m. [the form hifinn occurs rarely, Fms. x. 10 (v. l.), Hb. (1866) thrice; the mod. form is himin, without the inflexive n; the root consonant varies between m and f (or v), the final between n and l, cp. Goth. himins, A. S. heofon, Engl. heaven, Hel. himil, O. H. G. himila, Germ. as also mod. Dan. and Swed. himmel; this interchange of f and m is analogous to ‘of’ and ‘um’ (umb), ‘sofa’ and ‘sömn’ (i. e. svefn), ‘kufl’ and ‘kumbl,’ Lat. sopio and somnus, etc. ☞ The mythol. Gimle (Vsp. 63) is probably dat. of an obsolete himil derived from the time when the initial h was still sounded gutturally]:—heaven; in the old heathen creed the heavenly vault was the skull of the giant Ymir, Gm. 40, Vþm. 21, Edda sub init.; and is called by the poets ‘the giant’s skull,’ ‘the burden of the dwarfs’ (vide dvergr), etc.; the heavens were nine, the names of which are recorded in Edda (Gl.):—Níu eru himnar á hæð talðir, cp. Alm. 12, 13; upp-h., the ether, Vsp. 3; nú heldr jörð griðum upp, en himinn varðar fyrir ofan en hafit Rauða fyrir útan er liggr um lönd öll, Grág. i. 166; jafnhárt upp sem himinn, Edda 60 (in a verse); leikr hár hiti við h., sjálfan, Vsp. 58; hinn slétti h., Vþm. 46: allit., heiðr himin, Hbl. 19, Eb. 48 new Ed., v. l.; haf og h., sea and heaven; himin ok jörð, heaven and earth, Nj. 194; áðr stjarna komi á himin, ere the stars came up in heaven, Grág. ii. 322.

β. phrases, undir berum himni, under the bare sky, freq.; hann ann mér eigi at hafa himininn jafnan yfir höfði sér sem hann hefir sjálfr, Vápn. 20; þykjask taka h. höndum, to think one grasps heaven with one’s hands, of high fantastic hopes; þat hugðum vér bændr … at vér hefðim þá höndum himin tekit, en nú …, Hkr. i. 141, Sighvat (Bersögl. vísur), Al. 118; himins-emdi, the end, border of heaven, Vþm. 37, Edda 12.

2. the heathen conception of a plurality of heavens caused the plural to be mostly used by Christian writers, esp. after the Reformation, also, Guð á himnum, God in the heavens; Faðir á himnum, Gr. ἐν τοις οὐρανοις, N. T., following the Gr. text; himnum að, towards the heavens, Pass. 34. 1; hér og á himnum bæði, 24. 7: himna-Guð, God in the heavens, Sól. 6, Stj.; stíga til himna, to ascend to the heavens, Gþl. 40; himna-fagnaðr, heavenly joy, Hom. 30; himna-brauð, bread from the heavens, manna, Post.; himna-fæðsla, id., Stj.; himna-för, ascension to the heavens; himna-ljós, the light of the heavens, Pass. 3. 3; hinma-hallir, the halls of the heavens, 25. 13; himna-konungr, the king of the heavens, Hom., Fms. i. 141; himna-mjöl, the flour of the heavens, manna, Stj., Al. 64; himna-sjón, heavenly sight, Greg. 35; himna-vist, an abode in the heavens, Hom.; himna-ríki, n. the kingdom of the heavens, N. T., in old writers himin-ríki.

II. metaph. (like Gr. οὐρανός), a canopy, covering, cp. Germ. trag-himmel; sængr-himinn, a bed canopy: poët., brúna-himinn, heaven of the brows, the forehead, Kormak; ál-himin, the heaven or covering of the deep, the ice, Eyvind.