Muspell
The primordial realm of fire which existed to the south of Ginnungagap.
Proper noun
- The primordial realm of fire which existed to the south of Ginnungagap.
- At the beginning of time there was Muspell, which was the realm of Fire. - 2003, Kim Farnell, Reading the Runes, A Beginner's Guide, Zambezi Publishing, →ISBN, page 21:
- Certainly the encounter between the cold of Niflheim and the fires of Muspel suggests the chemical reactions that led to the evolution of the planetary surface and its atmosphere. - 2005, Diana Paxson, Taking Up the...
Origin
Borrowed from Old Norse Muspell. The ultimate origin is disputed, but one suggestion includes Latin mundus (“world”) + Proto-Germanic *spilþijaną (“to kill, ruin, murder”), thus meaning "destruction of the world." More at Muspilli. Cognates include Old Saxon mūdspelli, Old High German muspilli. More at spill.