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Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Atlas Coeus Crius Cronus Demeter Dionysus Gaia Hades Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hestia Hyperion Iapetus Mnemosyne Oceanus Phobos Phoebe Poseidon Prometheus Rhea Tethys Themis Uranus Zeus
Bacchus Ceres Diana Juno Jupiter Mars Mercury Minerva Neptune Pluto Venus Vesta Vulcan
Amun Anubis Aten Atum Babi Bastet Bes Geb Hapi hathor heqet Horus Isis Khepri Khnum Khonsu Maat Nephthys Nut Osiris Ptah Ra Seshat Seth Shu Sobek Thoth
Alfheim Baldur Freya Freyr Frigg Heimdallr Helheim Idun Jotunheim Loki Nerthus Njord Odin Thor Tyr
Aengus Arawn Badb Brigid Cailleach Ceridwen Cernunnos Cu Chulainn Dagda Danu Gwydion Herne the Hunter Lugh Medb Morrigan Neit Nuada Taliesin Taranis
Chalchiuhtlicue Coatlicue Huitzilopochtli Mictlantecuhtli Mixcoatl Ometeotl Quetzalcoatl Tezcatlipoca Tlaloc Tonatiuh Xipe Totec Xochiquetzal Xolotl
Amaterasu Ame no Uzume Benzaiten Bishamonten Daikokuten Ebisu Fujin Fukurokuju Inari Izanagi Kagutsuchi Raijin Susanoo Tsukuyomi
Caishen Cangjie Dragon King Eight Immortals Erlang Shen Fuxi Guanyin Hou Yi Huxian Jade Emperor King Yama Leizi Lu-ban Mazu Nezha Nuwa Pangu Shennong Sun Wukong Xiwangmu Yue Lao Zhong Kui
Norse Classical Celtic Arthurian
Literature Stories Names
  1. Norse Mythology
    Asgard Valhalla Norse Sagas About Norse Mythology Facts and Figures Genealogy Bibliography
  2. Asgard
    Aesir Vanir Teutonic Deities Giants Of Dwarves and Elves Monsters
  3. Giants
    Ymir (Aurgelmir) Buri Bor Bergelmer Surt Vafthrudnir Hrimthurs Thrym Hrungnir Hymir Geirrod Thiassi Suttung Hrym Hræsvelg Aspilian Bestla Angerboda Skadi Grid Gerd Jarnsaxa Gunnlod Fenia & Menia
  4. Ymir (Aurgelmir)

Ymir (Aurgelmir)

The first primeval giant was generally known as Ymir. The frost-giants called him Aurgelmir. Ymir was the first creature created in the universe. Ymir was the father of the race of frost-giants. The frost-giants were born from the sweat of his armpits.

First, Ymir was the father of a six-headed giant (unnamed) that was nourished by a giant cow, Audumla. Audumla found nourishment through licking stones. One of the stones was shaped like a man, which became the primeval god named Buri. Buri was the father of another primeval god (or giant), Bor. Bor and Bestla became parents of the three gods: Odin, Vili and Ve.

Odin and his brothers, Vili and Ve, killed Ymir. They used his body to create the world (universe). His skull was used to create the heavens and his eyebrows were used to create Midgard, or Middle Earth, home of mankind.

Ymir was also the father of Thrudgelmir and the grandfather of Bergelmer.

Related Information

Name

Ymir – "groaner",
Aurgelmir – "gravel-yeller".

Related Articles

Audumla, Buri, Bor, Bestla, Odin, Vili, Ve.

See Norse Creation.

Jimmy Joe. "Ymir (Aurgelmir)." https://timelessmyths.com/norse/asgard/giants/ymir-aurgelmir. Accessed May 14, 2025.
Jimmy Joe Timeless Myths

By Jimmy Joe

Giants:

  • • Ymir (Aurgelmir)
  • • Buri
  • • Bor
  • • Bergelmer
  • • Surt
  • • Vafthrudnir
  • • Hrimthurs
  • • Thrym
  • • Hrungnir
  • • Hymir
  • • Geirrod
  • • Thiassi
  • • Suttung
  • • Hrym
  • • Hræsvelg
  • • Aspilian
  • • Bestla
  • • Angerboda
  • • Skadi
  • • Grid
  • • Gerd
  • • Jarnsaxa
  • • Gunnlod
  • • Fenia & Menia
Bergelmer

Bergelmer

Bergelmer (Bergelmir) was the son of Thrudgelmir and the grandson of Ymir (Aurgelmir). When the gods killed Ymir, his blood flooded the world, drowning all the frost giants except for Bergelmer and his wife. Surviving the flood, Bergelmer became t...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Norse Creation

Norse Creation

Creation The Creation as seen in Norse mythology was strange and different from that of classical Greek mythology. Yet it is nevertheless fascinating, because of the roles played by giants and the gods. Ymir Yggdrasill and the Nine Worlds Ymir The...

July 23rd, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Audumla

Audumla

The primeval cow. Audumla (Audhumla) was born from rime at Ginnungagap . The primeval giant Ymir (Aurgelmir) lived on the milk that flowed from the cow's teats. Audumla also provided nourishment to Ymir's six-headed son. Audumla received nourishme...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Buri

Buri

The ancestor of the gods. Buri was created from a stone or ice that the giant primeval cow, Audumla , licked into shape. Buri was the father of Bor and the grandfather of the three original Aesir gods: Odin , Vili and Ve . There are some uncertain...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Hymir

Hymir

Frost-giant. In some traditions, Hymir was the father of the war-god Tyr , like in the Hymiskvida , a poem found Poetic Edda . The usual tradition says that Odin was Tyr's father. The Hymiskvida was slightly different from the version found in the...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Creation

Creation

The Creation as seen in Norse mythology was strange and different from that of classical Greek mythology. Yet it's nevertheless fascinating, because of the roles played by giants and the gods. Ymir Yggdrasill and the Nine Worlds Ymir There was not...

July 23rd, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Modsognir and Durin

Modsognir and Durin

Modsognir ("frenzy-roarer") and Durin ("sleepy") were the first two dwarves who were created by the gods. They were originally maggots that fed from the flesh of the giant Ymir . These two dwarves became the first ancestors of the dwarves. The Vol...

August 17th, 2002 • Jimmy Joe
Bor

Bor

Primeval god. Bor was the son of the giant Buri . Bor was probably more of a primeval god than a giant. Bor married a frost-giantess named Bestla and became the father of the three Aesir gods: Odin , Vili (Hoenir) and Ve .

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Vili (Hœnir)

Vili (Hœnir)

Vili was the son of the giants Bor and Bestla . Vili was sometimes called Hœnir (Hoenir or Haenir). Vili, along with his brothers, Odin and Ve , killed the giant Ymir and created the universe. As Hœnir, he gave the gifts of spirit and understandin...

July 23rd, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Giants

Giants

The Giants were the chief enemies of the gods, particularly the Aesir. In the Norse world, a giant was called Jotun or Iotun . There were several different types of giants. The frost-giants were the most common giants; they lived in Jotunheim , on...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe

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