Who is Ymir?
Ymir is the primordial giant said in Norse mythology to be the first living being to appear before heaven and earth were born. He is the ancestor of the frost giants (jotnar) and is also known as Aurgelmir. His story is recorded in the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson and in the Poetic Edda.
Ginnungagap and the birth of Ymir
At the beginning of the world there was a vast, empty chasm, Ginnungagap; to its north lay Niflheim, the land of ice and mist, and to its south Muspelheim, the land of fire. Ymir was born from the drops that formed when ice flowing out of Niflheim melted in the heat of Muspelheim, it is said.
Ymir was nourished by the milk of the cow Audhumla, also born from the ice. While he slept, giants were born one after another from his armpits and legs, and the race of frost giants grew. Meanwhile, as Audhumla licked the salty ice, Buri, ancestor of the gods, emerged from it.
The world made from Ymir’s body
In time, Buri’s grandsons, the three brothers Odin, Vili and Ve, killed Ymir and made the world from his gigantic body. From his flesh came the earth, from his blood the seas and lakes, from his bones the mountains, from his teeth the rocks; his skull became the sky, held up at its four corners by four dwarves. His brains became the clouds, and his eyelashes became the fence surrounding Midgard, the world where humans live.
Myths of the world being born from a giant’s body are found around the world, such as China’s Pangu and India’s Purusha. The Norse world is then depicted as nine worlds joined by the world tree Yggdrasil. Ymir’s name often appears in modern manga, games and other works.
