Jötnar

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This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse Mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse Era.

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Jötnar
Misc. Information
Realm of Origin	Jötunheim
Status	Active
Mythology	Norse
Notable Members	Primordials Ymir † Auðumbla † Fire Giants Surtr † Frost Giants Sinmara Bergelmir † Nal † Aurvandil † Gróa † Thiazzi † Starkaðr † Thrym † Thamur † Járnsaxa † Hrimthur † Grýla † Urvandill † Bára † Laufey † Angrboda Stone Giants Hrungnir † Jötnar Gods Skaði † Fjörgyn † Aesir Giants Thor † Týr Magni † Modi † Thrúd Midgardians Giants Loki Animal Giants Auðumbla † Fenrir Jörmungandr Garm/Hróðvitnir Sköll and Hati Hræsvelgr

The Jötnar (singular: Jötunn), commonly known as Giants, are the most ancient race who emerged from Ginnungagap. They are native to Jötunheim, Muspelheim and Niflheim, but are also known to inhabit other realms and lands. They have long been at war with the Aesir. There are many varieties of Jötunn-kind, including Frost Giants, Fire Giants, Stone Giants and Animal Giants. They made their first appearance in God of War (2018).

Norse Mythology

Jötnar are a type of entity contrasted with Gods and other figures, such as Dwarves and Elves. The entities are themselves ambiguously defined, variously Jörmungandr referred to by several other terms, including eóten, risi, thurs, ogre and troll.

Old Norse jötunn (also jǫtunn,) and Old English eóten developed from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun etunaz which has a connection with the Proto-Germanic etanan which was reconstructed from the words of Old Norse etall, meaning "consuming", Old English etol meaning "voracious, gluttonous", and Old High German filu-ezzal meaning "greedy".

Several terms are used specifically to refer to female entities that fall into this category, including íviðja (plural íviðjur) and gýgr (plural gýgjar).

History

Jötnar Shrine depicting Jörmungandr

Background

Despite being called "Giants", not all Jötnar are large in size, as many members of the species depicted in their Shrines vary between human and giant sized. Not all were humanoid in shape either, since several Jötnar were depicted with animal heads in the aftermentioned Shrines. There are also some who take the form of large animals like Hræsvelgr. The Jötnar speak in an ancient language which only few can understand.

Hræsvelgr, Angrboda, Grýla, Sinmara and Sköll and Hati are presumably the last surviving Jötnar who are of pure blood, while Thor, Týr, Magni, Modi, Thrúd and Loki only have partial Jötunn blood. Jörmungandr is a Jötunn whose soul was transferred into a snake.

Frost Giants

The progenitor of all species was Ymir, who was the largest Jötunn there ever was. Ymir birthed more of his kind and others through his armpits and feet, who in turn had offspring of their own which marked the beginning of their race. However, the Aesir, also of his creation, desired to have control over all of creation for themselves. Odin, Vili, and Vé slew the primordial Giant whose bleeding fluids drowned almost all of his other descendants, the sole survivors being the Jötunn Bergelmir and his wife, Nal.

Together, Bergelmir and Nal searched for and found a land where they could be safe and prosperous, a land they called Jötunheim. As father and mother they reproduced tremendously, and as King and Queen, they made sure that the Jötnar would be the only rulers of their new home and themselves. Bergelmir never sought revenge against the Aesir desiring only for his people to prosper. Because of his actions, the first King of the Giants of Jötunheim was forever remembered as "Bergelmir the Beloved".

The Jötnar were an intelligent and civilized race that practised architecture, masonry, art, trade, and even prophecy, and some were even famous combatants and hunters. They had their own native spoken language known as the Ancient Tongue, which was said to be so old that it predates mountains. Most notably however, the Jötnar possessed the gift of precognition, which allowed them to see visions of the future, something that earned them the eternal jealousy, hatred and paranoia of the King of the Aesir, Odin. This gift even allowed them to see the twilight of the Gods and Kratos and Atreus' involvement in it, something which they kept a very closely guarded secret due to Odin's renowned hatred for them. All of them have the innate ability to shapeshift, which at times might also be transferred to those who carry their blood like Atreus. They are also gifted magicians and know spells which no other race knows about.

Many Jötnar were known to visit and even live in Midgard, where the Giants once moderated a marketplace where they traded with many races. One of their residences in the Middle Realm was what is known as the highest mountain of Midgard, a place that they used to share with a native Troll until they had a fallout and the Troll was cast out.

The Jötnar were mostly a peaceful race that didn't bother to engage in conflict, which meant that they didn't have anything as organized as an army and kept themselves away from the raging Aesir-Vanir War. Despite their neutral status, Odin still sought to eliminate them due what he knew of their role in Ragnarok and thus commissioned the creation of the superweapon Mjölnir which would become the bane of Giant-kind.

