What is the name of the realm of humans in Norse cosmology?

The realm of humans in Norse cosmology is Midgard, from Old Norse Miðgarðr.

The name means “middle enclosure” or “middle yard,” reflecting the idea of a human world situated within the wider cosmic order. Midgard is commonly described as the inhabited Earth, while Asgard is the stronghold of the gods and Jotunheim is associated with the jötnar. Svartalfheim is linked with dwarfs or dark elves, depending on the source and translation.

In the creation accounts of the Prose Edda, Odin, Vili, and Vé kill the primordial being Ymir and shape the world from his body. They construct a protective boundary around the human settlement using Ymir’s eyebrows or eyelashes, depending on the translation. The first humans, Ask and Embla, are created from wood and become the ancestors of humanity in Midgard.

Midgard is connected with the other worlds through the cosmic structure centered on Yggdrasil. It is also threatened at Ragnarök, when the Midgard Serpent, Jörmungandr, rises from the sea. After the destruction, the world is foretold to emerge renewed and fertile.