Niflheim

E73466

Niflheim is the primordial, icy realm of cold and mist in Norse mythology, often associated with darkness, fog, and the origins of cosmic creation.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Niflheim canonical 14
Niflheimr 4
Niflhel 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf location in Norse mythology
mythological realm
primordial world
afterlifeFunction abode of some of the dead
realm for those who die of sickness or old age in some traditions
associatedDeity Hel
associatedPlace Helheim
associatedWith cold
darkness
death
fog
ice
mist
the underworld
contains Hvergelmir
many venomous rivers
spring Hvergelmir
Élivágar rivers
contrastedWith Muspelheim
cosmicInteraction interacts with Muspelheim in creation myth
cosmicOriginRole its icy vapors met Muspelheim’s fire to form Ymir
one of the first realms to exist
cosmicRole primordial realm of cold and mist
cosmologicalPosition located in the north in Norse cosmology
one of the primordial worlds in Norse cosmology
culture Norse mythology
element ice
water
etymology Old Norse for “world of mist” or “home of mist”
etymologyComponent “heimr” meaning “home” or “world”
“nifl” meaning “mist” or “darkness”
feature freezing winds
perpetual cold
perpetual darkness
thick mists
governedBy Hel
inhabitedBy frost and rime
languageOfName Old Norse
linked to: Norse
mentionedBy Snorri Sturluson
mentionedIn Gylfaginning
Prose Edda
mythology Norse
numberOfRealmsContext one of the Nine Worlds in some traditions
opposedTo the warmth and fire of Muspelheim
realmType underworld realm in some Norse sources
roleInMyth source of icy rivers that helped create the first being Ymir
sometimesIdentifiedWith Helheim
symbolism symbol of cold, death, and inertia

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (20)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Norse mythology featuresPlace Niflheim
Yggdrasil hasRealm Niflheimr
linked to: Niflheim
Yggdrasil hasRootIn Niflheimr
linked to: Niflheim
Nine Worlds hasRealm Niflheimr
linked to: Niflheim
Nine Worlds lowerRealmIncludes Niflheimr
linked to: Niflheim
Muspelheim contrastedWith Niflheim
Helheim locatedIn Niflheim
Helheim associatedWith Niflhel
linked to: Niflheim
Helheim sometimesEquatedWith Niflhel
linked to: Niflheim
Hvergelmir locatedInRealm Niflheim
Níðhöggr residesIn Niflheim
Hvergelmir locatedIn Niflheim
subject linked to: spring Hvergelmir
Hvergelmir associatedWith Niflheim
subject linked to: spring Hvergelmir
Élivágar associatedWith Niflheim
subject linked to: Élivágar rivers
Élivágar locatedInMythicCosmosRegion Niflheim
subject linked to: Élivágar rivers
Helheim locatedIn Niflheim
Náströnd locatedIn Niflheim
gates of Hel relatedPlace Niflheim
Hel residence Niflheim
subject linked to: Hel (goddess)
Hel banishedTo Niflheim
subject linked to: Hel (goddess)