Eitr is a term for atter, or poison, in Old Norse. In Nordic mythology, it is the origin of the first jötunn, Ymir, who was conceived from eitr dripped from the icy rivers called the Élivágar. Eitr is also produced by poisonous snakes such as the worm Jörmungandr. Etymology in Old Norse translates as "poison" and is derived from (“poison, pus”) from Proto-Indo-European:'*h₂eyd-ro-m' (“to swell; swelling, tumour, abscess”) and is the ancestor of terms in North Germanic languages meaning poison such as and . It is further cognate with other terms in Germanic languages such as and Modern English:'atter', both also meaning 'poison'. Role in cosmogony In Gylfaginning, is described as forming in Ginnungagap, which gave rise to the primordial being Ymir, as described by the jötunn Vafþrúðnir in Vafþrúðnismál: Production by snakes is described as being produced by snakes () such as in Gylfaginning when it is dripped on Loki by a snake placed above him by Skaði, and blown by Jörmungandr during Ragnarök, leading to the death of Thor. Citations Bibliography Primary Secondary External links Snorra-Edda: Gylfaginning Artifacts in Norse mythology Mythological substances Origin myths Ymir