Overview
Auðhumla is one of the oldest and most important beings in Norse mythology. Emerging at the dawn of creation in the barren void of Ginnungagap, she is the primordial cow whose nourishing milk sustained Ymir, the first frost giant.
While Ymir spawned the race of giants, Auðhumla played another vital role: by licking the salty ice blocks that formed along the edges of Niflheim’s frost, she gradually revealed Búri, the ancestor of the gods. Through her simple, patient motions, she helped bring forth the lineage that would later slay Ymir and shape the cosmos itself.
Auðhumla represents nourishment, creation, and the quiet forces that shape the universe — not through violence, but through care and persistence.
Key Roles
Nourisher of Ymir
Streams of milk flowed from Auðhumla’s four teats, providing life and sustenance to Ymir, whose body would later form the nine realms.
Revealer of Búri
By licking salty rime blocks for three days, Auðhumla uncovered Búri — the progenitor of Odin, Vili, and Vé, and the forefather of the gods.
First Being of the Void
Living between the fires of Muspelheim and the ice of Niflheim, Auðhumla stands as a symbol of balance between destructive and creative forces.
Symbol of Creation and Sustenance
Auðhumla embodies nourishment, motherhood, and the gentle power that enables the rise of gods, giants, and worlds alike.
Quick Facts
Related Stories
Domain
Ginnungagap
Auðhumla dwells in the primordial void, between the fires of Muspelheim and the icy mists of Niflheim — the birthplace of all life in Norse cosmology.