Besides their destruction, Odin also desired to acquire their secret knowledge; prophecies regarding Ragnarok that so obsessed him as he himself did not have their gift of precognition. After the Giants assisted Týr with the construction of his temple, they requested an audience with Odin, one they hoped would reach a peaceful agreement between their races. However, Odin had no desire to make peace and instead used the invitation into Jötunheim as an opportunity to steal some of the knowledge of the future. Entering Jötunheim, Odin and Týr met with the Giants in a grand hall covered in tapestries and triptychs displaying different events. Odin's unexpected proposal of handing over Mjolnir as a peace offering was discovered to be a ruse after a Jötunn present in the hall noticed the one-eyed Aesir memorising the events displayed on the tapestries and triptychs while the other Giants were busy discussing the unexpected offering and sounded the alarm. The Jötnar then tried to capture Odin who transformed into a silver hawk and fled the hall and Jötunheim. The Jötnar spared Týr, on account that they knew his heart was noble and had never intended to help Odin steal their wisdom, but they made him swear to sunder his temple's connection to Jötunheim once he left their realm while announcing their intentions to recall every Giant in Midgard back to Jötunheim, so they may live in peace and solitude until the end of days without fear of genocide. Finally recognizing that Odin wouldn't stop until all of the Jötnar were dead, Týr agreed with sadness in his heart.

Enraged at having being forced to flee Jötunheim before he could steal more knowledge, Odin ordered Thor to carry out a genocide of all the Jötnar in Midgard before they could travel back to their home realm. However, with the help of Týr, they managed to escape back to Jötunheim. He then severed his temple's connection to Jötunheim by destroying the original travel crystal and hiding the corresponding tower in the Realm Between Realms with the Unity Stone, an artifact entrusted to him by the Giants to help cover their tracks. From then on, access to Jötunheim through the temple was rendered impossible, leaving the gate atop Midgard's mountain the only known gate left in all of the Nine Realms, although no one but a Giant or someone who knew the secret rune of Jötunheim could access the realm.

Fearing that Odin would eventually find a way to gain access to their home, the Jötnar decided to lock their souls in magical marbles inscribed with their names. This was accomplished through the magic used by Angrboda's father sometime before his death. In addition, they left several corpses throughout the mountains of Jötunheim in order to confuse Odin. The marbles that held the souls of the Jötnar were then hidden all over the Nine Realms by the last living frost giants. Only someone who has knowledge of their magic is capable of transferring a soul to a body, although according to Angrboda, not all the giants made the decision to lock up their souls, as some fled to the corners of Jötunheim while others disappeared never to be seen again. Atreus took the final task of finding and then freeing the souls of the locked up giants in order to revive them and bring back the Jötnar race.

No Jötunn has been seen on Midgard ever since, the only exceptions being Laufey the Just who decided to stay behind and Angrboda. Angrboda, Grýla and Sinmara are the last known living survivors of their race, although Atreus and Týr are half-giants due to their mothers being frost giants. Thrúd also carries their blood due to her grandmother being a frost giant.

Stone Giants

The Stone Giants are born without a head or a heart. The Frost Giants built the Stone Giants with other stones. The only known Stone Giant was Hrungnir.

Fire Giants

Surtr was the first of Fire Giants and also the last of their kind. He was the second being to be born, with his birth following that of Ymir. All of the Fire Giants were born in the fiery realm of Muspelheim. After Surtr sacrificed himself to destroy Asgard, the Fire Giants are no more.

Animal Giants

Hræsvelgr does not seem to belong to any of the known races of Jötunn as she is not similar in appearance to any of them and is naturally a giant raven from birth. The wolf-giant Garm is the father of Sköll and Hati. The colossal World Serpent Jörmungandr is a giant whose soul was infused inside a soulless white snake.

Powers and Abilities

The Jötnar are incredibly powerful and possess numerous magical abilities. Some of these abilities include:

