Borr is the father of Odin in Norse mythology, the son of the primeval god Búri and the father of the three brothers who created the world. Though he performs no deeds of his own in the surviving myths, Borr is a crucial link in the divine genealogy — the bridge between the first god and the gods who shaped the cosmos.
Who is Borr?
Borr, also spelled Bor or Burr, is a primordial god known almost entirely through his family. He is the son of Búri, the first of the Æsir, and the husband of the giantess Bestla. Like his father, Borr has no adventures attributed to him; his significance is that of an ancestor. The Poetic Edda remembers him in the patronymic "sons of Burr," and Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda sets out his place in the family tree of the gods.
The son of Búri
Borr belongs to the second generation of divine beings. His father Búri emerged directly from the ice, licked free by the primordial cow Auðumbla at the dawn of creation. Borr was Búri's son — how he came to be born is never explained — and with him the line of the Æsir begins to take recognizable shape, mingling with the race of giants through his marriage.
Bestla and the sons of Borr
Borr took as his wife Bestla, the daughter of the giant Bölþorn. Their union produced three sons: Odin, Vili, and Vé. These brothers are the makers of the world. They slew the frost-giant Ymir, formed the earth, sea, and sky from his body, and breathed life into the first humans, Ask and Embla. Through Bestla, the ruling gods carry giant blood on their mother's side — a reminder that the ordered world of Asgard was born from a marriage of god and giant.
Symbols and legacy
Borr stands for descent and inheritance — the unbroken thread of lineage that the rune Othala celebrates. He is one of the quiet, foundational figures of Norse myth: a name in a genealogy rather than a hero of stories. Yet his three sons define the entire mythology, and every telling of the creation of the world begins, in effect, with the sons of Borr.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Borr in Norse mythology?
Borr is a primordial god, the son of the first god Búri and the father of Odin, Vili, and Vé. He performs no deeds of his own but is a key link in the genealogy of the Æsir.
Who is Borr's father?
Borr's father is Búri, the first of the gods, who was licked free from the ice by the primordial cow Auðumbla at the beginning of creation.
Who are Borr's sons?
Borr's three sons are Odin, Vili, and Vé. Together they slew the giant Ymir, shaped the world from his body, and created the first humans.
Who was Borr's wife?
Borr married the giantess Bestla, daughter of the giant Bölþorn. Through her, the ruling Æsir gods carry giant blood on their mother's side.