Ymir is killed by the sons of Borr in this artwork by Lorenz Frřlich.

Creation myth

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 Grímnismál, and the question and answer poem Vafţrúđnismál.

Odin and his brothers create the world out of the body of Ymir in this artwork by Lorenz Frřlich.

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 begot his six-headed son Ţrúđgelmir.

Ymir fed from the primeval cow Auđhumla'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 Borr killed Ymir, and when Ymir fell the blood from his wounds poured forth. Ymir's blood drowned almost the entire tribe of frost giants or jotuns. Only two jotuns survived the flood of Ymir's blood, one was Ymir's grandson Bergelmir (son of Ţrúđgelmir), and the other his wife. Bergelmir and his wife brought forth new families of jotuns.

Odin and his brothers used Ymir's body to create Midgard, the earth 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 dwarfs. The gods set Ymir's skull above Ginnungagap and made the sky, supported by four dwarfs. These dwarfs 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 Borr made men. They made a man named Ask-ash tree and a woman named Embla-elm tree. On the brow of Ymir the sons of Bor built a stronghold to protect the race of men from the giants.

Two other names associated with Ymir are Brimir and Bláinn according to Völuspá, stanza 9, where the gods discuss forming the race of dwarfs from the "blood of Brimir and the limbs of Bláinn". Later in stanza 37, Brimir is mentioned as having a beer hall in Ókólnir. In Gylfaginning "Brimir" is the name of the hall itself, destined to survive the destruction of Ragnarök and providing an "abundance of good drink" for the souls of the virtuous.

Etymology

Analysis of different Indo-European tales indicate the Proto-Indo-Europeans believed there were two progenitors of mankind: *Man (Indic Manu, Germanic Mannus) and *Twin, his twin brother. The latter, like Ymir, was sacrificed and carved up by his brother to produce mankind.^[1] Traces of this dualistic structure of (also) the Proto-Indo-European creation myth can be found in parallel mythological entities with the same etymology, like the Indic death deity Yama and Avestan Yima, progenitors of mankind; of Remus (according to Jaan Puhvel), the brother of Romulus in the story of the founding of Rome, and Ymir. The underlying Proto-Indo-European form is *yemos ("twin"). The corresponding Proto-Germanic form was either *umijaz or, in better accordance with this theory, *jumijaz (W.Meid).

Yama shares with Ymir the characteristics of being primordial and mortal, but otherwise developed towards a very different character, the first of mortal men and kings who after death becomes ruler of the realm of the dead.

Notes

References

• Branston, Brian: Gods & Heroes from Viking Mythology. Eurobook Limited, 1978.
• Meid, W.: 1992. Die Germanische Religion im Zeugnis der Sprache. In Beck et al., Germanische Religionsgeschichte ? Quellen und Quellenprobleme, pp. 486-507. New York, de Gruyter.
• Page, R.I.: Norse Myths. Bath Press, 1990, University of Texas Press, 1996.
• Turville-Petre, O. E. G.: 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.

See also

• Cipactli
• Purusha
• Tiamat
• Kingu

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