• Extended Longevity/Immortality: While most Jötnar are extremely long-lived, with some exceptions of them possessing biological immortality, such as Surtr, the first of the Fire Giants and the second being in existence to be born after Ymir, can be considered immortal, as Surtr lived for ages without deteriorating and can only be killed by the combined power of Odin and Thor, the most powerful of the Aesir Gods. Ymir himself also seemed to have immortality, as he lived long enough for Odin, Vili and Ve to be born, at which it took the combined might of the most powerful Norse Gods to kill him.
• Supernatural Physical Abilities: Some of the Giants, especially the most powerful ones, are powerful enough to surpass even the mightiest of the Norse Gods and pose a challenge to many of the mightiest Aesir, as shown by Surtr's ability to fight against both Thor and Odin, Odin needing the aid of his brothers to kill Ymir and Starkaðr being strong enough to challenge the might of the Aesir, Vanir and Midgard forces all at once.
• Elemental Manipulation: Frost Giants, as their name suggests, have a degree of power over ice. The Jötunn Thamur had the ability to blow extremely cold air, with his last breath unwillingly freezing the village he fell upon. Likewise, Fire Giants seem to have power over flames and heat, since they can live without any hindrance in the Realm of Fire. It seems that the primordial giants have the highest level, as Surtr is noted to be capable of conjuring enough flames to burn down a realm as vast and powerful as Asgard and having birthed the suns and stars with his primordial fires.
• Parachronal Cognition: An ability most common among the Jötnar seem to be the power of precognition, which allowed them to see the future, a power Odin greatly envied and coveted for himself. It is thanks to such ability that the Giants could foresee many significant events.
• Shapeshifting: Jötnar seemingly possess shapeshifting abilities, as demonstrated by Laufey and Hrimthur, who took the form of mortals to hide their true identities, with the former maintaining her appearance even in death. Thiazi also has been mentioned capable of transforming into various animals to assist his daughter during their hunts. Giants can assume any size they wish. During the events of God of War: Ragnarök, it was seen that even Loki, a half-giant, developed shapeshifting abilities and can turn into a powerful wolf or bear.
• Soul Manipulation: The Jötnar also possess some degree of soul manipulation abilities.
• Magic: Giants are known for possessing vast magical abilities ranging from concealment spells to defensive spells, their mastery over magic was as high as that of the Vanir.

Known Jötnar

Primordial Jötnar

• Ymir - The first being in existence, father of all lifeforms except for Surtr. Married to Auðumbla. He was murdered by Odin and his brothers.
• Auðumbla - The Primordial Cow.

Fire Giants

• Surtr - The second being in existence, first Fire Giant to be born and the ruler of Muspelheim. He wields a powerful sword described as a "weapon of legend", and was said to have created the sun. Surtr will lead the Fire Giants into battle during Ragnarök and is destined to fall against Odin and Thor, but not before destroying Asgard with his flames.

Frost Giants

• Sinmara - Lover of Surtr.
• Bergelmir - Grandson of Ymir, the co-founder and first king of Jötunheim, and a progenitor of the Frost Giants.
• Nal - Granddaughter of Ymir, the co-founder and first queen of Jötunheim, and a progenitor of the Frost Giants.
• Aurvandil - Husband of Gróa and warrior of renown. He was murdered by Thor.
• Gróa - Wife of Aurvandil and gifted Seiðr who was the first Giant to have a vision of the events of Ragnarok. She was murdered by Odin after she refused to tell him what she had seen in her vision of the future.
• Thiazzi - Father of Skaði, a Jötunn that could shape-shift into any animal. He was unknowingly killed by his daughter Skaði.
• Járnsaxa - - Mother of Magni and the former lover of Thor.
• Starkaðr - An eight armed swordsman and the strongest of the Frost Giants. Due to the potential threat he could pose in Ragnarok, he was falsely slandered by the Aesir and was subsequently subdued by the combined armies of Asgard, Vanaheim and Midgard. After he willingly surrendered to try and clear his name, he was promptly murdered by Thor.
• Thrym - A Frost Giant King that stole Thor's hammer and offered to exchange it back for Freya's hand in marriage. He was later killed by Thor who secretly followed Freya into Jötunheim under Odin's instruction to both get his hammer back and establish a foothold in the realm.
• Thamur - A Frost Giant who was renowned as the greatest Stone Mason who ever lived. His grandest work was the Great Wall of Jötunheim, which he wanted to build to protect his people. He was ambushed by Thor while he was in Midgard searching for his son, a fight that ended with him landing head-first on his own chisel, killing him instantly. In the final battle against Baldur, the Vanir Goddess Freya takes control of Thamur's corpse and uses it in an attempt to prevent further bloodshed between Kratos and her son.
• Hrimthur - Son of Thamur. Hrimthur at first had no interest in his father's craft and instead wished to be a warrior. After he accidentally caused his father's death however, Hrimthur no longer had any investment with his own desires and decided to finish his father's work on the Great Walls of Jötunheim, as well as plotting his own vengeance against the Aesir by secretly embedding Asgard's walls with a weakness known only to Freya. This weakness in the Asgard's walls will be instrumental upon Ragnarök begins, when Surtr and the Fire Giants invade Asgard to burn it down.
• Urvandill - A Jötunn, who in mythology is considered to be former husband of Sif and father of Ullr
• Grýla - Angrboda's grandmother and one of the last Giants in Jötunheim.
• Laufey - Also known as Faye, was the second wife of Kratos and the mother of Loki. After her demise, her husband and son embarked on a journey to the highest peak in all the realms to spread her ashes. At the highest summit in all of the Nine Realms, her son and widowed husband released her ashes into the wind.
• Angrboda - Loki's best friend and the current owner of Fenrir.

