Ymir



YMIR The Frost Giant King 

Pantheon
None, solo worship only or with Atali.

Regions of Worship

 * Nordheim

Divine Relationships

 * Bori (enemy)

Representation
Bearded white colossus sporting a giant axe.

Gender representation: male

Symbolism

 * Ice
 * Axes
 * Ale
 * Earth

Spheres of Power

 * Destruction
 * Strength
 * War
 * Afterlife
 * Creation (As a Creator)
 * Violence

Rituals & Beliefs
Ymir represents the Earth to the Nordheimer. Ymir’s body produced the first humans, a man and a woman congealed from the sweat of his left armpit. From these sprang the races of Vanir and Aesir.

Dread Ymir rules icy Valhalla, where the dead dwell in a realm of long halls, snowy glaciers, and eternal drinking, wenching and fighting. The Nordheimer believe in an afterlife, and the afterlife often mirrors how one lived life and met one’s doom. For the common folk, the afterlife is dull and dreary, a life spent gathering and serving the warriors. For valiant warriors, however, the afterlife is filled with fighting and feasting in the snowy plains and halls of Valhalla.

Ymir’s daughter Atali is an enchantress who lures wounded men to their deaths in the ice. She has a number of brothers who resemble huge, rime-bearded Nordheimer warriors and who ambush her victims with their great axes, if the poor mortals have not already died of exposure. She brought seid (the Nordheimir version of Shamanism) to the women of Nordheim.

Battle for the Nordheimer is not only the basis of their economy and social life, it is also the basis of their religious life, for Ymir is worshipped by doing battle all day, then eating, drinking and singing all night.

Indeed, even those activities have religious merit, for ale is the drink of bold Ymir and as such is sacred and consumed in large quantities. It is said among the Nordheimir that it is possible to come into direct contact with Ymir if one drinks one’s self unconscious. Thus, inebriation is a religious obligation as well as a social activity.

Life is meant to be embraced with savage enthusiasm and death is to be met in the same manner. Among the Aesir, who are each fiercely independent, religion is viewed as a personal matter. They have no time or interest in having priests interpret Ymir for them. Each man is his own intermediary to Ymir. The Aesir keep no temples to Ymir, but they acknowledge many sacred outdoor sites, such as mountains, islands, fields, rocks and groves.

Three times per year the Aesir hold ceremonies to placate Ymir, asking for victory in war and raiding, making sacrifices of animals and humans, feasting on steaming food hot from the fires, drinking their ale in fantastic quantities and singing lustful songs celebrating their wars and heroes. These ceremonies, occurring in the spring, mid-summer and autumn, last for days and are loud, brutal affairs for such is their life.

The Priesthood
Nordheimer shamans, known as godi in Vanaheim and godar in Asgard, tend to be more political than religious, taking a chieftain-like role as well as ensuring the proper ceremonies are conducted for any given event. Religion tends to be a personal event among the Nordheimer, but even they have their oracles, much as the Cimmerians do.

A völva is a Nordheimer sorceress who practices seid. Seid is considered unmanly in Nordheimer tradition, so almost all völvas are female. A few men, however, especially after a near-death experience, do take up the path. Seid is considered unmanly because it is a manipulative practice, which runs counter to the Nordheimer code of forthright behavior for men. Old women völvas are seen as representatives of the spirits of death. Really old and powerful völvas even practice necromancy.

Völvas wear black cloaks and hoods of black wool trimmed with white cat fur. Some are nude beneath; others wear standard clothing for Nordheimer women. A few carry swords. They carry symbolic staffs of power (called seidstaffs), which aid in their magic. The seidstaff allows a völva to cast spells which would normally require her to touch the object the spell is being cast upon without actually touching that object; instead, she only has to touch the object with one end of the seidstaff whilst holding the staff ’s other end.

Implementation IC & In-Game
Vanilla Ymir religion. Notice that Nordheimer have no temples and altars should be placed not under the roof, but in the open courtyard.

More Information

 * The Frost-Giant's Daughter (primary reference to Atali)
 * Savage Tales #1 (Marvel Comics, May 1971)
 * Conan the Barbarian #16 (Marvel Comics, July 1972), a censored reprint of the Savage Tales story with a new opening page.
 * Savage Sword of Conan #1 (Marvel Comics, Aug 1974), a reprint of the Savage Tales story with the opening page from Conan the Barbarian.
 * Conan #2 (Dark Horse Comics, Mar 2004), and reprinted as Robert E Howard's The Frost-Giant's Daughter.
 * Faith and Fervour (Conan RPG Book)