. Son of King निमि . The sixth chapter of देवी भागवत gives the following story about the birth of मिथि .

There was once an emperor of great renown in the line of इक्ष्वाकु named निमि . He was the twelfth son of the celebrated इक्ष्वाकु and was devoted to the welfare of his subjects. He was a very honest, virtuous, righteous and good-natured man of a charitable disposition. The अग्रहार (village where brahmins reside) named जयन्तपुर near the आश्रम of गौतम महर्षि was constructed by this emperor. This emperor of a राजषिच् mind decided to perform a याग which would take years for its conclusion and in which land was to be given as gifts. He went to his father इक्ष्वाकु , and took permission from him to conduct the याग . He made all preparations for the याग . He invited भृगु , अङ्गिरस् , वामदेव , पुलस्त्य , पुलह and ऋचीक all of whom were well-versed in the Vedas and were worthy of being priests in a याग of the kind he was conducting. He then went and invited his कुलगुरु (family priest and preceptor) वसिष्ठ for the याग . But वसिष्ठ had to officiate at a याग conducted by इन्द्र and so he commanded निमि to postpone the याग by five hundred years. निमि did not act according to it and he performed the याग with the help of the other sages and completed it successfully. After five hundred years when the याग of इन्द्र came to a close, वसिष्ठ came to see निमि . निमि was asleep then and the servants in the palace hesitated to go and inform him of the arrival of the sage. वसिष्ठ got angry and cursed him and made him विदेह (without body). At once the body of the King fell to the ground and the soul got out of it. But before the soul separated from the body निमि cursed वसिष्ठ also and separated his soul from his body. वसिष्ठ was again born as the son of मित्रावरुणस् .

The other sages present there took the lifeless body of Nimi and after sacrificial ceremonies and worship of gods started to churn the body. After some time a mighty and perfect man of great brilliance was born out of it. Because he was born by मथन (churning) he was named मिथि . Because he was born from his father ( जनक ) he was called मिथिजनक and because he was born of Nimi, a विदेह , he was called विदेह also. The country which was ruled by मिथि got the name of मिथिला . It is the country of सीता .