The numbers three and nine are significant numbers in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Both numbers (and multiples thereof) appear throughout surviving attestations of Norse mythology, in both mythology and Germanic paganism. While the number three appears significant in many cultures, Norse mythology appears to put special emphasis on the number nine. Along with the number 27, both numbers also figure into the lunar Germanic calendar. Attestations Three The number three occurs with great frequency in grouping individuals and artefacts: There were three original beings: the primordial cow Audhumla, Ymir the first giant, and Búri the first god and grandfather of Odin. For three days Audhumla licked the ice of Ginnungagap until Búri was freed. Ymir had three direct offspring: a boy and girl who grew from beneath his arms and a six-headed son who sprang from the coupling of his feet. There were three generations of giants before the race as a whole was destroyed by the deluge of Ymir's blood, after which time his grandson Bergelmir became the progenitor of a new line. The heart of the giant Hrungnir was triangular and made of stone. There are three named Norns. Odin had two brothers, Vili and Vé (or Lodur and Hoenir according to Völuspá), numbering three sons of Borr who created the world and gave life to the first human beings. Odin is the ruler of the third generation of gods as the son of Borr and grandson of Búri. Yggdrasil the World Tree has three roots. Under the three roots are three sacred wells, one for each, including the Well of Urd in Asgard, the Well of Mimir located "among the frost giants", and Hvergelmir in Niflheim. Odin endured three hardships upon the World Tree in his quest for the runes: he hanged himself, wounded himself with a spear, and suffered from hunger and thirst. In the Gylfaginning section of the Prose Edda, King Gylfi is confronted by a triple throne at the home of the gods, one being seated and occupied atop another. Loki has three malign progeny by the giantess Angrboda: the wolf Fenrir, Jörmungandr the World Serpent, and Hel. Prior to Ragnarök, there will be three hard winters without an intervening summer, the Fimbulwinter. There are three main events leading up to Ragnarök itself: the birth of Loki's three monstrous children, the death of Baldr and subsequent punishment of Loki, and the onset of