by Asvinr (William P. Reaves)
The names of Norse mythological figures are rarely stable. In skaldic and Eddic poetry, a single being may carry many names — epithets, kennings, and alternate designations that encode theological meaning. "Brimir" appears twice in Völuspá and in several other Eddic poems, and has puzzled scholars for generations. Is he a separate giant? An alternate name for Ymir? Or something else entirely?
William P. Reaves, writing under the handle Asvinr in alt.religion.asatru in June 2007, pursues this question with close attention to primary sources. Drawing on Völuspá, Sigrdrífumál, Grímnismál, and Snorri's Prose Edda, he builds a case that "Brimir" is a kenning-name for Mimir — the giant of the well of wisdom whom Odin sacrificed an eye to consult. The argument turns on a characteristic feature of skaldic poetics: that a head can be called a sword, and a sword can be called a head. Brimir's "sword" in Sigrdrífumál, by this logic, is Mimir's severed head.
Reaves was a prolific contributor to alt.religion.asatru in the mid-2000s. His posts, often posted under the handle Asvinr, represented some of the most sustained Eddic scholarship on the newsgroup. He later published work on Germanic mythology through Norse Mythology Press.
Opening Verse
Völuspá 9:
"Then the Powers went to their thrones of fate,
The sacrosant gods, and considered this;
Who should form the lord of the dwarfs
Out of Brimir's blood and Blain's limbs?"
This is the Carolyne Larrington translation (1996)
The names Blainn and Brimir in this verse are a subject of scholarly discussion. Their meanings are uncertain. Generally, both are seen as alternate names for Ymir, thus the dwarves are created from Ymir's blood (the sea) and Ymir's bones (the rocks). See Ursula Dronke's commentary on this verse in her Poetic Edda, Vol. II, pp. 121-122.
Snorri tells us that the dwarves originated as maggots in Ymir's flesh. Since Ymir was the primeval giant whose body was used to create the earth, this seems plausible.
The name Blainn is not found again in Eddaic poetry, and means "the black one" or "the blue one". Since this passage directly refers to his limbs, I agree that Ymir is probably meant. The dwarves are created from Ymir's limbs.
However, we find more information about Brimir. His name occurs again in Völuspá 36 (see below), as well as in other Eddic poems. Thus an investigation is in order.
Brimir's Sword
Sigrdrífumál says:
- On a mountain he (Odin) stood,
with Brimir's sword,
a helm on his head he bore.
Then spake Mim's head
its first wise word,
and true saying uttered.
Nor is this the only place we see the name Brimir associated with a sword. In Grímnismál 44, the poet says:
- Yggdrasil's ash is
of all trees most excellent,
and of all ships, Skidbladnir,
of the Æsir, Odin,
and of horses, Sleipnir,
Bifröst of bridges,
and of skalds, Bragi,
Habrok of hawks,
and of dogs, Garm,
(Brimir of swords.)
The final line is a variant found in Codex AM no 748, the only other surviving text of the poem. Benjamin Thorpe rightly includes it in his translation. Bugge's critical edition Fornkvæði confirms this reading. Most modern translations omit it.
Sigrdrífumál 14 informs us that Odin stood on a mountain with "Brimir's sword", when he spoke with "Mimir's head." Snorri Sturluson provides a possible explanation for this odd expression.
Snorri informs us that the expression "Heimdall's head" is a metaphor for sword. Thus a head can be called a sword, and a sword a head. In Skáldskaparmál 69, Snorri writes:
"On a man there is what is called a head. This shall be referred to by calling it...Heimdall's sword, and it is normal to use any term for sword you like and qualify it by one or other of Heimdall's names."
Similarly, in Hrafnagaldur Óðins 14, Heimdall's head is characterized as a sword:
- Actions are numbed,
the arms slump,
a swoon hovers over
the white god's sword (i.e. "Heimdall's head");
stupor dispels
the wind of the giantess (i.e. "the mind")
the mind's workings
of all mankind.
In Gylfaginning, Snorri informs us that Loki and Heimdall cause one another's death. In Skáldskaparmál 8, he elaborates on this. He says:
"A sword is called Heimdall's head, it is said that he was struck through with a man's head. He is the subject of the poem Heimdalsgaldr and ever since the head has been called Heimdall's doom, man's doom is an expression for sword."
When it says that Odin stood with "Brimir's sword" and then tells us he speaks with "Mimir's head", we should recognize the possibility that these may simply be two different ways of saying the same thing. If a sword can refer to a head, then "Brimir's sword" may simply mean "Brimir's head". Since in this context, Odin is speaking with Mimir's head, this interpretation is not only possible, but probable.
Brimir's sword = Mimir's head, therefore Brimir is another name for Mimir.
The Beer-Hall of Völuspá 36
Interestingly, the name Brimir appears twice in Völuspá. Once in verse 9, and again in verse 36:
- On the north there stood,
on Nida-fells,
a hall of gold,
for Sindri's race;
and another stood
in Okolnir,
the Jötuns beer-hall
which is named Brimir.
Here Brimir is the name of a giant (a jotun) who owns a "beer-hall". Like Mimir, Brimir is a jotun, a giant, who possesses a drinking-hall. Mimir is well-known for his drinking. In Völuspá 28, he is said to drink mead every morning.
His hall is located near the golden hall of the dwarf Sindri. According to Snorri, Sindri is the dwarf who forges Thor's hammer, and Frey's golden boar Gullinbursti. Here as in the German heroic poems, Mimir (Mimi die alt) is associated with dwarf-smith.
Brimir's Blood and the Dwarves
In the creation of the dwarves, Brimir again plays a role. Völuspá 9 informs us:
- Then went all the powers
to their judgment-seats,
the all-holy gods,
and thereon held council,
who should of the dwarfs
the race create,
from the Brimir's blood
and from Blain's leg-bones.
As we just saw, in verse 36, and in Sigrdrífumál 14, Brimir appears to be a name of Mimir himself.
Thus, the dwarves are created from "Ymir's limbs" and "Mimir's blood". We know that Ymir was slain, and we know that at some point Mimir was beheaded as well. But I do not think this literally means that Mimir's blood was used to create the dwarves.
We have seen above that a head can be called a sword, and reflexively that a sword can be called a head. Similarly, in skaldic usage, any liquid can be used to describe blood, and vice versa. This occurs in Eddaic poetry as well. The most obvious parallel example I can think of is Fáfnismál 14. There Sigurd asks:
"Tell me then, Fafnir, for wise thou art famed,
And much thou knowest now:
How call they the isle where all the gods
And Surt shall sword-liquor (hjörlegi) mingle?"
Colophon
Posted by Asvinr (William P. Reaves) to alt.religion.asatru on 12 June 2007. Reaves was among the most prolific Eddic scholars posting to alt.religion.asatru in the 2000s; he later published through Norse Mythology Press. This post traces the name "Brimir" across Völuspá, Sigrdrífumál, Grímnismál, and the Prose Edda, arguing it is a kenning-name for Mimir.
Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Original Message-ID: <[email protected]>.
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