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Mímir (Old Norse "The rememberer, the wise one"[1]) or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology renowned for his knowledge and wisdom who is beheaded during the Æsir–Vanir War. Afterward, the god Odin carries around Mímir's head and it recites secret knowledge and counsel to him.

Mímir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the Prose Edda, wrote in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in euhemerized form as one of the Æsir in Heimskringla, also written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. Mímir's name appears in the names of the well Mímisbrunnr, the tree Mímameiðr, and the wood Hoddmímis holt.


Poetic Edda

Mímir is mentioned in the Poetic Edda poems Völuspá and Sigrdrífumál. In Völuspá, Mímir is mentioned in two stanzas. Stanza 28 references Odin's sacrifice of his eye to Mímir's Well, and states that Mímir drinks mead every morning "from the Father of the Slain's [Odin] wager."[2] Stanza 46 describes that, in reference to Ragnarök, the "sons" of Mím are at play while "fate burns" (though no further information about these "sons" has survived[3]), that the god Heimdallr blows the Gjallarhorn, and that Mímir's decapitated head gives counsel to Odin. The single mention in stanza 14 of Sigrdrífumál is also a reference to Mímir's speaking, decollated head. Stanzas 20 and 24 of the poem Fjölsvinnsmál refer to Yggdrasil as Mímameiðr.

Prose Edda



In the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, Mímir's name appears in various kennings. These kennings include "Mím's friend" (for "Odin") in three places, "mischief-Mímir" (a kenning for "jötunn"[5]), and among a list of names for jötunn.[6]





On the basis of one stanza in Hávamál - where Odin learns nine magic songs from the unnamed brother of his mother Bestla - some scholars have theorized that Bestla's brother may in fact be Mímir, who is then Odin's maternal uncle. This also means that his father would be Bolthorn.[9]


  1. Simek (2007:216).
  2. Larrington (1999:7).
  3. Larrington (1999:265).
  4. Byock (2006:72).
  5. Faulkes (1995:84).
  6. Faulkes (1995:155).
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hollander (2007:8).
  8. Hollander (2007:11).
  9. Examples include Bellows (1923:92) and Puhvel (1989:212).


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Mímir. The list of authors can be seen in the page history.

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