Stone Giants

• Hrungnir - A Stone Giant. He was invited to the Halls of Asgard by the Allfather, but was eventually killed by Thor.

Jötnar Gods

• Skaði - The Queen of the Hunt, the most skilled huntress that surpassed even the Gods. She was tricked into killing her own father by Odin after she spurned his affections. Overcome with grief upon realising what had happened, she died while holding her father.
• Fjörgyn - Mother of Thor and one of Odin's great loves. It's implied that she was killed by Thor.

Aesir Giants

• Thor - A son of Odin, though half-Jötunn by the Giantess Fjörgyn. Thor is a notoriously bloodthirsty and cruel Aesir God who was responsible for the near genocide of the Jötnar in Midgard. His power is unmatched thanks to his wielding of Mjölnir. He is destined to fight Jörmungandr during Ragnarök.
• Týr - A son of Odin, though half-Jötunn by the Giantess Hróðr. He is the Norse God of War who was betrayed by his own father because of his alliance with Giants.
• Magni - A son of Thor, though half-Jötunn by the Giantess Járnsaxa.

Midgard Giants

• Loki - Through his mother, Laufey (Faye), a half-Jötunn and through his father, Farbauti (Kratos), he is also half-God who was born and raised in Midgard. The Jötnar sees him as their Champion as he started Ragnarök by breaking Baldur's curse with a mistletoe and killed Odin by trapping his soul. He is currently out searching across the lands for other Jötnar.

Animal Giants

• Auðumbla - The Primordial Cow.
• Fenrir - A wolf giant, previously known as Garm. He is a Hel-hound that can tear through the Nine Realms and in current ownership of Angrboda.
• Jörmungandr - Also known as The World Serpent. He only speaks in his native Ancient Tongue, and is apparently rather chatty. He encompasses all of Midgard. He was created using the soul magics of Loki and Angrboda.
• Garm - A wolf giant, one of the greatest enemies of the Aesir and the father of Sköll and Hati. His current location is in Helheim.
• Sköll and Hati - The twin sons of Hróðvitnir and the chasers of the sun and moon.
• Hræsvelgr - A Jötunn who takes the form of a bird and sits at the edge of the world overlooking Helheim and makes the wind blow with the flapping of her wings.

Trivia

• It's possible that other Jötnar survived Thor's onslaught other than Jörmungandr, Surtr, Hræsvelg and Faye, such as Angrboða.
• Their Greek equivalents (in term of being a colossal race that oppose the gods) are the Titans.
  • Unlike Titans, however, Jötnar aren't divine themselves. This is referenced in their leitmotif "Lullaby of the Giants", in which the lyrics stated that they are neither mortal nor divine.
  • Similar to the Titans they also strongly dislike the Gods of their world (with the exception of the God of War, Týr, and Mimir).
  • Unlike the Titans, however, the Jötnar were never imprisoned by the Gods. Rather, they hid any access to their realm with the help of Týr. Furthermore, the Jötnar were peaceful beings whereas the Titans were violent, with a few exceptions like Prometheus and Rhea.
• There were other types of Jötnar besides the Frost and Fire Giants. One of those variants were the Mountain Giants (Bergrisar).
• With the possible exceptions of Ymir and Surtr, the Jötnar differ from the Titans in the respect that they aren't ageless, possessing only long longevity (though according to Mimir, dying of old age is rare for a Jötunn).
• The exact nature of the Jötnar differs from the Aesir and Vanir gods but has intermingled with them. It was said in-game the Jötnar are neither gods or mortals. As with the Aesir and possibly the Vanir, including Odin himself are descended from Ymir in someway. The first of the Aesir were a creation of Ymir while Odin could be part Jötunn himself like Thor for having a Jötunn mother.
• It's notable that none of Odin's part-Jötnar offspring or descendants showed signs of having inherited Jötnar precognition abilities, unlike Atreus, being half-Greek god, as Odin would have undoubtedly made use of it (likey to that relative's detriment). Neither having a high amount of Jötnar heritage (Magni at 3/4ths) nor being highly intelligent, like Týr, encouraged this ability to manifest.
  • It's also possible Atreus is actually an exception to the rule, and that it's more likely for part Jötunn to not inherit precognition
• In the original myth, contrary to popular belief, the Jötnar were not in fact giants, nor a different race, but a tribe of gods like the Aesir and Vanir. They were a different branch of the family and represented chaos and natural disasters. They also came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes; from human-looking, to troll-like and even being the shape of animals, and everything in between. While some of them could grow to gigantic proportions, the vast majority didn't look much different from humans.