Bölþorn


Bölþorn is a jötunn in Norse mythology, and the father of Bestla, herself the mother of Odin, Vili and Vé.
The figure receives mention in the Poetic Edda, composed in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, compiled by Icelander Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. Scholars have noted that the Poetic Edda mention may mean that he is the father of the wise being Mímir.

Name

The name is attested under two variants. Bölþorn is used in Gylfaginning, whereas Bölþor occurs in Hávamál.'
The Old Norse name Bölþorn has been translated 'Evil-thorn'.' The variant form Bölþor would have had no clear meaning to Vikings or medieval Scandinavians.

Attestations

In Hávamál, Bölþor receives his only mention of the Poetic Edda.
Gylfaginning mentions in the Prose Edda that Bölþorn is a jötunn, and Bestla's father.

Theories

It is often argued that the figure of Bölþorn embodies a traditional relationship with the maternal uncle, a pattern found in Germanic myths and legends alike. According to Orchard, the Roman historian Tacitus "had already noted the importance of that particular family tie in Germanic society, and there are numerous examples of the closeness of male figures with their maternal uncles in the literary sources." For instance, a medieval Icelandic proverb goes by saying: "Men turn out most like their maternal uncles." Lindow comments : "Certainly Odin, of all the gods, turned out most like a giant."
Various scholars have also noted that the unnamed man in Hávamál may be the wise being Mímir.