how the sky is held up by four dwarfs:

> "They took Ymir’s skull and made from it the sky, and set it up over the earth with four corners, and under each corner they set a dwarf. The names of these dwarfs are Austri, Vestri, Nordri, and Sudri."

This description of the sky as having "four corners" with dwarfs supporting it reinforces the notion of a flat Earth with a firmament overhead, rather than a spherical Earth.

### Conclusion

While these texts do not explicitly state "the Earth is flat," the cosmology they describe strongly suggests a flat, disk-like Earth with a surrounding ocean and a sky that is held up above it. The references to the Earth sinking into the sea, the four corners of the sky, and the creation of Midgard as a central, enclosed landmass are all consistent with a flat Earth conception common in many ancient cultures.