World of Myth
HrymrHrymr Student Research
In the script, it appears Hrymr and Hymir have been combined into one character. Regardless of the intentionality of this, I thought it prudent to make a distinction between the two of them here. Hrymr is described exclusively as the helmsman of Naglfar, the ship of dead men’s nails, who sails it alongside Hel, Loki, and all the other enemies of the gods to battle during Ragnarok. Hymir, on the other hand, is the Jotunn fisherman who seems to be additionally represented in the text of the show under Hrymr’s name. He is the one who goes fishing with Thor for Jörmungandr, in a boat that ISN’T Naglfar, using the head of one of his oxen for bait. They fail to catch Jörmungandr on this trip, as it is either broken loose from the line or cut loose by Hymir to save the ship. Whether you want one character or another, both, or to combine them into one, it felt important to give them both light in this document.
Hrymr Fast Facts
The Elder or Poetic Edda; commonly known as Sæmund’s Edda. Edited and translated with introduction and notes by Olive Bray. Illustrated by W.G. Collingwood (1908). (Creative Commons)
Type of Being: Jötunn (giants)
Powers:
Hrymr: stearsman, warrior
Hymir: strength, fisherman
Appearance: Both are giants
Place:
Hrymr: “The East”
Hymir: Midgard (Earth)
Significant Items:
Hrymr: The great ship Naglfar, which appears at Ragnorök
Hymir: A large cauldron for brewing beer, which Thor attempted to steal
Primary Texts: Gylfaginning in the Prose Edda, Hymiskvitha and Voluspa in the Poetic Edda
Hrymr vs Hymir in Norse Mythology
Hrymr
Hrymr steering Naglfar from Louis Moe’s Ragnarok: En Billeddigtning. (Norse Digital Repository)
Hrymr in Ragnarök
“The giant Hrymr journeys from the east, the snake of Miðgarðr writhes, an eagle shrieks, and Naglfar (a ship?) breaks loose. A ship (Naglfar?) journeys from the east, bearing the giants, Loki and the wolf. The gods take council, the land of giants roars and dwarves groan.”
-Pettit, Edward. The Poetic Edda
Hymir
Hymir rowing his boat while Thor attempts to slay Jörmungandr, an illustration from Nils Fredrik Sander’s 1893 Swedish edition of The Poetic Edda. (Creative Commons)
Hymir meeting Thor
“He [Thor] went out of Midgard in the guise of a young man, and came in the evening to a giant by name Hymer.61 Thor tarried there as a guest through the night. In the morning Hymer arose, dressed himself, and busked himself to row out upon the sea to fish. Thor also sprang up, got ready in a hurry and asked Hymer whether he might row out with him. Hymer answered that he would get but little help from Thor, as he was so small and young; and he added, you will get cold if I row as far out and remain as long as I am wont.”
-Sturluson, Snorri. The Younger Edda; Also Called Snorre’s Edda, or The Prose Edda
Alternative Names & Spellings
Hrymr (Leader of the Rime Giants) alternate spellings:
Hrym
Rym
Hymir (the Dark One) alternate spellings:
Hymer
–Norse Mythology A to Z
Resources
Further Reading / Viewing
Norse Sources
Lindow, John. Old Norse Mythology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2021.
Pettit, Edward, ed. The Poetic Edda: A Dual-Language Edition. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2023.
Sturluson, Snorri. The Younger Edda; Also Called Snorre’s Edda, or The Prose Edda. Translated by Rasmus Bjørn Anderson. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1901. www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18947/pg18947-images.html.
General Sources
Daly, Kathleen N., and Marian Rengel. Norse Mythology A to Z. 3rd ed. Mythology A to Z. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2010.
