Mimir is a being from Norse mythology, guarding one of the sources beneath the World Tree Yggdrasil. The knowledge, wisdom, and prophetic abilities of Mimir are so renowned that even Odin maintains a close connection with him to seek his advice. Mimir is a highly esteemed figure in Norse mythology, respected for his intelligence and vast knowledge. He goes by many names, including Mímir and Mim. According to Norse mythology, he is both a river spirit and the most knowledgeable deity of the Aesir clan. After the Aesir delivered Mimir as a captive to the Vanir, the competing gods, the latter beheaded him and gave his head back to the former.
Sources
Edda
The myths about Mimir originate from various sources in Old Norse literature, but at their core, they are already present in the oldest text of the Poetic Edda, the Völuspá. Its roots trace back to pre-Christian times.
According to the narrative, the Well of Wisdom springs beneath the World Tree Yggdrasil. It is one of the three primeval wells in Norse mythology. Near it lies the Gjallarhorn of the god Heimdall, which resounds in all worlds when blown into. Mimir is the guardian of the well, hence the name Mimir’s Well. Every morning, he drinks mead from it.
Odin attains wisdom by drinking from Mimir’s Well as well, but he must sacrifice an eye and place it in the well beforehand (Odin’s wager with Mimir). Since then, Odin has been one-eyed. Despite his draught of wisdom, Odin still turns to Mimir’s head when the order of the world is in jeopardy, and the gods face impending doom (Ragnarök). The Völuspá, however, does not explain how Mimir was beheaded.
Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda repeats the information from the Völuspá in Gylfaginning and adds to it. He states that the well is beneath the root of Yggdrasil, extending to the land of the frost giants. Like Odin, Mimir gains his knowledge and wisdom by drinking from the well, using Gjallarhorn as a drinking horn. However, Snorri deviates significantly from the Völuspá. In his account, during the time of Ragnarök, Odin rides to Mimir’s Well and seeks advice there. Snorri does not mention Mimir’s head in this context.
Hrafnagaldr Óðins (Odin’s Raven Spell), which is not part of the Poetic Edda but is among the old Norse poems, differs from Snorri’s account. It suggests that Mimir cannot advise Odin to escape his fate and avert the gods’ downfall.
“Nowhere does sun touch earth, the streams of air sway and fall. In Mimir’s clear well, men’s wisdom ceases. Do you know what this means?” – Hrafnagaldr Odins, 5
The song Sigrdrífomál, belonging to the hero poems of the Poetic Edda, indicates that Mimir’s head was not only wise but also knowledgeable about runes. In the poem, Odin is with Mimir’s head on a mountain, and it is Mimir who speaks, uttering the “first wise word and true runes.”
The Völuspá also mentions the sons of Mimir without providing further details.
Ynglingasaga
The Ynglingasaga, Snorri Sturluson’s mythical introduction to his history of the Norwegian monarchy (Heimskringla), not only explores Odin’s proximity to Mimir but also tells a story of how Mimir lost his head. After the war between the Aesir gods and the Vanir gods, the Aesir presented Mimir and Hönir as hostages for peace. The Aesir claimed that Hönir was fit to lead, but the Vanir soon realized that Hönir made no decisions without his advisor Mimir. Consequently, they behead the wise one and send his head back to the Aesir. Odin preserves the head with spells and herbs, keeping it with him to continue receiving prophecies and messages from other worlds. The gifts of Mimir are so crucial to him that he always carries Mimir’s head with him.
Þulur
The Þulur mention the name Mimir among the by-names of the giants.
Research
The non-homogeneous and occasionally contradictory literary evidence has led to diverse interpretations in research on how to understand Mimir and his myths. Not all the questions raised have been satisfactorily answered to date.
Etymology
In the interpretation of the name Mimir, Old Norse Mímir, research divides into two camps.
According to one opinion, Mimir is closely linked to wisdom and memory, roughly meaning ‘the one who remembers.’ The name is therefore related to Old English mimorian, Dutch mijmeren, ‘to muse, be lost in thought,’ Latin memor, ‘mindful, remembering,’ and is traced back to the Indo-European root *smer-, *mer-, ‘to think, remember.’
For the other opinion, the name is associated with Norwegian meima, ‘to measure,’ Old English māmrian, ‘to ponder,’ and derives from Indo-European *mer-, ‘to measure,’ with the meaning ‘Measurer, Ponderer’ or ‘the one who measures destiny.’
Nature and Descent
Mimir’s nature cannot be conclusively determined. He is either a giant (Thurse) or a deity. The Þulur are the only ones to comment on his nature, listing Mimir’s name among the by-names of the giants. However, the Ynglingasaga assigns him the same position as the god Hönir, suggesting that Mimir, like Loki, is a deity. However, having the same rank does not necessarily imply the same nature. Otherwise, he or his name consistently appears gigantic in Old Norse literature. This includes several compound personal names with Mimir as the root word, clearly denoting giants, such as Sokkmimir (an otherwise unknown giant) or Brekkmimir (epithet of the giant Geirröd).
The tradition remains silent on his descent. He could be the son of the primeval giant Bölthorn, who is the father of Odin’s mother Bestla. Accordingly, Mimir would be Odin’s uncle. This view is based on a passage in the Hávamál, where Odin introduces his magical rune songs:
“I learned nine powerful songs from the famous son of Bölthorn, Bestla’s father, […]” – Poetic Edda: Hávamál, 140
The son of Bölthorn is not otherwise mentioned in Norse mythology. Mimir’s wisdom, sought by Odin repeatedly, and his knowledge of magical runes, implying secret and hidden knowledge, support this view. However, the relationship with Odin remains speculative in the end.
