Þrúðgelmir

Þrúðgelmir (anglicized Thrudgelmir or Thrúdgelmir) is a giant in Norse mythology. His name means "Strength-yeller". He is the son of the primordial giant Aurgelmir (who Snorri Sturluson in the Gylfaginning identifies with Ymir), and the father of Bergelmir.

Þrúðgelmir appears in the eddic poem Vafþrúðnismál (29). When Odin asks who of the Æsir or of the giants are the oldest, Vafþrúðnir answers:

Uncountable winters before the earth was made,

then Bergelmir was born,

Thrudgelmir was his father,

and Aurgelmir is grandfather

—Vafþrúðnismál, Larrington's translation

For Rudolf Simek, Þrúðgelmir is identical to the six-headed son that was begotten by Aurgelmir's feet (Vafþrúðnismál, 33). But the fact that (apart from the þulur) he is mentioned in only one source led John Lindow to suggest that he might have been invented by the poet.

References

• The Poetic Edda. Trans. with an introd. and notes by Carolyne Larrington. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0192839462.
• Lindow, John. Norse mythology : a guide to the gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0195153820.
• Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Translated by Angela Hall. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1996. ISBN 0-85991-513-1.