Home › Glossary › Letter B

Bur

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The first god, licked from ice by Audhumla; father of Borr and grandfather of Odin.

Detailed Definition
Bur emerged from the ice of Ginnungagap when Audhumla licked away the rime, becoming the progenitor of the Æsir through his son Borr. He signifies the birth of divine order. In poetry, Bur represents the genesis of the gods and the transition from primordial chaos to structured cosmos, foundational to Norse creation myths.
Example
Example in poetry:
Bur, first of the Æsir, licked from ice by Audhumla; Father of Borr and grandfather of Odin, Vili, and Vé; Poets cite Bur to mark the dawn of divine order from chaos; His emergence signals the shift from primordial to structured cosmos; In kennings, “Bur’s kin” refers to the gods collectively; Contemporary mythic verse uses him to explore origins of consciousness and lineage.
Additional Notes
Bur, the first god, emerges from ice licked by Audhumla and fathers Borr, continuing the divine line to Odin; his emergence from primordial chaos positions him as a foundational figure of order, and his brief mention in the Prose Edda belies his cosmological importance—poets can use Bur to signify origin, purity, or the birth of consciousness from void.
Also Known As
Burr
Skip to main content