Ymir

Ymir

In Norse mythology, Ymir (/ˈiːmɪər/, Old Norse: [ˈymez̠]), also known as Aurgelmir, Brimir, or Bláinn, is the progenitor of all jötnar (giants). Ymir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditions, the Prose Edda written by Snorri Sturluson in the same period, and in skaldic poetry. Across several stanzas from four Poetic Edda poems, Ymir is described as a primordial being born from the venom of the icy rivers of Élivágar, living in the barren void of Ginnungagap. Ymir was both male and female, giving birth to a male and a female being from their armpits, while their legs produced a six-headed creature.

The gods Odin, Vili, and Vé, the grandchildren of Búri, used Ymir’s body to shape the world: the earth (personified elsewhere as the goddess Jörð) from Ymir’s flesh, the ocean from their blood, the mountains from their bones, the trees from their hair, the clouds from their brain, the sky from their skull, and Midgard—the realm where humans dwell—from their eyebrows. A stanza also claims that the gods created dwarves from Ymir’s flesh and blood (or earth and sea).

The Prose Edda recounts a narrative derived from and expanding upon the Poetic Edda. According to the Prose Edda, Ymir was formed from elemental drops, as was Auðumbla, a primordial cow whose milk nourished Ymir. It also describes how three gods—Odin, Vili, and Vé—killed Ymir, and Ymir's blood caused a massive flood. Scholars have debated whether Snorri’s account synthesises disparate traditions into a coherent narrative for the Prose Edda or draws upon traditional material beyond the sources he cites. Through historical linguistics and comparative mythology, researchers have linked Ymir to Tuisto, a proto-Germanic being attested by Tacitus in his 1st-century Germania, and identified Ymir as an echo of a primordial being reconstructed in Proto-Indo-European mythology.

Attestations

Poetic Edda

Ymir is mentioned in four Poetic Edda poems: Völuspá, Vafþrúðnismál, Grímnismál, and Hyndluljóð.

In Völuspá, a resurrected völva imparts knowledge to Odin and refers to Ymir twice. The third stanza mentions Ymir by name:

Thorpe's Translation: It was in ancient times when Ymir dwelt,
No sand, no sea, no cooling wave;
Earth there was none, nor heaven above,
A yawning gap, but grass nowhere.

Bellows' Translation: Old was the age when Ymir lived;
Sea nor cool waves nor sand there were;
Earth had not been, nor heaven above,
But a yawning gap, and grass nowhere.

Later in the poem, Ymir is referred to as Brimir and Bláinn (here anglicised as Blain):

Thorpe's Translation: Then sought the gods their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, and council held,
To find who should raise the race of dwarfs
Out of Brimir's blood and the legs of Blain.

Bellows' Translation: Then sought the gods their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, and council held,
To find who should awaken the dwarfs
Out of Brimir’s blood and the bones of Blain.

In Vafþrúðnismál, Odin (disguised) challenges the wise jötunn Vafþrúðnir to a contest of knowledge. Odin asks about the origin of earth and heaven, and the jötunn replies:

Thorpe's Translation: Out of Ymir’s flesh was fashioned the earth,
And out of his bones the hills;
The heaven from the skull of the frost-cold giant,
And the ocean out of his blood.

Bellows' Translation: From Ymir’s flesh the earth was made,
And from his bones the hills;
The sky from the skull of the ice-cold giant,
And the sea from his blood.

The poem also recounts the lineage of jötnar: Odin learns that Bergelmir, Þrúðgelmir's son and Aurgelmir’s grandson, survived a great flood caused by Ymir’s blood. Aurgelmir, another name for Ymir, was born from venomous drips from Élivágar.

In Grímnismál, Odin (disguised as "Grímnir") recounts to Agnarr the creation of the world from Ymir’s body:

Thorpe's Translation: Out of Ymir’s flesh was fashioned the earth,
And out of his blood the sea;
The hills from his bones, the trees from his hair,
And the sky from his skull.

Bellows' Translation: From Ymir’s flesh the earth was formed,
And the ocean from his blood;
The hills from his bones, the trees from his hair,
And the sky from his skull.

In Hyndluljóð, a stanza claims that all jötnar descend from Ymir:

From Viðólfr come the völvas,
From Vilmeiðr the seers,
From Svarthöfði the wizards,
And from Ymir the jötnar.

 

Prose Edda

Ymir is mentioned in two books: Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál.

Gylfaginning

In Gylfaginning, Ymir’s story begins in Chapter 5, where High, Just-As-High, and Third recount the origins of all things to Gangleri (a disguised version of the mythical King Gylfi). The three describe Muspell as the first world, a fiery, inhospitable southern realm composed of flames. After many ages, another world, Niflheim, was created, with the spring Hvergelmir at its centre, from which eleven rivers flow.

