Hrímnir

Hrímnir (Old Norse: [ˈhriːmnez̠]) is a jǫtunn in Norse mythology. He is the father of Hljód.^[1]

Name

The Old Norse name Hrímnir has been translated as 'frosty',^[1] 'the one covered with hoarfrost', or 'the sooty one.' Probably intended to evoke the frost giants or hrímþursar (jǫtunn).^[2][3]

Attestations

In the Völsunga saga, Hrímnir is mentioned as the father of Hljóð, who is sent by Frigg as a "wish-maid" to Rerir with the apple of fertility that will provide his wife offspring.^[4] Hrímnir himself sends his daughter Hljóð to be the wife of one of the children, Völsung.^[3]

Hrímnir is listed among the jǫtnar in the þulur section of the Prose Edda.^[5][6]

In Hyndluljóð (32), Hrímnir is the father of Heiðr and Hrossþjófr,^[5] but that may be just for the purpose of alliteration.^[2] He is also mentioned in Skírnismál (28),^[2] probably as a typical jötunn.^[7]

In Gríms saga loðinkinna, Hrímnir is the father of the giantesses Feima and Kleima; his wife's name is Hyrja.^[8]

Theories

Scholars have argued that the story of Hrímnir in the Völsunga saga resembles that of Peredur in the Matter of Britain, and the modern folktale "The Sea-Maiden."^[9]