Primordial giant whose body formed the world. Slain by Odin, Vili, and Ve.
Ymir (Old Norse Ýmir) is the first being in Norse cosmogony. He arose in Ginnungagap where fire from Muspelheim met ice from Niflheim. From his sweat the first giants were born, and he was nourished by the primordial cow Auðumbla.
Borr's sons Odin, Vili, and Ve slew Ymir and shaped the world from his body. His flesh became earth, his blood the seas, his bones mountains, his hair trees, and his skull the vault of the sky. Ymir's blood drowned all frost giants except Bergelmir and his wife, who survived on a log-vessel.
Sources in the Eddas
- Gylfaginning 5-8
- Snorri's full account of Ymir's emergence, slaying, and the world's creation from his body.
- Vafþrúðnismál 21, 31
- Vafthrudnir tells Odin about Ymir's origin and how the world was shaped from his limbs.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Ymir is the cosmogonic primordial giant whose body became the world's building material, attested in both Gylfaginning and Vafþrúðnismál.
B What we think we know
The connection between Ymir and the Vedic Yama, and the Indo-European twin myth, is debated.