Gangleri asks about the world before humans existed. High explains that the icy rivers of Élivágar flowed so far from their source that their poisonous matter solidified into ice, "like clinker from a furnace." This ice accumulated and froze into layers, extending into Ginnungagap.

Just-As-High adds that the northern part of Ginnungagap was heavy with ice and rime, while the southern part was warmed by sparks and molten drops from Muspell. Third describes Ginnungagap as mild and calm in the centre, where the heat and cold met. The rime melted, and the resulting liquid formed a being: Ymir, known to the jötnar as Aurgelmir, from whom all jötnar descend. Third supports these two names with quotes from Völuspá hin skamma and Vafþrúðnismál.

The Birth of Ymir and Other Beings

Gangleri asks how Ymir's descendants came to be and whether Ymir was considered a god. High denies this, stating, "Ymir and all his descendants were evil." Ymir is described as the progenitor of the jötnar (specifically the hrímþursar). When Ymir slept, a male and a female emerged from his armpits, and his legs produced a six-headed son, giving rise to future generations.

Gangleri then inquires about Ymir’s sustenance. High explains that another being, a cow named Auðumbla, was formed from the same rime. Auðumbla provided milk, which nourished Ymir. Gangleri asks what sustained the cow, and High replies that she licked salty stones. Over three days, she uncovered a man named Búri from the ice: first his hair, then his head, and finally his full body. Búri was beautiful, strong, and tall. He fathered a son, Borr, who married a jötunn named Bestla, daughter of Bölþorn. They had three sons: Odin, Vili, and Vé.

The Death of Ymir and Creation of the World

High recounts that Odin, Vili, and Vé killed Ymir. So much blood flowed from Ymir's wounds that it caused a great flood, drowning all the jötnar except Bergelmir and his unnamed wife, who survived by escaping on a lúðr (a type of wooden object or box). These two repopulated the jötnar.

Gangleri asks what the gods did after killing Ymir. High explains that they brought Ymir's body to the centre of Ginnungagap and used it to create the world:

  • His flesh became the earth.
  • His blood formed the sea and lakes.
  • His bones became rocks and mountains.
  • His teeth and shattered bones became pebbles.
  • His skull became the sky, held up by four dwarves—Norðri, Suðri, Austri, and Vestri—positioned at its corners.

Just-As-High adds that the gods used the sparks and molten particles from Muspell to create the stars and heavenly bodies, fixing them in place and determining their courses. Third quotes a stanza from Völuspá, explaining that these lights established the reckoning of days and years.

Gangleri remarks on the artistry of this creation and asks how the earth is structured. High describes the world as circular, surrounded by the depths of the sea. The gods gave land near the sea to the jötnar, while they built Midgard, a fortified realm made from Ymir’s eyebrows, as a defence against the jötnar. Ymir's brain was thrown into the sky to form clouds.

Later in Gylfaginning, High explains the origins of dwarves. Initially, dwarves arose as maggot-like creatures within Ymir’s flesh. The gods gave them intelligence and human form, though they continued to live underground or in rocks.

Skáldskaparmál

In Skáldskaparmál, Ymir is referenced in poetic terms for the sky, earth, and sea, all drawn from his body:

  • The sky is called "Ymir’s skull" or "Jötunn’s skull."
  • The earth is referred to as "Ymir’s flesh."
  • The sea is described as "Ymir’s blood."

A fragment from a skaldic poem by Arnórr jarlaskáld (11th century) describes the sky as "Ymir’s old skull," while a poem by Ormr Barreyjarskáld refers to the sea as "Ymir’s blood." Both Aurgelmir and Ymir appear in a list of jötnar in the Nafnaþulur section of Skáldskaparmál.



Theories and Interpretations

Lost Sources

The Prose Edda's Gylfaginning presents a cohesive narrative that incorporates verses from various Poetic Edda poems while also introducing unique elements, such as Auðumbla, without cited sources. Scholars have debated whether Snorri Sturluson had access to now-lost sources or whether he crafted a narrative from the materials available to him.

Gabriel Turville-Petre (1964) notes:

"At the beginning, according to Snorri's version of the poem, there was nothing but a void, though in other texts the giant Ymir already existed. Considering how Ymir (Aurgelmir) came into being according to both Snorri and Vafþrúðnismál, it may be assumed that Snorri followed the better version of Vǫluspá. Regarding Snorri's depiction of cosmogenesis in general, it is clear from these sketches of the poetic sources he primarily drew upon that Snorri described several events not attributable to them, at least in their surviving forms."

Turville-Petre highlights Snorri's account of Auðumbla as a prime example, pointing to parallels in Indo-European mythologies (Persian and Vedic) and even Semitic traditions, such as the Egyptian goddess Hathor.

Similarly, H.R.E. Davidson (1964) remarks:

"The original form of the creation myth in the North is not easy to determine. Snorri had access to at least three different accounts."

