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I'm not being greedy. It's just, well, you get what you pay for. Something comes cheap, it ain't worth much. That's true for knowledge especially. You can pay for the shortcut, get the information right now, or you'll have to find it on your own, the hard way.

–Mimir to Magnus Chase, in the Sword of Summer

Mimir (pronounced "ME-meer"), also spelled as Mímir, is one of the oldest Norse gods, as well as the guardian of the Well of Knowledge. He was beheaded by the Vanir, during their conflict with the Aesir. In modern times, his servants included Hearth and Blitz, who were later released from their service by Odin.

History[]

Post Aesir-Vanir War and Beheading[]

During the Aesir-Vanir War, the two sides finally decided to establish a truce. The exchanged hostages; the Vanir sent to Asgard Njord and his son, Frey, while the Aesir gave Honir and Mímir.

Upon arrival, Honir was made chief of the Vanir, with Mímir as his adviser. However, when Honir was at meetings without Mímir by his side, he wasn't able to make any decision. This made the Vanir suspicious of being cheated in the exchange, so they seized Mimir, beheaded him, and sent the head back to Asgard. Odin took the head of Mímir to Jotunheim and soaked it in the Well of Knowledge, flowing around the roots of Yggdrasil. The water brought the head back to to life, embalmed it with herbs and used its magic to give the head the power to speak to him. Mímir then became Odin's closest adviser.

Before the Series[]

Prior to the book, Hearthstone and Blitzen both drank from his well. Hearth hoped for a path to learn magic, and Blitzen wanted to find a way to achieve his dream of becoming a clothes designer.

Mimir promised that Blitzen would fulfill his wish sometime as he served him. As for Hearthstone, the god offered him two paths. If he chose the first, he'd receive hearing and speech, though he would have to abandon magic entirely. The other one was much harder, though Hearth would be able to achieve mastery over magic. Hearth chose the second path.

Later, when Magnus's mother was just slain by Fenris Wolf, Mímir instructed Hearth and Blitz to watch over him and keep him alive.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard[]

The Sword of Summer[]

When Magnus, Hearth, Blitz, and Sam went looking for the Sword of Summer along with a way to stop Surt from unleashing Fenris Wolf, Blitz suggests asking Capo. They release Mímir's head by throwing it into a lagoon.

The god tells them about his past, then states that the Fenris Wolf's island is only accessible on the first full moon of the year. Mimir offers them to know where the sword is in exchange for their service, but they decline. He then disappears.

The Hammer of Thor[]

After Magnus is decapitated, he dreams of Mimir in a bathtub. He is seen urgently speaking to Blitzen and Hearthstone.

9 from the Nine Worlds[]

This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let It Shine[]

He leads Blitzen to a seedy bar and tells him that the dwarf Alviss is planning to kill Thor for petrifying him and tasks Blitz to save the thunder god without him knowing.

The Trials of Apollo[]

The Tower of Nero[]

Due to a mutual problem of some sort, Chiron has a joint task force meeting with two acquaintances of his from other pantheons. One is described as a severed head, presumably Mimir. The other is described as a cat.

Personality[]

Mímir is shown to be serious and intelligent. He has an obsession for pachinko, and has a tendency to think business-wise. Mimir constantly strives to manipulate events from behind the scenes. Most of the time, he pulls strings to avoid world-ending disasters.

However, Samirah has an aversion towards trusting him. She claimed that he often had his own agenda, and that it is unknown which side he is on. This suggests that Mimir has a dual nature like many other deities.

Appearance[]

Being a head alone, Mímir has grey, wrinkly skin, a tuft of reddish hair and dark, sunken eyes when closed. After being submerged in any water his skin gets smooth and turns pink.

Abilities[]

  • Knowledge: After soaking in the waters of Yggdrasil, Mímir's knowledge has been vastly increased, according to Blitzen, to the point that Mimir is wiser than even Odin himself.

Trivia[]

  • Mímir likes to call himself Odin's consigliere which is a term used to describe an adviser to the boss of the mafia.
    • Oddly enough, Hearth and Blitz call him capo (Italian for 'head', or 'boss'), which, in mafia, is a rank placed lower than the consigliere.
  • His name Mimir means The Rememberer.
  • His Greek counterpart is Mnemosyne, Lady of Remembrance and Titaness of Memory.
  • In mythology, there is also a different version of Mímir's story which differs slightly from the version shown in the book: Mímir was a mysterious, old Jotunn, who lived in Jotunheim, near the roots of Yggdrasil. He was drinking from the Well every day, to increase his knowledge. One day, Odin found the Well and asked Mímir for the permission to drink from it. As compensation, the All-Father gave his eye to the Jotunn. Drinking from the Well allowed Odin to discover the Runes.
  • Mimir is acquaintances and possibly friends with Chiron the centaur.
  • Mimir claims to invented thing like straws, baseball caps, and pillows.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Core Series: The Sword of Summer | The Hammer of Thor | The Ship of the Dead
Main Characters: Magnus Chase | Alex Fierro | Blitzen | Halfborn Gunderson | Hearthstone | Loki | Mallory Keen | Samirah al-Abbas | Sumarbrander | Thomas Jefferson Jr.
Secondary Characters: Randolph Chase | Gunilla | Natalie Chase | Amir Fadlan | Alderman
Minor Characters: Annabeth Chase | Frederick Chase | Helgi | Hunding | Vala | Junior | Lars Alhstrom | Stanley | Inge | Percy Jackson | Stan | Alviss | Miles | Wildflower | Sunspot | John Henry
Norse Gods: Freya | Thor | Balder | Ullr | Frey | Odin | Heimdall | Vidar | Sif | Frigg | Tyr
Minor Gods: Skírnir | Mimir | Ran | Hod | Hel | Sigyn | Aegir | Nine Billow Maidens | Njord | Kvasir | Holler | Forseti | Glum | Lofn | Sól | Idunn
Jotnar: Surt | Gerd | Norns | Utgard-Loki | Harald | Ymir | Geirrod | Gjalp | Greip | Thrym | Thrynga | Tiny | Little Billy | Hrungnir | Red | Tattoo | Gunlod | Suttung | Baugi | Skadi | Hrym | Eggther | Norns
Monsters: Jormungand | Ratatosk | Vedrfolnir | Nidhogg | Fenris Wolf | Lindworm | Wight | Brunnmigi | Siersgrunnr | Garm
Magical Creatures: Dwarf | Elf | Sleipnir | Stanley | Marvin | Otis | Hulder | Nøkks | Vatnavaettir | Nisser | Troll | Raven | Hugin and Munin
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds | 9 from the Nine Worlds
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