Audhumla

Audhumla is an important supporting character in the movie. Four strong rivers of milk poured from her udders and provided nourishment to Ymir and the other beings in Niflheim. She is also important in that she releases Buri from the ice by licking the salty iceblocks for her own nourishment. Buri's release marks the beginning of the Aesir tribe (those we call the Gods) who two generations later became the mortal enemies of the frost giant Ymir's tribe, the Jotnar.

Nothing is known of her origin, but she must have come into existence around the same time or before Ymir and probably in the same manner. Her name is believed to mean "hornless cow", as there is a similar word in a Scottish dialect that means just that. However, I wanted this to be the "mammoth" version of a cow as it is a bit of a prehistoric ice age they are living in, and since viking names often were ironic I reckon massive horns are suitable.

The design is a mix of different Norwegian dairy cows (depending on what angles I found reference pictures for) and the horns from a Scottish Coo. I made her quite realistic as she is more a part of the landscape than anything else (the source of four rivers of milk), and I want a really dramatic look for the shadowy Niflheim.