SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

Mimir: Two Myths or One? 53
a deity of the Otherworld should be guardian of a remarkable
drinking-vessel, whether horn or goblet, or of a
magical cauldron, is a frequent motif in myth and legend.
It is evident that the problems concerning Mimir are
never likely to be fully resolved, but the parallels presented
here do at least make it probable that the various passages
concerning him are merely presenting different facets of
a single, though complex, figure, and that the approaches
to understanding his significance are not blocked by any
irreconcilable contradictions.