Hvergelmir

Hvergelmir is a place within the cosmos of Norse Religion, where the waters of the Earth rise, deep beneath the roots of Yggdrasil.

The great spring under the roots of the cosmic tree is said to be in the land of Nifleheim, and has many rivers that emerge from it. It is the source the eleven great rivers called the Elivgar.

However, this region in the cold, dark, mists of Nifleheim is a fearsome place. In the Prose Edda it is mentioned in connection with Nastrond — one of the afterlife halls of the dead, the ill-fated destination for murderers and oath-breakers who spent eternity wading through venom — but is said to be even worse than Náströnd. [2]

Snakes live in Hvergelmir in such numbers, and of such variety, that nobody alive can name them all. The dread dragon Nidhoggr lives near the spring as he tears apart the corpses of the dead. While from his perch on the roof of Odin’s hall Valhalla high above, liquid drips from the antlers of the proud stag Eikthyrnir as he feeds on the branches of Yggdrasil, which fall into Hvergelmir.

The Boiling, Bubbling, Spring

In the cosmology of the Norse, there are eleven great rivers called the Elivgar, “ice waves”, which flow through the Nine Worlds. All of them flow from the same source, Hvergelmir, which was said to be located in Nifleheim beneath one of the great roots of Yggdrasil.

According to the single mention in the Poetic Edda, the Norse believe that Hvergelmir is the place “whence all waters rise” — the source of all the rivers of the world, perhaps — whose name in Old Norse means “bubbling, boiling spring”. [1]

In the description of Yggdrasil (Gylfaginning, Prose Edda) one of the kings of Asgard who is known only as Just-as-High explains how the great tree as three roots that reach very deep in order to support the tree. The third of these roots extends over Nifleheim, and it is beneath this root in Nifleheim that Hvergelmir is located.

Hvergelmir In Myths and Literature

Our description of Hvergelmir is found primarily in the Prose Edda (composed and compiled by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century) where is mentioned a number of times, especially in the context of Norse cosmology and the creation of the world. It is also mentioned in the Poetic Edda, but only a single time.

It is said that Hvergelmir is the source of the Elivgar, the eleven great “ice waves” (rivers) which played an important role in the birth of the gods, creating the expanse of ice that the forefathers of the Aesir and the Jotnar were both born from.

In the one mention from the Poetic Edda, from the poem Grímnismál, we get a description of how the sacred stag stands on Odin’s hall to eat branches from the cosmic tree Yggdrasil:

Eikthyrnir the hart is called,
that stands o’er Odin’s hall,
and bites from Lærad’s branches;
from his horns fall drops into Hvergelmir,
whence all waters rise.^[1]

The following three stanzas are essentially a list of the names of 42 rivers which, presumably, arise from Hvergelmir. [1] Some flow to the home of the gods (like Gömul and Geirvimul) while at least two flow to Hel (Gjöll and Leipt). [1]

The exact number of rivers that are said to originate in the “boiling, bubbling spring” is unknown. Not because we don’t have accounts — we do — but because different sources give different numbers. In the Poetic Edda above there is a list of 42 rivers, while in the Gylfaggining of the Prose Edda, High gives 26 in total. [1]

The Location of Hvergelmir

In the opening stanzas of the Gylfaginning, the creation of the world is described. Long before the Earth was formed, there existed Nifleheim, and Hvergelmir was found within it.

Later on in the Gylfaginning Just-as-High describes Yggdrasil — one of the few descriptions we have of the cosmic tree — explaining how it has three great roots that extend very deep, deep down.

One of these roots passes over Nifleheim, and beneath it, is located Hvergelmir. This is one of three springs spoken of in Norse myth (the other two being ).

Dragons, Snakes, and a Stag

Hvergelmir is a dark, hellish place. It is said to be even worse than the afterlife hall Nastrond (the destination for murderers and oath-breakers) because the dragon Níðhöggr who lives there eats the corpses of the dead.

In addition to Níðhöggr, the spring is said to be home of a multitude of snakes, so many kinds that “no tongue can enumerate them”. [1] In addition to eating corpses, Níðhöggr is also busy gnawing at the roots of Yggdrasil.

Significance In Myth

While it is only mentioned a handful of times, the pure spring Hvergelmir actually plays a central role within Norse myth and cosmology. First there is its association with the cosmic tree Yggdrasil, located at its roots. Secondly, there are the many rivers that emerge from it as it is said to be “whence all waters rise”. [1]

The reason why Hvergelmir plays such a central role, however, is because this primal well was necessary for the birth of the gods and the Jotnar. According to the Norse creation story, when then Elivgar (the eleven rivers called “ice waves”) flowed far from their source, they froze over, creating a great expanse of ice (which some scholars believe is a memory of the Last Ice Age encoded in Norse legend).

It was from this block of ice that the cosmic cow Authumbla, licked free the first of the frost giants, Ymir. After Ymir was born from the ice, so too was Borr freed from the ice, the forefather of Odin — and by extension, all of the Aesir gods. Later on the sons of Borr slew Ymir, and his blood formed all the oceans and rivers of the world. Returning the water that he was formed from back to its source.

Lastly, the creatures who live around Hvergelmir — the multitude of nameless serpents and the dragon Nithhoggr who lives at Nastrond — are all said to be constantly gnawing at the roots of Yggdrasil. Year by year, century by century, age by age, they eat away at the roots of the cosmic tree. One day, it will fall, and will be no more.

Hvergelmir played a role in the forming of the world and the birth of the gods, and it also will influence the end too.

Notes

Resources

1. “Hvergelmir”. Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hvergelmir> Accessed 09 Dec 2024.
2. Sturluson, Snorri. “Gylfaginning, Prose Edda”. Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur translation. 1916. <Read Online>. Accessed 09 Dec 2024.