Eitr is a mythical substance in Norse mythology. This liquid substance is the origin of all living things, the first giant Ymir was conceived from eitr. The substance is supposed to be very poisonous and is also produced by Jörmungandr (the Midgard serpent) and other serpents. Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... A liquid will usually assume the shape of its container. ... For the moon of Saturn, see Ymir (moon). ... Thor goes fishing for the Midgard Serpent in this picture from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ...

In Vafþrúðnismál Odin asks Vafþrúðnir about the origin of Ymir and the giant answers: In Norse mythology, Vafþrúðnismál (Vafthruthnismal), or the Song of Vafþruðner, is the third poem in the Poetic Edda. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... Vafþrúðnir was a giant in Norse mythology and both Odins host and (defeated) opponent in a battle of wits in the poem Vafþrúðnismál, a part of the Poetic Edda. ...

Ór Élivagom

stukko eitrdropar,

svá óx, unz varð ór iötunn;

þar órar ættir

kómu allar saman,

því er þat æ allt til atalt.

Rough translation:

From Éliwaves

Eitrdrops splashed

that grew into a giant

who begat all families

from which all [giants] come

that is why we are easily angered

Influence

The word eitr exists in most Nordic languages (all derived from the Old Norse language) in Icelandic eitur, in Danish edder, in Swedish eter and Dutch ether, in German Eiter (lit. pus),in Old Saxon ĕttar, in Old English ăttor. The meaning of the word is very broad: poisonous, evil, bad, angry, sinister etc. Old Norse is the Germanic language spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300. ... Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is a Germanic language. ... Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ...

The word is used in common Scandinavian folklore as a synonym for snake poison. The last line of the stanza in Vafþrúðnismál where Vafþrúðnir says "that is why we are easily angered", is a word-play with the meaning of the word eitr, as it also means anger/angry (similar to "poison a relationship"). Scandinavian folklore is the folklore of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

	Norse mythology
	List of Norse gods | Æsir | Vanir | Giants | Elves | Dwarves | Valkyries | Einherjar | Norns | Odin | Thor | Freyr | Freyja | Loki | Balder | Tyr | Yggdrasil | Ginnungagap | Ragnarök
	Sources: Poetic Edda | Prose Edda | The Sagas | Volsung Cycle | Tyrfing Cycle | Rune stones | Old Norse language | Orthography | Later influence
	Society: Viking Age | Skald | Kenning | Blót | Seid | Numbers
	The nine worlds of Norse mythology | People, places and things

Image File history File links Mjollnir_icon. ... Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... Divided between the Æsir and the Vanir, and sometimes including the jötnar (giants), the dividing line between these groups is less than clear. ... In Old Norse, the Æsir (singular Ás, feminine Ásynja, feminine plural Ásynjur, Anglo-Saxon Ós, from Proto-Germanic *Ansuz) are the principal gods of the pantheon of Norse mythology. ... Vanir is the name of one of the two groups of gods in Norse mythology, the other and more well known being the Æsir. ... The giants Fafner and Fasolt seize Freyja in Arthur Rackhams illustration to Richard Wagners version of the Norse myths. ... A small forest elf (älva) rescuing an egg, from Solägget (1932), by Elsa Beskow An elf is a mythical creature of Germanic mythology and Germanic paganism which still survives in northern European folklore. ... In Norse mythology, the dwarves (Old Norse: dvergar, sing. ... The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ... In Norse religion the einherjar or einheriar, were spirits of warriors who had died bravely in battle. ... The Norns spin the threads of fate at the foot of Yggdrasil, the tree of the world. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... Thors battle against the giants, by Mårten Eskil Winge, 1872 Thor (Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder in Norse Mythology and more generally Germanic mythology (Old English: Þunor, Old Dutch and Old High German: Donar, from Proto-Germanic *Þunraz). ... This 19th century representation of Freyr shows him with his boar Gullinbursti and his sword. ... Freyja, in an illustration to Wagners operas by Arthur Rackham. ... This picture, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net. ... Balders death is portrayed in this illustration from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ... Týr, depicted here with both hands intact, is identified with Mars in this illustration from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ... This illustration shows a 19th century attempt to visualize the world view of the Prose Edda. ... In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap (seeming emptiness or gaping gap) was a vast chasm that existed before the ordering of the world. ... In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (fate of the gods[1]) is the battle at the end of the world. ... The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems from the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. ... The Younger Edda, known also as the Prose Edda or Snorris Edda is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. ... Excerpt Njåls saga in the Möðruvallabók (AM 132 folio 13r) circia 1350. ... The Volsung Cycle is the name of a series of Germanic legends based on the same matter as Niebelungenlied, and which were recorded in medieval Iceland. ... The Tyrfing Cycle is a collection of legends united by the magic sword Tyrfing. ... A rune stone in Lund Rune stones are stones with runic inscriptions dating from the early Middle Ages but are found to have been used most prominently during the Viking Age. ... Old Norse is the Germanic language spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300. ... The orthography of the Old Norse language since the introduction of the Latin alphabet in Iceland is a thorny subject. ... Norse mythology provides a rich and diverse source which many later writers have borrowed from or built upon. ... The Viking Age is the name of the period between 793 and 1066 AD in Scandinavia and Britain, following the Germanic Iron Age (and the Vendel Age in Sweden). ... The skald was a member of a group of courtly poets, whose poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry. ... In literature, a kenning is a compound poetic phrase, a figure of speech, substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. ... The Blót was the pagan Germanic sacrifice to Norse gods and Elves. ... Seid (Old Norse: seiðr, sometimes anglicized as seidhr, seidh, seidr, seithr or seith) was a form of shamanism practised by pre-Christian Norse and arguably other Germanic cultures and continued in modern times by people who practice the reconstructionist beliefs of Ásatrú or heathenry. ... Numbers are significant in Norse mythology although not to the extent which they are in some traditions e. ... Norse cosmology, as it is given us in the source material for Norse mythology recognizes the existence of nine worlds, assigned the ending -heimr (home, realm, or world) or in some cases -garðr (homestead, yard or earth). ... // Places Asgard Bifröst Bilskirnir Breidablik Elivagar Fyris Wolds Gandvik Ginnungagap Helgardh Hlidskjalf Hvergelmir Jötunheimr Leipter River Kormet Midgard Muspelheim Nastrond Nidavellir Niflheim Ormet Reidgotaland Slidr River Svartalfheim Utgard Valhalla Vanaheim Vimur Yggdrasil Events Fimbulwinter Ragnarök Artifacts Balmung Brisingamen Draupnir Dromi Eitr Mjolnir Skíðblaðnir Gram Gungnir...

