Brimir (giant)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brimir ( Old Norse Brimir ) is a name for the ancient giant Ymir in Norse mythology . The word could also be the name of another giant or the beer hall where the souls of the brave warriors gather for Ragnarök .

swell

Brimir is mentioned three times in the Eddic texts in connection with giants. In the Völuspá it says:

"Þá gengo regin ǫll á rǫcstóla,
Ginnheilog goð, oc um þat gættuz,
hverr scyldi dverga dróttin scepia,
ór Brimis blóði oc ór Bláins leggiom."

"Then all the counselors went to the judgment seat,
the holy gods, and deliberated
who should create the people of the dwarves
from Brimir's blood and Blainn's bones."

- Völuspá 9

And at a later point:

“Stóð fyr norðan, á Niðavǫllom,
salr ór gulli Sindra ættar;
enn annarr stóð á Ókólni,
biórsalr iǫtuns, enn sá Brimir heitir. "

"In the north in Nidawellir there was
a hall made of gold, of Sindri's family.
Another stood at Okolnir ,
the beer hall of a giant, and his name is Brimir."

- Völuspá 37

Snorri Sturluson gives his understanding of the second Völuspá stanza in the Prose Edda as follows:

"[...] ok all god he til góðs drykkjar þeim, he þat þykkir gaman,
í þeim sal, he Brimir heitir. Hann stendr á Ókólni. "

“There is plenty of good drink for those who enjoy it
in the room called Brimir. He suits him Okolnir. "

- S NORRI S TURLUSON : Prose Edda: Gylfaginning 51

research

These three passages in the text are difficult to reconcile and create a confused picture.

In the first Völuspá stanza, Brimir probably stands for the ancient giant Ymir . The phrase "from Brimir's blood and Blainn's bones" seems to allude to the fact that the gods created the sea and the mountains from Ymir's blood and bones, as two other songs of the Edda songs, the Grimnismál and the Vafþrúðnismál , pass on.

Because the sea emerged from Ymir's blood, Brimir is etymologically derived from Old Norse brim, brimi 'sea, surf'. The name is also translated as 'wet blood'.

The second Völuspá stanza, however, gives the impression that it is a different giant than Ymir. However, a giant of this name would not be known. Snorri Sturluson understood this passage to mean that Brimir does not mean the giant, but the name of the beer hall. One part of the research sees this as a misunderstanding by Snorri Sturluson, another part of the text in the Völuspá is too unclear to be able to decide on it.

It is not known whether there are any connections between the sword name Brimir and the giant name Brimir.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lieder-Edda: Völuspá 9th text edition based on Titus Project, URL: http://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/germ/anord/edda/edda.htm , accessed on December 4, 2009.
  2. ^ Translation and citation according to Arnulf Krause: Die Götter- und Heldenlieder der Älteren Edda. Philipp Reclam jun. Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 978-3-15050-047-7 .
  3. ↑ Lieder-Edda: Völuspá 37. Text edition based on the Titus Project, URL: http://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/germ/anord/edda/edda.htm , accessed on December 4, 2009.
  4. ↑ The dark fields.
  5. ↑ The dwarves.
  6. ^ Translation after Arnulf Krause: The songs of gods and heroes of the Elder Edda. Philipp Reclam jun. Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 978-3-15050-047-7 .
  7. ↑ Prosa-Edda: Gylfaginning 51. Text edition based on CyberSamurai Encyclopedia of Norse Mythology, URL: Archive link ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 4, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cybersamurai.net
  8. ^ Translation and citation after Arnulf Krause: The Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Philipp Reclam jun. Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 978-3-15000-782-2 .
  9. ↑ Lieder-Edda: Vafþrúðnismál 20 f .; Grimnismál 40
  10. ↑ Jan de Vries: Old Norse Etymological Dictionary. 2nd Edition. Brill Archive, p. 57: brim, brimi 'Meer, Brandung' - Simek (2006) p. 61: brim = Meer - Lindow (2001) p. 88: brim = surf, seaway
  11. ^ Henry Adams Bellows: The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems. Courier Dover Publications, 2004, ISBN 978-0-486-43710-1 , p. 6, note 9: "Some editors treat the words as common rather than proper nouns, Brimir meaning 'the bloody moisture' [...]. "
  12. ↑ Simek (2006) p. 61
  13. ↑ Compare Lindow (2001) p. 88, who cannot decide between a giant or a beer hall name and considers both to be possible.