Audumbla- Norse PrimordialPrimordial"The Primordial Cow"
Also known as: Auðumbla, Audhumla, and Auðhumla
Description
From the melting frost of Ginnungagap she emerged, a primordial cow whose four rivers of milk fed the first giant while her tongue licked the ancestor of all gods free from the salty rime.
Mythology & Lore
Four Rivers of Milk
When the warm airs of Múspellsheimr met the frost of Niflheimr in Ginnungagap, the ice began to thaw. From the dripping rime two beings took shape: the frost giant Ymir and the cow Auðumbla. The Gylfaginning gives the scene plainly. Four rivers of milk flowed from her udder, and Ymir fed on them alone. She was the first nourishment in a world that had none.
Licking Búri Free
Auðumbla herself fed by licking the salty ice blocks. On the first day, a man's hair appeared. On the second day, a head. By the evening of the third day, an entire man stood free. This was Búri, the first of the line that led to Odin.
After uncovering Búri, Auðumbla vanishes from the sources. Snorri records nothing of her fate once creation moves past the primordial age. She appears nowhere in the Poetic Edda. The Gylfaginning alone preserves her.