Jötunn

Jötunn in Norse Mythology

In Norse mythology, a jötunn (or, in the normalised scholarly Old Norse spelling, jǫtunn (/ˈjɔːtʊn/; Old Norse pronunciation: [ˈjɔtunː]; plural jötnar [ˈjɔtnɑr]) is a type of being that is contrasted with gods (Æsir and Vanir) and other non-human beings such as dwarfs and elves. These beings are not clearly defined and are referred to by various other terms, including risi, thurs, and troll. The jötnar mainly reside in Jötunheimr, although they are sometimes also believed to dwell in specific geographical locations such as Ægir on Læsø.

Although the term "giant" is sometimes used in translations and academic texts to soften the word jötunn and its obvious synonyms, jötnar are not necessarily particularly large and can be described as either exceptionally beautiful or grotesquely frightening.

Some deities, such as Skaði and Gerðr, who are married to Njörðr and Freyr respectively, are themselves described as jötnar. References to Skaði’s vés in Lokasenna and to place names like Skedevi in Sweden suggest that Skaði, despite being a jötunn, was revered in Old Norse religion.

Moreover, various well-documented deities, such as Odin and Thor, are descendants of the jötnar. This suggests that the distinction between gods and jötnar is not clearly defined, and they should be considered more as different cultures or peoples rather than different kinds of beings. In later Scandinavian folklore, the ambiguity surrounding these beings shifts to negative depictions. The belief in jötnar is related to the English folklore of ettins.

Etymology

Old Norse jötunn (also jǫtunn) and Old English eoten developed from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun etunaz. Philologist Vladimir Orel notes that the semantic connection between etunaz and the Proto-Germanic etanan ("to eat") likely suggests a relationship between the two nouns. Proto-Germanic etanan is reconstructed from Old Norse etall ("devouring"), Old English etol ("greedy, gluttonous"), and Old High German filu-ezzal ("greedy"), from which Old Norse risi and Old High German riso are derived from Proto-Germanic masculine wrisjon. Orel also notes that the Old Saxon adjective wrisi-līk ("huge") is likely related.

Old Norse þurs, Old English ðyrs, and Old High German duris ("devil, evil spirit") derive from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun þur(i)saz, which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic þurēnan, etymologically connected to Sanskrit turá- ("strong, powerful, rich"). Several terms are specifically used for female beings falling into this category, including íviðja (plural íviðjur) and gýgr (plural gýgjar).

The word is related to ettin, an archaic word for "giant."

Origin

Norse myth traces the origin of the jötnar back to the primordial being Ymir, a result of growth or asexual reproduction from the body of the being. Ymir is later killed, his body torn apart to create the world, and the jötnar survive this event by sailing through a flood of Ymir's blood. The drowning of the jötnar in a flood is depicted on the hilt of the jötunn sword used by Beowulf to slay Grendel’s mother.

Attestations

The jötnar are frequently attested in Old Norse texts. In a verse from Völuspá in the poem Hyndluljóð, various origins are mentioned: völvas come from Viðòlfr, all seers from Vilmeiðr, all sorcerers from Svarthöfði, and all jötnar from Ymir.

In Icelandic and Norwegian runic poetry, the rune þ is referred to as thurs, and it is said that þursar bring discord to women.

In Folklore

• In the third season of The Librarians, jötnar appear disguised as humans.
• The Jutul family are jötnar who disguise themselves as humans in the Norwegian drama Ragnarok.
• The jötunn influenced the creation of the mute giants called "Titans" in the manga and anime series Attack on Titan.
• A jötunn appears in the 2017 film The Ritual, depicted as Moder, the bastard daughter of Loki, who is worshipped in exchange for immortality.
• The jötunn’s wrath exists as a weapon that grants magic upgrades in the popular mythological MOBA video game SMITE.
• A depiction of a jötunn as a weapon appears in the video game Destiny 2 by Bungie.
• Jötnar appear in episode 356 of the manga Berserk as part of the astral races that emerged after the merging of the physical and astral worlds and are defeated by the new Falcon Band in the following episode.
• Jötunn is a cosmetic skin for the character Doomfist in the game Overwatch.
• Jötnar are frequently mentioned in the 2018 video game God of War.
• Jötnar are frequently depicted in the Danish comic series Valhalla, created by Henning Kure and Peter Madsen, based on Norse myths where the gods play the main roles.
• Jötnar are a race and occasional enemies in the 2020 video game Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, where they are often portrayed as slightly larger than the Asgardians and have blue skin.
• Jötnar appear in the 2020 adventure game Röki, where they are portrayed as giant animal guardians.
• Jötun is a people in the fifth book of Fire Emblem Heroes.
• Jötunn-Winter is the name of the third battle pass in Brawlhalla.
• Jotun, who shares limbs, is one of the three named trolls in the caves of Qud, all of whom sprout smaller "troll foals" from growths on their bodies.
• Jötunn is an occasional enemy type in the 2017 RPG video game Expeditions: Viking.