A brother of Odin, one of the three sons of Bor who killed the giant Ymir and shaped the world from his body.
Accounts of this vary across texts and traditions. This entry primarily follows Norse mythology (Eddic tradition), with other tellings (Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson), Poetic Edda (anonymous Icelandic poems), Regional Scandinavian and Germanic folk tradition) noted where relevant.
Introduction
Ve is a son of Bor and Bestla, brother of Odin and Vili. Together, the three brothers killed the primordial giant Ymir and used his body to create the world.
Family
Role in creation
Ve shares fully in the story of his brothers: their joint slaying of Ymir and the shaping of the world from the giant's body. As with Vili, Snorri Sturluson elsewhere identifies this trio with Odin, Hœnir and Lodurr, gods who give the first humans, Ask and Embla, their breath, senses and vital warmth, though the exact relationship between the two sets of names is debated by scholars.
This entry is independently written for myVamsam using the sources listed above.
Where traditions differ, this entry identifies the relevant tradition rather than presenting one account as universally established fact.