Sæhrímnir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Norse mythology, Sæhrímnir was the cosmic boar killed and eaten every night by the Æsir and einherjar. The cook of the gods, Andhrímnir, was responsible for the slaughter and preparation using the cauldron named Eldhrímnir. After Sæhrímnir was eaten, he was brought back to life to provide sustenance for the following day.

The three names can be translated into modern language as Sø (Lake or Sea), Ild (Fire) and Ånd (Spirit). So the einherjar ate what one must believe ghosts eat.

In Gylfaginning, we are provided with this stanza:[1]

Andhrímnir lætr   i Eldhrímni
Sæhrímni soþinn,   fleska bazt,
at þat fair vitu   við hvat einherjar alaz.
In Eldhrímnir, Andhrímnir has
boiled Sæhrímnir, the best of meat,
yet how few know with what food the Einherjar are fed.


Variants of the name include Sahrimnir (a common Anglication), Særimner (Danish and Norwegian) and Särimner (Swedish).