Not necessarily artificial human, could be an artificial or even fake god /goddess
The alleged closest and most well-known example is Kvasir, whose episode (creation/ killing) is fully narrated by Snorri Sturluson'(1178/9-1241)'s Skáldskaparmál in his Prose Edda:
' Bragi replied: "The origins of it [the poetry/ the art of poetry] was that gods had a dispute with the people called Vanir, and they appointed a peace conference, and made a truce by this procedure, that both sides went up a vat and spat their spittle in it. But when they dispersed, the gods kept this symbol of truce and decided not to let it be wasted, and out of it made a man. His name was Kvasir, he was so wise that no one could ask any questions to which he didn't know the answer. He traveled widely through the world teaching the people knowledge, and when arrived as a guest to some dwarfs, Fialar and Galar, they called him to a private discussion and killed him. They poured his blood into two vats and a pot, and the latter was called Odrerir, but the vats were called Son and Bodn. They mixed honey with blood and it turned into the mead whoever drinks from which becomes a poet or a scholar......" (Faulkes trans. 1987: 61f.).
Problem is we don't know to what extent this 13th century narrative is based on the authentic pre-Christian Old Norse tradition. To give an example, while certainly not accepted by everyone, Franks suggests that the entire episode of 'mead of poetry' (the above cited passage is only ca. one-third of the total) in Snorri's literary miss-interpretation of at least six possible allusions to mythical beings (kennings) from preceding poetry (Frank 1981). In short, Kvasir had perhaps not been found in the 10th century Old Norse mythology at all, at least as who narrated by Snorri.
Neither can I identify any preceding source on the exact creation process of Kvasir in Old Norse, and Snorri certainly knew classic (Greek/ Roman) mythology. Thus, we don't have any decisive evidence to associate Kvasir's creation in an extraordinary way either with Snorri's 'creative license' (Cf. Wanner 2008: 137) or with genuine pre-Christian tradition.
The almost only pre-Christian relevant allusion to Kvasir is found in the late 10th century skaldic poetry (on historical figures, such as the lord the poet dedicated his work), Einarr skálaglamm Helgason's Vellekla, St. 1 (the text as well as rough English translation is taken from the linked entry):
- Hugstóran biðk heyra — heyr, jarl, Kvasis dreyra — foldar vǫrð á fyrða fjarðleggjar brim dreggjar.
- (Eng. trans.) 'I bid {the high-minded guardian of the land} [RULER = Hákon jarl] listen to the surf {of the dregs {of the men {of the fjord-bone}}} [ROCK > DWARFS > POEM]; hear, jarl, {the blood of Kvasir <mythical being>} [POEM]'
Einarr put 'the poem' in another way of words, 'the blood of Kvasir', so in literal interpretation (i.e. accepting Kvasir here as a mythical being), the poet and his lord might know some episodes that associate Kvasir or his death with the knowledge of poetry, but that's all we have in extant evidence prior to Snorri.
Snorri's another mention to Kvasir is also found in Ynglinga saga, Chap. 4, but Kvasir was just a hostage sent from the Vanir there.
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