In Norse mythology, Jötnar were a colossal beings. The Jötnar are generally depicted as being very tall and powerful. Jötunheimr, one among the nine Norse worlds, was home to the Jötnar and typically portrayed as a bleak and icy land. The Jötnar were viewed as adversaries of the Gods and often engaged in disputes with them. Their bond was more intricate than popular culture might suggest, with many Gods having offspring with Jötnar. In mythology, the Jötnar are integral in initiating Ragnarök, the cataclysmic end of the world.
In Norway, some locations have been linked to these mythical giants, which you can explore. Norse mythology comprises nine worlds, all linked by the tree of Yggdrasil. The old Norse myths, and legends, tell of the Jötnar, who primarily lived in Jötunheimr – a realm of giants with its thick forests and rugged terrain. They would sometimes explore away from Jötunheimr and reside in expansive caverns.
Explore the immense beauty of Jotunheimen, and take a hike amidst the colossal landscapes that resemble what one might expect to find in a mythical realm of giants. Though the Jötnar themselves may not exist, you can still experience the majesty of their home.
Jotunheimen, which translates to “the home of the Jötunn”, is an expansive mountain range. The majestic Jotunheimen contains all of the tallest mountains in Norway, including the peak of Galdhøpiggen, known as the highest mountain in Northern Europe. Explore the stunning majesty of Jotunheimen National Park, a paradise for hikers and climbers seeking an active holiday in Norway. From its towering snow-capped mountains, glacial fields and thundering waterfalls to the serene rivers and lakes, Jotunheimen offers a breathtaking experience for all. Take a journey to Jotunheimen and explore the world of the giants!
The giants of Norse mythology, the Jötnar, are often mentioned in Old Norse lore and in the Old English amazing poem Beowulf, referred to as “eotenas”. The usage of the terms changes over time, with an underlying tendency that the beings become depicted as less remarkable and more unfavourable as Christianity grows more powerful. Although “giant” may be used interchangeably with “jötnar” in some translations or scholarly works, it should be noted that jötnar may not be of great size. The terminology associated with these beings has been carried through in latter-day folklore, such as British Yotun, Danish Jaette and Finnish Jätti, characterized by being turned to stone in the daylight hours and living on the edge of accepted society.
All the jötnar in a stanza of Völuspá hin skamma are said to be descended from Ymir. Gylfaginning goes into more detail, explaining how the primordial giant Ymir was created in the warm ocean of Ginnungagap when the heat of Muspelheim thawed the frost of Niflheim.
He reclined in slumber, nourished by Auðumbla’s milk, when two figures emerged from his left armpit, and his legs created a son together. The offspring of these children then became the forebears of all other jötnar. Subsequently, he was slain by the original deities, which caused Ymir’s blood to surge and drown all the jötnar apart from Bergelmir and his family, who escaped the tragedy by sailing on a luðr. A sword hilt from Beowulf contains a runic inscription which suggests an ancient flood in which the eotenas were killed and is believed to be rooted in Germanic and Indo-European mythology.
The Gylfaginning states that when Ymir was killed, his body was used to form the world, and a sea encircled it. The deities then granted the remaining clans of jötnar properties near the shore to inhabit, situating them on the outskirts.
Ymir’s forehead then served as the material to construct Midgard, shielding it from the Jötnar due to the latter’s notorious belligerence. Buri, an ancestor of unknown origin, had been frozen in ice until Auðumbla, Ymir’s cow, licked it for three days, eventually setting him free. The gods are determined by their nature and decision to cast the giants as the beneficial or inventive aspect of the cosmic arrangement. In Viking mythology, the gods and giants are in opposition and equilibrium rather than being perceived as good and evil, respectively. Norse belief did not necessarily follow a strict dualism. However, their tales of the gods and the Jötnar, of creation and destruction, shaped their perception of their world.
The line between giants and gods can be ambiguous at times. As an illustration, Loki is famously regarded as the god of mischief in Viking mythology. Loki was nonetheless the son of giants, ambiguously referred to as a god in the primary sources. None of their descendants is deities; they are giants or supernatural creatures. Jörð and Skadi, who are both associated with being “Mother Earth” and the goddess of the wild, respectively, are described in the Eddas as having a Jötunn origin. The individuals later referred to as goddesses were often omitted from assemblages or catalogues of goddesses in Asgard.
Experts suggest that the relationship between gods and giants is analogous to the Vikings’ interactions with other cultures. The legends state that gods and giants are not distinct races but rather two sides which oppose and compete against each other – whether this is accurate or not. The names, attributes, and actions of each member of these “warring tribes” illustrate their cosmic nature and the forces between them.
The Normans reimagined their ancestral stories in Old Norse and rewrote them in the Old French language they had newly acquired. In that language, the word closest to Jötunn was “geant,” a Latin term derived from “gigans,” known to the Greek and Roman Titans. Norse mythology differs from Greco-Roman mythology; however, Titans share much with Jötnar. The Jötnar have been drawn into the broader European culture since the word was connected to it, and over the years, figures such as Chronos and Atlas have been placed alongside the giants of Grimm Fairy Tales. Therefore, the name’s original meaning was hidden due to the additional meanings it acquired later.
Gigantic Jötnar, such as Ymir, existed – the gods created the world from his body which was so enormous. Thor had the night in the giant named Skrymir’s gigantic glove, being told by him that Utgard lay ahead, where giants even more significant than he resided. Numerous other titans were as tall as Odin, Thor, Freyja, and Tyr. Many of the gods possess giants in their ancestry. Gods were often seen as having a romantic involvement with giants, taking them as their beloveds, wives, or husbands. Thrymir, the giant, made many attempts to win Freyja’s heart, even attempting to take her away against her will. Meanwhile, Freyr, Freyja’s brother, was obsessed with the beautiful giantess, Gerðr, and he relinquished his enchanted blade to compel her to tie the knot with him.
Giant beings and humans have occasionally interbred, as the gods have been known to do. The renowned dynasty of courageous humans, the Volsungs, had a Jötun woman in their bloodline. Many of the tales of the Jötnar do not reference any extraordinary size, and gods and giants can alter their size and shape. The Jötnar could be of immense stature, but the measure was not their defining quality.
The giants have traditionally taken a back seat to the other branch, despite both having their roots in antiquity. We must not overlook that the Aesir stem from the giants, which could potentially explain the animosity between them. The power of the titans expands daily, there might increase, their army increases in size, and eventually, this rivalry for control will culminate in Ragnarök. This will be the day of reckoning, when the giants exact their vengeance for the demise of their forefather, Ymir. Ragnarök may mark a period of immense upheaval, but it will also provide an opportunity to bring about a new balance of power.
In Asatru, an ancient faith which is now known by its modern name, there has never been any worship of giants or giantesses, nor are they seen as gods. Consequently, Loki, a combination of a giant and an Aesir, never received any worship from the Ásatrú community and still does not; conversely, contrary to what some people may believe, Saturday was not given its namesake in his honour. It is not correct to view the giants as symbols of evil. Wild and untamed, they are representations of nature, and similar to nature’s capacity for both creation and destruction, they can both aid and cause harm to humans and gods. The depiction of their domain likewise stresses this, an immense forsaken scene encompassed by mysterious woodlands loaded with savage animals.
