| Jotunn | |
|---|---|
 Thor's Battle with the Frost Giants | |
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Other Names |
Jotunn, Jotun, Eoten, Frost Giants, Hrímþursar |
|
First Appearance |
Germanic mythology |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
A jötunn is a type of being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, they are often contrasted with gods (the Æsir and Vanir) and other non-human figures, such as dwarfs and elves, although the groupings are not always mutually exclusive. The entities included in jötunn are referred to by several other terms, including risi, þurs (or thurs) and troll if male and gýgr or tröllkona if female. The jötnar typically dwell across boundaries from the gods and humans in lands such as Jötunheimr.
The jötnar are frequently attested throughout the Old Norse record, with eotenas also featuring in the Old English epic poem Beowulf. The usage of the terms is dynamic, with an overall trend that the beings become portrayed as less impressive and more negative as Christianity becomes more influential. Although the term "giant" is sometimes used to gloss the word "jötunn" and its apparent synonyms in some translations and academic texts, this is seen as problematic by some scholars as jötnar are not necessarily notably large.
The terms for the beings also have cognates in later folklore such as the English yotun, Danish jætte and Finnish jätti which can share some common features such as being turned to stone in the day and living on the periphery of society.
In a stanza of Völuspá hin skamma (found in the poem "Hyndluljóð"), all jötnar descend from Ymir. Gylfaginning elaborates on this, describing that the primordial jötunn Ymir formed in the warm waters that arose in Ginnungagap when the rime of Niflheim was melted by the heat of Muspelheim. He lay there asleep, fed by milk from Auðumbla, whereupon from his left armpit he sweated a male and a female, and his legs begat a son with one another. Together, these children became the ancestors of all other jötnar.
Later, he was killed by the first gods, resulting in a flood of Ymir's blood, in which all jötnar drowned except Bergelmir and his family, who survive this event by way of sailing upon a luðr. This has been linked to a runic inscription on a sword hilt in Beowulf which describes the eotenas being killed in an ancient flood and has been proposed to derive from Germanic and wider Indo-European mythology.
According to Gylfaginning, after Ymir was killed, his body was wrought into the world and a sea surrounded it. The gods then gave the surviving families jötnar lands along the shore to settle, placing them in the periphery. Ymir's brows were then used to build Midgard and protect it from the jötnar due to their known aggression.
In Eddic sources, jötnar present a constant threat to gods and humans, often leading them to confrontation with Thor. Hárbarðsljóð and Þrymskviða tell that if it was not for Thor and Mjöllnir, jötnar would soon overrun Midgard and Asgard respectively. Nonetheless, Thor also has a positive relationship with some gýgjar, such as Gríðr and the unnamed wife of Hymir, who provide magical items and council that enable him to overcome other jötnar.
In the Old Norse literature (Hávamál, Grímnismál, Skírnismál, Gylfaginning), mentions jotunn called Hrímþursar (hoar-frost giants). The ancestor of the giants, Ymir, was created from ice and therefore is a frost-giant as well. It was thought that the forces which could threaten life, such as the jotunn lived in the cold north and north-east of Scandinavia.
Notbale jotunn include:
- Gerðr, a daughter of Gymir and wife of Freyr. Usually regarded as an earth-goddess.
- Grendel, an eoten who, along with his mother, ravages the hall of Heorot before being killed by Beowulf.
- Fárbauti, the jötunn father of Loki with Laufey.
- Fenja and Menja, sisters who turn the mill Grotti to produce gold and Fróði's Peace.
- Hrungnir, a jötunn champion who challenged Thor to a duel.
- Jörð, possibly a jötunn at one period of time and the mother of Thor with Odin. According to Rudolf Simek, Jörð is "[a]n Æsir goddess, even though she is also called a giantess"; while John Lindow claims, "Jörd must have been a giantess in the beginning."
- Skaði, a daughter of Þjazi and later wife of Njörðr. Goddess associated with skiing and claimed as a mythical ancestor of Haakon Sigurdsson.
- Þjazi, a jötunn who once kidnapped Iðunn and her apples of youth. He was later killed by the gods and his eyes made into stars.
- Ymir, the progenitor of the jötnar.
Further information: List of jötnar in Norse mythology
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Jotunn from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Poetic Edda
- Prose Edda
- Beowulf
- Gods of the North
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Humdinger vol. 1 #3, 5; vol. 2 #2: Mickey Starlight is told the story of of Thor and the Mountain Giant and How Thor Recovered His Hammer.
- Frisky Fables v2 #8: A statue of Thor comes to life and takes penguin Icicle Ike to Valhalla. Ike and Thor decide to visit the hostile Ice Giants to stave off war. Thor is defeated in the feats of strength contest, but Ike saves the day and prevents war.
- Jumbo Comics #139
- Whiz Comics #50
- Zip Comics #22
- Spy Smasher #8