Mímir is one of the stranger figures among the Æsir. In the form we know him best, he is not a full god at all, but a disembodied head. And yet, perhaps because of this, he is one of the most powerful symbols of wisdom and hidden knowledge in Norse myth.

He appears across multiple sources: the Prose Edda, Poetic Edda, Heimskringla, Sigrdrífumál, and Fjölsvinnsmál. He rarely takes center stage. His story is brief, but his influence is far-reaching.

Before he lost his body, Mímir was a wise and honored member of the Æsir. Some accounts suggest he was Bestla’s brother, which would make him Óðin’s maternal uncle. That lineage fits, given how highly he was regarded. When the war between the Æsir and Vanir reached its uneasy truce, Mímir was sent as a hostage to the Vanir, along with Hœnir, Óðin’s brother in some traditions. The Vanir, impressed with Hœnir’s presence and poise, made him a chieftain.

That didn’t last.

Hœnir could not make decisions without Mímir whispering in his ear. Once the Vanir realized they had been given a figurehead who lacked his own wisdom, they took offense. They cut off Mímir’s head and sent it back to the Æsir.

Óðin didn’t waste the opportunity.

He embalmed the head with sacred herbs and charms, preserving it and continuing to learn from it. Eventually, he placed the head at Mímisbrunnr, the well of wisdom that bears Mímir’s name. From this well, Mímir drinks daily, deepening his knowledge further still. It is from this source that Óðin famously gave his eye in exchange for a single drink. Some say Heimdallr may have given one of his ears in the same way.

​

Thoughts on Mímir

Disembodied heads appear across many Indo-European myths, especially in Norse, Celtic, and Saxon traditions. Mímir has echoes in Bran the Blessed, the giant king of Welsh lore whose severed head was said to protect Britain and offer guidance to future kings.

Other cultures also revered heads as sacred vessels. Chinnamasta, Ganesha, John the Baptist, Medusa, Baphomet, and Ketu all appear in decapitated or transformed-head forms. Across time, heads were seen not just as biological necessities, but as the seat of the soul, wisdom, and fate. Some were embalmed. Others were shrunk. Many were honored, feared, or used in ritual.

Mímir stands among the oldest gods. He is said to be the son of the jötunn Bölþorn and brother to Bestla. This makes him kin to the ancient Jötnar. He is sometimes referenced in kennings as “mischief-Mímir,” a nod to his giant blood and deeper mysteries.

Óðin and his brothers reused jötunn body parts to shape the cosmos. Ýmir’s head became the sky. His brains became clouds. In that strange and sacred context, a preserved and whispering head at the root of the world makes perfect mythic sense.

​

Signs and Symbols

Severed heads. Wells and springs. Sacred fountains. The passing of secret knowledge. Symbols of counsel, divination, and hidden wisdom. Teachers, elders, advisors. And if nothing else, pickles.

​

Associated Names

Mim