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Ymir
*** Shopping-Tip: Ymir
: ''This page is about the Norse giant Ymir. For other uses please see
Ymir (disambiguation).''
----
Image:Ymir_gets_killed_by_Froelich.jpg right|thumb|250px|Ymir is killed by the sons of [[Borr in this artwork by
Lorenz Frølich]]
In
Norse mythology, '''Ymir''' (also named '''Aurgelmir''' among the giants themselves) was the founder of the race of
Jotun frost giants and an important figure in
Norse cosmology.
Snorri Sturluson combined several sources, along with some of his own conclusions, to explain Ymir's role in the Norse creation myth. The main sources available are the great Eddic poem ''
Völuspá'', the question and answer poem ''
GrÃmnismál'', and the question and answer poem ''
Vafþrúðnismál''. According to these poems,
Ginnungagap existed before Heaven and Earth. The Northern region of Ginnungagap became full of ice, and this harsh land was known as
Niflheim. Opposite of Niflheim was the southern region known as
Muspelheim, which contained bright sparks and glowing embers. Ymir was conceived in Ginnungagap when the ice of Niflheim met with Muspelheim's heat and melted, releasing "eliwaves" and drops of
eitr. The eitr drops stuck together and formed a giant of rime frost (a ''
hrimthurs'') between the two worlds and the sparks from Muspelheim gave him life. While Ymir slept, he fell into a sweat and conceived the race of giants. Under his left arm grew a man and a woman, and his legs begat his six-headed son
Thrudgelmir.
Ymir fed from the primeval cow
Auðhumla's four rivers of milk, who in turn fed from licking the salty ice blocks. Her licking the rime ice eventually revealed the body of a man named
Búri. Búri fathered
Borr, and Borr and his wife
Bestla had three sons given the names
Odin,
Vili and
Vé.
The sons of Bor killed Ymir, and when Ymir fell the blood from his wounds poured forth. Ymir's blood drowned almost the entire tribe of frost giants. Only two giants survived the flood of Ymir's blood, one was Ymir's grandson
Bergelmir (son of Thrudgelmir), and the other his wife. Bergelmir and his wife brought forth new families of frost giants.
Odin and his brothers used Ymir's body to create
Midgard at the center of Ginnungagap. His flesh became the earth. The blood of Ymir formed seas and lakes. From his bones mountains were erected. His teeth and bone fragments became stones. From his hair grew trees and
maggots from his flesh became the race of dwarves. The gods set Ymir's skull above Ginnungagap and made the sky, supported by four
Norse dwarves dwarves. These dwarves were given the names East, West, North and South. Odin then created winds by placing one of Bergelmir's sons, in the form of an eagle, at the ends of the earth . He cast Ymir's brains into the wind to become the clouds.
Next, the sons of Borr took sparks from Muspelheim and dispersed them throughout Ginnungagap, thus creating stars and light for Heaven and Earth. From pieces of driftwood trees the sons of Bor made men. They made a man named
Ask and a woman named
Embla. On the brow of Ymir the sons of Bor built a stronghold to protect the race of men from the giants.
His name is
cognate to
Yama of
Hinduism.
See also
*
Purusha
*
Cipactli
*
Tiamat
References
*Branston, Brian: ''Gods & Heroes from Viking Mythology''. Eurobook Limited, 1978.
*Page, R.I.: ''Norse Myths''. Bath Press, 1990, University of Texas Press, 1996.
*Turville-Petre, Gabriel: ''Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia''. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964.
*Winterbourne, Anthony: ''When the Norns have Spoken''. Rosemont Publishing & Printing Corp., 2004.
*Young, Jean I.: ''The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson: Tales from Norse Mythology''. Bowes & Bowes, 1954.
{{NorseMythology}}
Category:Norse giants
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ca:Ymir
cs:Ymir
da:Ymer (nordisk mytologi)
de:Ymir
el:ΥμίÏ?
es:Ymir
fr:Ymir (mythologie)
is:Ã?mir
lt:imiras
lv:Īmirs
nl:Ymir
no:Yme
nn:Yme
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ru:Имир
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