Also called Bil, Hjuki, Jack and Jill (a doubtful modern link).
Their story
Máni, the moon, took two children, Bil and Hjúki, as they were carrying water from the well Byrgir on a pole called Simul with a bucket called Sægr. They follow Máni across the sky and can be seen from the earth. Snorri also lists Bil among the goddesses.
Best times to give to them
- at the full moon
- when drawing water
- on clear nights
What they like being given
- a bowl of water left in moonlight
- a story told to a child
How to honour them
- Look for the figures in the moon and tell children their story.
- Leave a bowl of water under the moon and use it the next day.
How they can help you
- moon lore
- wonder in children
- patience with cycles
Symbols
- a bucket Sægr
- a pole Simul
- the well Byrgir
- the moon's markings
Found only in Snorri; the popular link with the nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill" is a nineteenth-century guess without evidence.
Sources
- Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 11 and 35