Gymir


Gymir is a jötunn in Norse mythology. He is the spouse of Aurboða, and the father of the giantess Gerðr, who married the god Freyr.

Name

The meaning of the Old Norse name Gymir is unclear. Proposed translations include 'the earthly', 'the wintry one', or 'the protector', the 'engulfer'.
In Lokasenna and Skáldskaparmál, Gymir is given by Snorri Sturluson as an alternative name for the divine personification of the sea Ægir. Rudolf Simek argues that it may be an erroneous interpretation of kennings in which different giant-names are used interchangeably.

Attestations

Eddas

In both Skírnismál and Gylfaginning, Gymir is portrayed as the spouse of Aurboða; and from their union was born Gerðr.

Viking Age

A verse from the 9th-century skald Ref Gestsson is quoted in the later Skáldskaparmál.
According to John Lindow, "the verse in question seems to say that the cold seeress of Gymir often transports the bear of twisted lines into the jaw of Ægir; that is, that the wave often drives a ship deep into the water."

Theories

Because of his identification with Ægir, Gymir has been regarded as a sea-giant.
He has also been seen as a chthonic deity, and Magnus Olsen argued that he was an earth giant from his interpretation of Skírnismál in light of the hieros gamos.