Sculpture "Ymerbrønden"

The sculpture was originally carved in sandstone, and the original can today be seen at Faaborg Museum. The version on the town square in Faaborg is a bronze cast replica, erected in 1964.

  The story behind the sculpture is based on Norse legends and myths. Before anything else existed, Niflheim lay to the north and Muspelheim to the south. Between them was a vast abyss called Ginnungagap.   Niflheim was colder than the coldest winter, while Muspelheim consisted of blazing flames and fire. Nothing could live there except the sons of Muspel. At the border of Muspelheim sat Surtr, guarding the realm with his sword forged from living fire.   Twelve raging rivers flowed into Ginnungagap. In the freezing cold of Niflheim, their waters turned into massive glaciers. As these drifted southward, they met the heat from Muspelheim and began to melt. Mist and frost spread across Ginnungagap. The frost started to drip, and the drops were alive. Gradually they took the shape of a human being, and thus the giant Ymir came into existence.   One day, as Ymir slept, a man and a woman sprang from his left armpit. One of his feet became the father and the other the mother of a son. From Ymir descended the giants, also known as the Frost Giants.   The icy mist continued to drip, and from the drops emerged the cow Audhumla. Ymir lived on her milk. The cow, in turn, licked the salty stones of the ice. After one day of licking, the hair of a man appeared. On the second day, his head emerged, and on the third day the entire man stepped alive from the ice. From him descended Odin, Vili, and Ve, the oldest of the gods.   As the gods grew in strength, they killed Ymir. So much blood poured from his body that nearly all his descendants drowned in it. Only Bergelmir and his wife survived, escaping in a hollow tree trunk or wooden container. From them descended the giants and mountain trolls who later brought much evil into the world.   Odin and his brothers cast Ymir’s body into Ginnungagap. From his corpse they created the world. His blood became rivers, lakes, and the sea surrounding the earth. His flesh became soil, and his bones became mountains. They lifted his skull high above the earth to form the sky. Sparks from Muspelheim were placed in the heavens to shine upon the world, while parts of the giant’s brain drifted beneath the sky as cold, wet clouds.   Each day, the giantess Night (Nótt) travels across the heavens in a chariot drawn by the horse Hrímfaxi, whose frothing breath falls to the earth as dew. Her son Day (Dagr) was given another chariot by Odin, drawn by the horse Skinfaxi, whose shining mane illuminates both land and sea.   The Sun and Moon are also drawn by horses and must travel swiftly, for behind them run the wolves Sköll and Hati, who seek to devour them if they can catch them. In the far north sits a giant in the form of an eagle. Whenever he beats his wings, winds sweep across the earth.   From the maggots found in Ymir’s body, the gods created the dwarves. They were given homes beneath the earth, in rocks and burial mounds, where they established smithies and crafted magnificent weapons and tools. Four dwarves were appointed to support the sky, one at each corner of the world. Among them were also the Dark Elves, black as pitch.   Thus the earth lay in the middle of the foaming sea beneath the vault of heaven. Day followed day, summer followed winter.   At the outer edge of the world, near the sea, the giants settled. This realm was called Utgard. In the middle of the world, the gods built a protective ring from Ymir’s eyebrows. This became Midgard, the home of humankind.   The first humans were created by three gods from two tree trunks found on a seashore. They named the man Ask and the woman Embla, gave them life and all their senses, and clothed them in garments.   The gods themselves lived in Asgard, the highest place in the world. At its centre lay Idavoll, a broad and beautiful plain where the gods built splendid halls. From Asgard stretches Bifröst, the rainbow bridge arching across the sky. Its red colour is fire, protecting Asgard from giants and other evil beings.