Ymir

Also known as: Aurgelmer / Aurgelmir / Ymer · Family: Jötuns · Role: giant · First appears: Elder Edda · The Lay of Vafthrudnir · Part 2

In the Fooling of Gylfe, Ymer came to life in Ginungagap when drops formed from the rime melted by Muspelheim’s heat took the likeness of a man. When he slept, a man and a woman grew beneath his left arm, and one of his feet begot a son with the other. Audhumbla was made from the rime and fed him with her milk; in the Lay of Vafthrudnir, Aurgelmer is named as Bergelmir’s grandsire, and Thrûdgelmir as his sire.

The sons of Bor—Odin, Vile and Ve—slew Ymer. His blood drowned the frost-giant race except for Bergelmir and his household. They made the earth from his body, the seas and lakes from his blood, the sky from his skull, and Midgard from his eyebrows as a refuge against giants.

Relationship record

Life events

• Ymer came to life from drops formed when Muspelheim’s heat melted the rime.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World · 📍 Ginungagap)
  • “then, by the might of him who sent the heat, the drops quickened into life and took the likeness of a man, who got the name Ymer.”
• A man and a woman grew beneath Ymer’s left arm, and one of his feet begot a son with the other.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World)
  • “It is said that when he slept he fell into a sweat, and then there grew under his left arm a man and a woman, and one of his feet begat with the other a son.”
• Audhumbla was made from the rime and fed Ymer with her milk.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World)
  • With: Audhumbla
  • “The next thing was that when the rime melted into drops, there was made thereof a cow, which hight Audhumbla. Four milk-streams ran from her teats, and she fed Ymer.”
• The sons of Bor slew Ymer, whose blood drowned the frost-giant race except Bergelmer and his household.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World)
  • With: Odin Vile Ve
  • “The sons of Bor slew the giant Ymer, but when he fell, there flowed so much blood from his wounds that they drowned therein the whole race of frost giants; excepting one, who escaped with his household.”
• The sons of Bor made the earth from Ymer’s body.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World · 📍 Ginungagap)
  • With: Odin Vile Ve
  • “They took the body of Ymer, carried it into the midst of Ginungagap and made of him the earth.”
• The sons of Bor made the seas and lakes from Ymer’s blood.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World)
  • With: Odin Vile Ve
  • “Of his blood they made the seas and lakes”
• The sons of Bor made the sky from Ymer’s skull.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World)
  • With: Odin Vile Ve
  • “They took his skull and made thereof the sky, and raised it over the earth with four sides.”
• The sons of Bor made Midgard from Ymer’s eyebrows as a refuge against giants.(Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World · 📍 Midgard)
  • With: Odin Vile Ve
  • “For this purpose they used the giant Ymer’s eyebrows, and they called the burg Midgard.”

Elder Edda · The Lay of Vafthrudnir · Part 2

• child: Thrûdgelmir “Countless winters, ere earth was formed, was Bergelmir born; Thrûdgelmir was his sire, his grandsire Aurgelmir.”
• younger kin: Bergelmir “Thrûdgelmir was his sire, his grandsire Aurgelmir.”

Younger Edda · The Fooling of Gylfe · Chapter IV · The Creation of the World

• patron: Audhumbla “Four milk-streams ran from her teats, and she fed Ymer.”
• enemies with Odin “The sons of Bor slew the giant Ymer”
• enemies with Vile “The sons of Bor slew the giant Ymer”
• enemies with Ve “The sons of Bor slew the giant Ymer”
• with Odin (created) “They took the body of Ymer, carried it into the midst of Ginungagap and made of him the earth.”
• with Vile (created) “They took the body of Ymer, carried it into the midst of Ginungagap and made of him the earth.”
• with Ve (created) “They took the body of Ymer, carried it into the midst of Ginungagap and made of him the earth.”

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Extracted from the original text of The Eddas. Made with Rho MD.