Tuisto, Parallels, and Proto-Indo-European Religion

In the 1st century CE, the Roman historian Tacitus, in his ethnographic work Germania, writes that Germanic peoples sang songs about a primordial god named Tuisto, born from the earth and considered the progenitor of the Germanic tribes. The name Tuisto has been interpreted in various ways. Some scholars connect it linguistically to the proto-Germanic Tiwaz, while others argue that it refers to a hermaphroditic or dual-gendered being, drawing parallels to the Old Swedish tvistra ("to divide"). This dual-gendered interpretation has led to comparisons with Ymir in Norse mythology.

Using historical linguistics and comparative mythology, scholars have linked Ymir to other primordial beings in Indo-European traditions, often described as androgynous or twin-entities. Reconstructing a proto-Indo-European cosmological framework, scholars D.Q. Adams and J.P. Mallory cite Ymir as an exemplary figure. They note:

"The [proto-Indo-European] cosmogonic myth centres on the dismemberment of a divine being—either anthropomorphic or bovine—and the creation of the universe from its various elements."

Examples from Indo-European mythology include:

  • The climax of the Old Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge, where a bull is dismembered to form Irish geography.
  • Christianised versions in the Old Russian Tale of the Dove Book (Golubinaya Kniga), the Frisian Frisian Codex of Emsig, and the Irish manuscript BM MS 4783.
  • Ovid's Metamorphoses (1st century BCE–1st century CE), where Atlas's body transforms into geographic features: his beard and hair into forests, bones into stone, and hands into mountains.
  • The Middle Persian Škend Gumānīg Wizār (9th century CE), where Kūnī's body is dismembered: his skin becomes the sky, flesh the earth, bones the mountains, and hair the plants.
  • The Vedic Purusha Sukta (10th century BCE) from the Rig Veda, where the primordial man Purusha's body is dismembered: his eyes become the sun, his mouth the fire, his breath the wind, his feet the earth, and so on.

Adams and Mallory summarise:

"The most common correlations—or derivations—are: flesh = earth, bones = stone, blood = water (the sea, etc.), eyes = sun, spirit = moon, brain = clouds, head = sky, breath = wind."

Sacrifice and Cosmogony

Adams and Mallory highlight that the dismemberment of Ymir and similar figures reflects a central theme in proto-Indo-European cosmology: sacrifice. They write:

"Both in the cosmogonic myth and its foundational element, one of the central aspects is the idea of sacrifice (of a brother, a giant, a bovine, etc.). The relationship between sacrifice and cosmogenesis was not merely one of an original event; the entire act of sacrifice among the Indo-Europeans could be seen as a recreation of the universe, where elements were continuously recycled."

They conclude:

"Sacrifice thus represents a creative reenactment of the original cosmic dismemberment, contributing to the return of material things to the world."

This cycle of destruction and renewal is mirrored in Ymir’s story, where his body becomes the foundation of the universe, symbolising the interconnectedness of all creation and the inevitability of transformation.

 

Other Connections

H.R.E. Davidson identifies a link between myths involving the eyes of the jötunn Þjazi and the frozen toe of Aurvandil. In these myths, Þjazi’s eyes are thrown into the sky by Odin, becoming stars, while Thor casts Aurvandil’s frozen toe into the heavens, creating the star known as "Aurvandil’s Toe." Davidson notes:

"These myths are clearly associated with the naming of constellations, but the curious reference to a frozen toe suggests a connection with the creation legend of the giant emerging from the ice."

In Popular Culture

Ymir, like many other aspects of Norse mythology, appears in numerous works of popular culture:

  • Marvel Comics: Ymir, the Frost Giant, frequently appears as an antagonist in the Thor comics.
  • Attack on Titan: The manga and anime series features two characters named Ymir. One controls the Jaw Titan, while another, also named Ymir, is the first Titan, having gained her powers from a mysterious, Hallucigenia-like creature.
  • Conan Exiles: In this video game, Ymir is the god of war and storms. His avatar is a massive Frost Giant wielding a war axe and leaving a trail of frost in his wake.
  • Smite: Ymir is a playable god in this PC-based MOBA game.
  • Wizard101: In this MMORPG, Ymir is the "Ice Titan," one of three ancient elemental beings. He slumbers after the destruction of the First World. In the "Wintertusk" expansion (2011), players must prevent a witch coven from awakening him and unleashing an eternal winter.
  • God of War (2018): Ymir is referenced in several myths retold within the game’s narrative. He also appears depicted on a mural.
  • Vinland Saga: In chapter 156 of this manga series, a type of giant is named Ymir.
  • Bone Crossed: In Patricia Briggs' novel, Ymir is portrayed as a "snow elf" who frequents Uncle Mike's bar.
    Back to blog