Information AboutJotun |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT JOTUN | |
| norse giants | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
|
In Norse Mythology , the '' Giants '' were a mythological race with superhuman strength, described as standing in opposition to the gods, although they frequently mingled with or were even married to these, both Æsir and Vanir . Their stronghold is known as Utgard , and is situated in Jötunheimr , one of the nine worlds of Norse Cosmology , separated from Midgard , the world of men, by high mountains and dense forests. When living in worlds other than their own, they seem to prefer caves and dark places. In Old Norse , they were called jötnar ( Sing . ''jötunn''), or '''risar''' (sing. ''risi''), in particular ''bergrisar'', or '''þursar''' (sing. ''þurs''), in particular ''hrímþursar''. A Giantess could also be known as a ''gýgr''.
" Thurs " is also the name of the Rune ᚦ, which later evolved into the letter Þ . NORSE GIANTS Origins The first living being formed in the primeval chaos known as Ginnungagap was a giant of monumental size, called Ymir . When he slept a giant son and a giantess daughter grew from his armpits, and his two feet copulated and gave birth to a monster with six heads. Supposedly, these three beings gave rise to the race of ''hrímþursar'' ('' Rime giants'' or ''frost giants''), who populated Niflheim , the world of mist, chill and ice. The gods instead claim their origin from a certain Búri . When the giant Ymir subsequently was slain by Odin , Vili and Vé (the grandsons of Búri), his blood (i.e. water) deluged Niflheim and killed all of the giants, apart from one known as Bergelmir and his spouse, who then repopulated their kind. Character of the giants from the '' Grottasöngr ''.]]The giants represent the forces of the primeval Chaos and of the untamed, destructive nature. Their defeats by the hands of the gods represent the triumph of culture over nature, albeit by the cost of eternal vigilance. Heimdall perpetually watches the Bifröst Bridge from Ásgard to Jötunheimr , and Thor often makes a visit in the world of the giants, to slay as many of their kind as he is able. As a collective, giants are often attributed a hideous appearance – claws, fangs, black skin and deformed features, apart from a generally hideous size. Some of them may even have many heads or an overall non- Humanoid shape; so were Jörmungandr and Fenrir , two of the children of Loki , viewed as giants. With bad looks comes a weak intellect; the Edda s more than once liken their temper to that of children. Yet when giants are named and more closely described, they are often given the opposite characteristics. Unbelievably old, they carry the wisdom from bygone times. It is the giants Mímir and Vafþrúðnir Odin seeks out to gain this pro-cosmic knowledge. Many of the gods' spouses are giants. Njord is married to Skaði , Gerðr becomes the consort of Freyr , Odin gains the love of Gunnlod , and even Thor, the great slayer of their kind, loves Jarnsaxa , mother of Magni . As such, they appear as minor gods themselves, which can also be said about the sea giant Ægir , far more connected to the gods than to the scum occupying Jotunheim. None of these fear light, and in comfort their homes do not differ greatly from the gods'. Ragnarök and the fire giants A certain class of giants were the ''fire giants'', said to reside in Muspelheim , the world of heat and fire, ruled by the fire giant Surtr ("the black one") and his queen Sinmore . Fornjót , the Incarnation of fire, was another of their kind. The main role of the fire giants in Norse mythology is to wreak the final destruction of the world by setting fire to the world tree Yggdrasil at the end of Ragnarök , when the giants of Jotunheim and the forces of Hel shall launch an attack on the gods, and kill all but a few of them. Perhaps influenced by Christian Eschatology , a new world will purportedly arise after this event, where the giants shall be no more. GIANTS IN SCANDINAVIAN FOLKLORE In later times, giants were more commonly known as Troll s in Scandinavia . They can't stand the sound of Church Bell s, and therefore must live far from civilization, in the mountains or the most remote forests. When they sometimes travel to human society, their main objective seems to be the silencing of this clamor by throwing large boulders at churches. The giants were however mainly seen as a race of the past, whose remains could still be seen in the landscape. Saxo Grammaticus attributed the raising of Dolmen s to the giants, and a large stone lying about seemingly randomly in the country (actually a remnant of the Ice Age ) was called "a throw of the giants." This concept survived in folklore to a late date, demonstrated by a story from Swedish Folklore , according to which a giant in elder times pulled up two huge chunks of land, forming lake Vänern and Vättern , and threw them out into the Baltic Sea , where they became the islands Gotland and Öland , respectively. LIST OF GIANTS AND GIANTESSES IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY # Ægir # Baugi # Beli # Bergelmir # Bestla # Bolthorn # Geirröd # Gerd # Gilling # Gjálp And Greip # Gunnlod # Gymir # Hrod # Hrungnir # Hymir # Ivaldi # Jarnsaxa # Kari # Narve # Loki # Olvaldi # Saxa # Skaði # Surtur # Suttung # Thiazi # Thrudgelmir # Thrym # Útgarða-Loki # Vafþrúðnir # Ymir |