An ancient frost giant of Norse mythology, Ymir was formed at the beginning of creation from rivers of ice that flowed from Niflheim (pronounced NIV-uhl-heym), the land of mist, into Ginnungagap (pronounced GIN-oon-gah-GAHP), the yawning emptiness. Ymir emerged from the ice as it melted from the heat of the fire kingdom that lay near these two regions.
As the evil Ymir slept, other frost giants formed from the sweat of his body. The first male and female emerged from his left armpit, and another man came from his legs. Ymir drank milk from an ancient cow, which in turn licked blocks of ice and released a man called Buri. Buri’s grandsons were the gods Odin (pronounced OH-din), Vili (pronounced VEE-lee), and Ve (pronounced VEH). These three gods eventually attacked Ymir while he slept and killed him. As Ymir’s blood gushed from his body, it caused a flood that drowned all the frost giants except Bergelmir (pronounced BEHR-gel-meer) and his wife. They escaped in a ship and founded a new race of beings.
Odin and his brothers used Ymir’s body to form the world. They took his flesh to make earth; his bones became mountains; his teeth turned into stones and boulders; and his hair became trees and
Born of ice and fire
The Norse gods used the body of Ymir, a frost giant, to form the world. © MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY/THE IMAGE WORKS.
Vegetation. The gods made the sky from Ymir’s skull and threw his brains into the air to form clouds. Dwarves emerged out of hills and rocks and helped to hold up the sky. Finally, Odin and his brothers used Ymir’s eyebrows to make a great wall to surround and protect Midgard, the world of humans.
World History
