right|thumb|250px|Hymir, Thor and Jörmungandr. An illustration from Nils Fredrik Sander's 1893 Swedish edition of the [[Poetic Edda.]]
thumb|upright|Hymir and Thor on the [[Gosforth Cross]]
Hymir (Old Norse: /ˈhymɪɹ̝/) is a jötunn in Norse mythology, and the owner of a brewing-cauldron fetched by the thunder-god Thor for Ægir, who wants to hold a feast for the Æsir (gods). In Hymiskviða, Hymir is portrayed as the father of Týr, but in Skáldskaparmál, Odin is Týr's father.
Name
The etymology of the Old Norse name Hymir remains unclear. It is perhaps related to the Norwegian humen ('limp, weary') or humre ('whinny'; compare with MHG hummen 'hum'). Andy Orchard has proposed the translation 'creeper'.
Hymir is often used in kennings as a modifier for jötnarr.
Attestations
Hymiskviða and Gylfaginning
Hymiskviða recounts how Thor and Týr obtain the cauldron from Hymir. His skull is unusually hard, and Thor breaks a cup by throwing it at Hymir's head.
Hymiskviða also recounts Thor's fishing for Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent. Thor goes fishing with Hymir, using the head of Hymir's best ox for bait, and catches Jörmungandr, who then either breaks loose or, as told in the Gylfaginning of the Prose Edda, is cut loose by Hymir. The Prose Edda provides the additional detail that while Thor was attempting to pull Jörmungandr in, his feet went through the bottom of the boat. A stone slab that may be a portion of a second cross at Gosforth also shows a fishing scene using an ox head for bait. The legend is also depicted on the Altuna Runestone, but its image does not show Hymir, possibly due to the narrow shape of that stone.