Hrímgrímnir

Hrímgrímnir (Old Norse: [ˈhriːmˌɡriːmnez̠], 'frost-masked') is a jötunn in Norse mythology. He is invoked by Freyr's servant Skírnir as he tries to coerce the beautiful jötunn Gerðr on his master's behalf.^[1][2]

Name

The Old Norse name Hrímgrímnir has been translated as 'frost-masked'.^[1][2]

Attestations

In Skírnismál (The Lay of Skírnir), after Gerðr refuses to marry Freyr, his messenger Skírnir threatens her with a curse involving her marriage to Hrímgrímnir in Hel:^[1][2]

[Skírnir:]
Hrímgrímnir is the name of the giant who shall possess you [Gerðr],
Down below Nágrind [the gate to Hel’s realm].
There let wretches on the roots of the tree
Give you goat piss.
A better drink you will never get,
Maiden, from your mouth,
Maiden, to your mouth.

— Skírnismál, 35, trans. J. Lindow, 2002.

Hrímgrímnir is also mentioned in the þulur among fellow jötnar but is not otherwise found elsewhere.^[1][2]

Theories

Scholar John Lindow comments that Hrímgrímnir is evidently a "part of something bigger"; if Gerðr refuses Skírnir's offer, she will "be denied all ordinary sexual congress", resulting in social consequences—even though she would be married, she would live in social exile.^[2]

Notes

1. Orchard 1997, p. 90.
2. Lindow 2002, p. 183.

References

• Lindow, John (2002). Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-983969-8.
• Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-34520-5.