The Jötnar (singular: Jötunn) are a species of Giants in Norse Mythology and they occupy the realm of Jötunheim. They were also the enemies of the Norse Gods, primarily to Odin and Thor. They made their first appearance in God of War (2018), where they were often referred to as "Giants". By the events of the game, most of the Jötnar from Jötunheim have died, with Atreus (a hybrid) and Jörmungandr being the only two known living Jötnar left.
Like many of the species in the Nine Realm, the Jötnar originated from the primordial entity Ymir. Hoping to gain control of the Realms and to eliminate the Jötnar, the Aesir gods slew Ymir, causing a flooding that ultimately drowned all the Jötnar, except for the Frost Giant Bergelmir and his wife. The pair eventually went on to find a place where their species would thrive once again, Jötunheim, and had many children, securing the survival of the Jötnar. His actions granted him the title of "Bergelmir the Beloved" among the Jötnar.
The Realm of Fire, Muspelheim, is occupied by a different variety of Jötnar commonly known as "The Fire Giants". Mimir stated that they will not appear until Ragnarök since Fire Giants, like Surtr, had only one goal: destroying Asgard come Ragnarök.
Odin desires the chance to reach Jötunheim because he coveted the Giants' ability of precognition (the ability to foresee the future).
Notable Jötnar
- Thamur - He was a Frost Giant who died when ambushed by Thor, a fight that ended with him landing on his own chisel. His corpse makes an appearance in God of War as an explorable location. In the final battle against Baldur, the Vanir/Æsir 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 is responsible for finishing the Great Walls of Jötunheim and for rebuilding Asgard's walls, the latter which he likely embedded with a weakness only known to Freya that could be exploited when Ragnarök begins.
- Gróa - Wife of Aurvandil and gifted Seiðr.
- Fjörgyn - Mother of Thor and one of Odin's great loves.
- Thor - A son of Odin, though half-Jötunn by the Giantess Fjörgyn. Thor is a notoriously bloodthirsty god who was responsible for hunting down many Jotnar in Midgard. His power is unmatched thanks to his wielding of Mjölnir. He is destined to fight Jörmungandr during Ragnarök.
- Laufey - Also known as Faye. She was the second wife of Kratos and the mother of Atreus. She dies shortly before the events of God of War, with the main plot of the game being Kratos and Atreus' 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 releases her ashes into the wind. She was also responsible for the artwork discovered by Atreus in Jötunheim that depicted events of the story and future events.
- Atreus - Also known as Loki. Through his father, Kratos, he is also a quarter god and mortal. Following the death of his mother, Laufey, he journeys with his father to fulfill his mother's final wish of having her ashes scattered at the summit of the highest mountain in all the Nine Realms (located in Jötunheim). During his journey, his father mentors and tests him on his readiness to survive in the harsh Nordic world. He proves to be a skilled combatant, specializing in bow-and-arrows (both physical and magical) and daggers.
- Jörmungandr - Also known as "The World Serpent". He is a non-humanoid Giant. Mimir talks to him in an "obscure tongue that is more ancient than these mountains", and is apparently rather chatty. He encompasses all of the Midgard, though now his whereabouts are unknown.
Trivia
- The Jötnar are similar to the Titans in Greek Mythology due to their strong dislike of the Gods of their world (with an exception to the Nordic God of War, Tyr, 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 Tyr. Furthermore, the Jötnar were peaceful creatures whereas the Titans were violent.
- Despite being known as giants, not all Jötnar were giant. They've been described as being the size of humans or literal giants. The same goes for dwarves, who are not always small in stature.
- Jötnar were also not all frost giants like some modern media makes out to be. There were many types of other Jötnar including mountain giants (bergrisar) and fire giants (eldjötnar).