Why the Smartest Man Alive Really Got His Head Chopped Off

Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss Mimir, a giant who was counted among the gods and renowned the nine realms over for his knowledge and wisdom. He was traded in a hostage exchange to end a war between two warring tribes of gods. He was decapitated by his captors, his severed head later reanimated by Odin. And he was the master of the well of Mimir, a well that teemed with knowledge, wisdom, and mystical power that could be harnessed by those who drank from it - that is, by those who could stomach the sacrifice needed to drink from it. We're going to begin with the Aesir-Vanir War, then moving on to Mimir's time as a hostage, and finally, wrapping up with the Well of Mimir and Mimir's relationship with Odin. Let's get into it.With that covered, we're now going to dive into the Aesir Vanir War.One day, a sorceress traversed the rainbow bridge, crossed into Asgard, and approached the impregnable gates and towering walls of the Aesir fortress. She introduced herself as Gullvieg, meaning "Lust for Gold. At first, the Aesir gods were apprehensive about letting Gullveig into their midst, for the conventional wisdom was that those who practiced sorcery weren't the most reputable or trustworthy sort, having a penchant for mischief, trickery, and sowing disorder. Despite this, Gullveig won them over with her charm and with her promises of wealth and power. She was a master of Seidr, a feminine sort of magic, which she harnessed to perform favors for various gods. However, as time went on, rather than improve lives, her magic was a source of strife, not betterment. Gods were resentful of other gods that gained advantage and prestige through Gullveig's arts, thinking them obtained unfairly.