Controversy

Although it is possible to interpret the "eitrdropar" substance mentioned in Snorra-Edda as the primordial material of the world it doesn't follow that all mention of "eitr" refers to that same substance. It is actually highly unlikely that the eitr of Jörmungandr, for an example, is the same as the eitrdropar which conceived Ymir. Thor goes fishing for the Midgard Serpent in this picture from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ...

In Icelandic "eitur" simply means "poison". "Eitrdropar" is equal to "eitur dropar" which translates as "drops of poison".

From Icelandic translation of Snorra Edda - Gylfaginning (5): External links Original text English text Categories: Mythology stubs | Medieval literature | Sagas of Iceland | Norse mythology | Nordic folklore ...

"Svo sem kalt stóð af Niflheimi og allir hlutir grimmir, svo var það er vissi námunda Múspelli heitt og ljóst. En Ginnungagap var svo hlætt sem loft :vindlaust. Og þá er mættist hrímin og blær hitans, svo að bráðnaði og draup, og af þeim kvikudropum kviknaði með krafti þess er til sendi hitann og varð :manns líkandi og var sá nefndur Ýmir, en hrímþursar kalla hann Aurgelmi, og eru þaðan komnar ættir hrímþursa, svo sem segir í Völuspá hinni skömmu"

Here is mention of "kvikudropar" ("kvikudropum") as the substance, which translates to english as "drops of lava".

From another place in Gylfaginning (5): External links Original text English text Categories: Mythology stubs | Medieval literature | Sagas of Iceland | Norse mythology | Nordic folklore ...

"Ár þær er kallaðar eru Élivágar, þá er þær váru svá langt komnar frá uppsprettunni at eitrkvika sú er þeim fylgði harðnaði svá sem sindr þat er renn :ór eldinum, þá varð þat íss, ok þá er sá íss gaf staðar ok rann eigi, þá héldi yfir þannig úr þat er af stóð eitrinu ok fraus at hrími, ok jók hvert :hrímit yfir annat allt í Ginnungagap."

Here, when speaking of the conditions before the eitrdropar substance was formed "eitrkvika" is mentioned which translates as "poisonous lava". Also in that text it is described how when the poisonous lava (originated from Muspelheim) when it had been hardened it then froze (due to the cold from Niflheim) and eventually clumped together over all Ginnungagap. Muspelheim (Flameland), also called Muspel (Old Norse Múspellsheimr and Múspell, respectively), is the realm of fire in Norse Mythology. ... Niflheim (Land of Mists) is the realm of ice and cold in Norse Mythology. ...

Later it are these frozen clumps of poisonous lava that begin to thaw (starting from the south part of Ginnungagap due to the heat from Muspelheim). This thawed matter is called "eiturdropar" and it is this matter that Ymir originates from. In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap (seeming emptiness or gaping gap) was a vast chasm that existed before the ordering of the world. ... Muspelheim (Flameland), also called Muspel (Old Norse Múspellsheimr and Múspell, respectively), is the realm of fire in Norse Mythology. ... For the moon of Saturn, see Ymir (moon). ...

From this it is assumed that eitr doesn't have a very broad meaning. It simply means "poison" like in modern Icelandic. It could have other meanings such as "anger" but only as a metaphore. Neither is there anything to suggest it has correspondance with the hypothetical substance "ether" or "aether". It is most appropriate to consider the whole as it is mentioned in the text: eitrdropar, therefore conclude that the mythical substance is some kind of poisonous drops. This meaning it is not any kind of "eitr" or poison such as you might find in snake venom but the specific poisonous substance that originated from the lava of Muspelheim. Look up aether, ether in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Muspelheim (Flameland), also called Muspel (Old Norse Múspellsheimr and Múspell, respectively), is the realm of fire in Norse Mythology. ...

To summarize: Eitr is not a specific mythical substance or a concept that has a broad meaning. Eitr simply means "poison". The mythical substance in the story of Ymir's creation remains nameless. It is only described as "drops of poison" (eitrdropar). For the moon of Saturn, see Ymir (moon). ...

External links

• Snorra-Edda: Gylfaginning

	Norse mythology
	List of Norse gods | Æsir | Vanir | Giants | Elves | Dwarves | Valkyries | Einherjar | Norns | Odin | Thor | Freyr | Freyja | Loki | Balder | Tyr | Yggdrasil | Ginnungagap | Ragnarök
	Sources: Poetic Edda | Prose Edda | The Sagas | Volsung Cycle | Tyrfing Cycle | Rune stones | Old Norse language | Orthography | Later influence
	Society: Viking Age | Skald | Kenning | Blót | Seid | Numbers
	The nine worlds of Norse mythology | People, places and things