Mimir’s Well and the World Tree
Although the Völuspá states that Mimir drinks mead from his well, research predominantly assumes that the well contains Mimir’s water. However, mead is not just a mere intoxicant but also a wisdom potion, allowing the acquisition of special knowledge, as suggested by the myth of Odin’s theft of the poet’s mead. In the poem Grímnismál, it is said that the goat Heidrun, at the tree Lärad equated with the World Tree Yggdrasil, provides mead to the Einherjar dedicated to Odin. Even though this mythical image comes from a relatively later period, it at least indicates a connection between the World Tree, at the base of which Mimir’s well lies, the All-Father, and the intoxicating drink.
The proximity between Mimir and the World Tree is evident not only through Mimir’s well but also through the use of Mimir’s name to describe the World Tree in Norse mythology. It is widely accepted that the tree Mimameidr, ‘Mimi’s tree,’ corresponds to Yggdrasil. Some researchers also argue for this equivalence in the phrase holti Hoddmímis, ‘in the grove of Goldmimir,’ referring to the thicket where two humans hide, destined to participate in a new age after Ragnarök along with surviving godly offspring.
The well at the World Tree is part of the mythical landscape of many peoples. In addition to Mimir’s well, other springs in Norse mythology originate under Yggdrasil, such as the Well of Urd and Hvergelmir. In the (Indo-European) origin, at least the wells of Mimir and Urd were likely the same source, which received different names due to various myths. Both Mimir and Urd are associated with fate and prophecy.
Odin’s Wager
The myth of Odin’s wager explains, in a mythical image, how Odin, through the loss of an eye that grants external sight, gains internal vision, the gift of clairvoyance or prophecy. The motif of self-sacrifice for wisdom appears again in Odin’s hanging from Yggdrasil for nine nights, enduring the agony of death to attain the secret knowledge of the runes.
Mimir’s Head
Much of the tradition regarding Mimir’s head remains unexplained. The central point of contention in research is whether the myths of Odin’s Wager and Mimir’s Head refer to the same person. The Norse texts deviate in the spelling of the name in both myths. When referring to Odin’s Wager, it is written as Mímir. In the context of Mimir’s Head, it is consistently mentioned as “Míms hǫfuð,” indicating Mimr without the second “i.” Additionally, a third name form for Mimir can be inferred from the tree name Mimameidr, where it is referred to as the Mimi tree without the final “r.”
These differences are further complicated by the content transmitted. According to the Völuspá, Odin speaks with Mimir’s head at the beginning of Ragnarök, which, according to the Ynglingasaga and Sigrdrífomál, he always carries with him. However, the Prose Edda has Odin riding to Mimir’s well to consult Mimir, apparently assuming that Mimir is not beheaded. The confusion is compounded by Snorri Sturluson, as the Prose Edda and the Ynglingasaga contradict each other in content, despite both being from his hand.
Numerous suggestions have been made to reconcile both myths. Some proposed two different mythical figures (Jan de Vries). Ultimately, the distinct narratives cannot be reconciled or attributed to two different figures. Both myths have Indo-European parallels, ultimately suggesting the interconnectedness of the two mythologems. Narratives of prophetic heads exist in Greek myths (for example, in the Orpheus myth) and Celtic myths, as well as in Icelandic sagas. The myth of Odin’s Wager finds a parallel in Norse mythology concerning the voluntary sacrifice of a body part, as the god Tyr willingly sacrifices his right hand. There is also a parallel in Roman legends about Horatius Cocles and Mucius Scaevola. The explanation in the Ynglingasaga of how Odin acquired Mimir’s head remains incomprehensible. In research, it is yet to be determined whether it is merely a mythographic explanation from a later time, possibly reflecting only Snorri Sturluson’s interpretation.
Some have even argued that the myth of the talking skull was borrowed from Celtic mythology. However, since it appears in Icelandic sagas and the Norwegian and English sagas, it seems to be an independent Norse or Germanic tradition. These Norwegian and English variants might be the key to understanding the connection between the head and the well. They preserve a folklore motif where a skull rises from a spring, bringing luck and gifts to those who honor it.
Nature Mythological Interpretations
Earlier research viewed these myths as early attempts by people to explain the natural phenomena they observed. In this nature mythological interpretation, the pair Odin and Mimir corresponded to the celestial lights, the Sun and Moon. When the Sun is in the sky, it reflects in the water, creating the illusion of a second sun in the water, symbolizing the eye Odin sacrificed. As the word “moon” was believed to derive from the Indo-European root *mer-, the same root from which some researchers derive the name Mimir, it seemed natural to understand Mimir (especially his head) as the mythical counterpart of the Moon. Furthermore, mythically, there was no distinction between Mimir’s well and his head, as the well was interpreted as his head. Mimir’s sons were the watercourses flowing from the spring.
Many of these mythological interpretations of nature have since been abandoned. Moon and Mimir do not originate from the same Indo-European root. The moon does not mean ‘the measurer’ but ‘the wanderer.’ Mimir’s head is not the source of Mimir, as the concept of the prophetic, beheaded skull is ancient and has many counterparts in Greek mythology, Celtic mythology, and Siberian shamanism.
Interpretation
The World Tree is a mythical symbol for creation as a whole. Mimir’s well, located at the root, represents access to deeper insight into the nine Germanic worlds: the memory of what has happened since the beginning of creation and the vision of what is yet to come (fate). This is the source of wisdom.
Its guardian is Mimir, who reveals himself to those who come to his well, perhaps in the form of a skull (Myth of Mimir’s Head). Knowledge is gained by forming a friendship with the giant and drinking from the well, as Mimir does. However, everyone except the wise has to make a significant sacrifice. For those seeking more insight, sacrificing one’s eye is necessary (Myth of Odin’s Wager).
