YGGDRASIL. 31 



bad, and all his kinsmen; we call them Hrimthursar. It is 

 told that when asleep he sweated, and then there grew a man 

 and a woman from under his left arm, and one of his feet 

 begot a son with the other; thence have sprung the kin of 

 Hrimthursar. We call Ymir the Old Hrimthurs." 



" Gangleri asked, ' Where did Ymir live, or by what ? ' 

 ' It happened next when the hoar-frost fell in drops that the 

 cow Audhumla grew out of it ; four rivers of milk ran from 

 her teats, and she fed Ymir.' 



" Gangleri asked, ' On what did the cow feed ? ' Har 

 answered, ' She licked the rime-stones covered with salt and 

 rime, and the first day when she licked them a man's hair 

 came out of them in the evening ; the second day a man's 

 head ; the third day a whole man was there ; he is called 

 Buri ; he was handsome in looks, large, and mighty ; he had 

 Bor for son, who got Besla, daughter of Bolthom jotim, for 

 wife, and she had three sons, Odin, Vili, 1 Ve ; and it is my 

 belief that this Odin and his brothers are the rulers of heaven 

 and earth. We think he is called so. Thus the man whom 

 we know to be the greatest and most famous is called, and 

 they may well give him this name ' ' (' Gylfaginning,' c. 5). 



The ash tree Yggdrasil is one of the strangest conceptions 

 found in any mythology. 



An ash I know standing Three roots stand 



Called Yggdrasil, In three directions 



A high tree besprinkled Under the ash Yggdrasil ; 



With white loam ; Hel dwels under one, 



Thence come the dews The Hrim-thursar under the second, 



That drop in the dales ; Under the third " mortal " men. 



It stands evergreen (Grimmsrual). 



Spreading over the well of Urd. 



Under it stands the well of wisdom for a drink from which 

 Odin pledges his one eye. 



" Gangleri said : ' Where is the head-place or holy place of 

 the Asar ?' Har answered : ' At the ash of Yggdrasil, where 

 the gods give their judgments every day/ Gangleri asked : 

 ' What can be told of that place ?' Jainhar said : ' The ash 

 is the largest and best of trees ; its branches spread all over 

 the world and reach up over the heaven ; three roots of the 

 tree hold it up and spread very widely. One (of the roots) is 

 with the Asar, another with the Hrimthursar where of yore 



Vili, will ; Ve, sanctuary, holy place. Cf. also ' Lokasenna,' 26 ; ' Yngliiiija,' c. 3. 



