hrím

Hrím is a term in Old Norse and Icelandic meaning frost or hoarfrost. In Old Norse, hrím described the icy crust that forms on surfaces in cold weather and could also be used metaphorically to evoke winter or stiffness. The word appears in medieval texts, including the Poetic Edda and various sagas, in descriptive phrases about wintry landscapes.

In myth and folklore, hrím occurs in compounds naming beings associated with frost. The best-known is hrímþurs, frost-giant, one of the frost-associated beings in Norse cosmology. A related figure is Hrímfaxi, the horse of Night (Nótt); its frost-laden mane is said to lay frost upon the earth each night.

In modern Icelandic, hrím remains the standard word for hoarfrost and is used in poetry and weather descriptions as a literary or historical term. The concept and vocabulary surrounding hrím reflect historical attitudes toward winter and frost within Norse and Icelandic culture.