Also called Mimir, Mim, Mímr.
Their story
Mímir guards the well beneath one root of Yggdrasil, where wisdom and understanding are hidden, and drinks from it each morning. Odin gave one of his eyes for a single drink. In Ynglinga saga Mímir was sent to the Vanir as a hostage, and they beheaded him; Odin preserved the head with herbs and charms, and it speaks to him and tells him hidden things. At Ragnarök Odin rides to consult it.
Best times to give to them
- before study or divination
- at a well or spring
- when seeking advice
What they like being given
- clear water poured at a spring or into a bowl
- a small token dropped in a well (only where it will do no harm)
- honey mead, or honeyed water
How to honour them
- Keep a bowl of fresh water on your altar and change it when you study.
- Write down what your elders taught you, so memory is kept.
- Before reading runes, ask for the wisdom to understand what you see.
How they can help you
- wisdom
- memory and learning
- wise counsel
- connecting with ancestral knowledge
Symbols
- a well beneath the world tree
- a severed, preserved head
- the horn Gjallarhorn as a drinking horn
Whether Mímir is a god, a jötunn or neither is unclear in the sources.
Sources
- Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 15 and 51
- Snorri Sturluson, Ynglinga saga 4 and 7
- Poetic Edda, Völuspá
- Poetic Edda, Sigrdrífumál 14