Jötunn

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"Frost giant" redirects here. For other uses, see Frost Giant (disambiguation).

10th-century picture stone from the Hunnestad Monument that is believed to depict a gýgr riding on a wolf with vipers as reins, which has been proposed to be Hyrrokkin.

A jötunn (also jotun; in the normalised scholarly spelling of

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 British 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.

Origin, appearance and terminology

Terms and etymology

The word eotenas in the manuscript of Beowulf

Proto-Germanic masculine noun *etunaz.[2] Philologist Vladimir Orel says that semantic connections between *etunaz with Proto-Germanic *etanan ('to eat') makes a relation between the two words likely.[2] The words are cognate with ettin, an archaic word for a type of being.[3] Old Norse risi and Old High German riso derive from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun *wrisjon. Orel observes that the Old Saxon adjective wrisi-līk 'enormous' is likely also connected.[4] Old Norse þurs, Old English þyrs, and Old High German duris 'devil, evil spirit' derive from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun *þur(i)saz, itself derived from Proto-Germanic *þurēnan, which is etymologically connected to Sanskrit turá- 'strong, powerful, rich'.[5] Several terms are used specifically to refer to female entities that fall into this wider category, including íviðja (plural íviðjur), gýgr (plural gýgjar) and tröllkona (plural tröllkonur).[6][7][8]

Terms for jötnar are also found in Old Norse compound words such as bergrisi,[9] ("mountain-risi") and hrímþurs ("rime-þurs", or "frost-þurs").[10]

The cognates jötunn and eoten, and þurs and þyrs have been equated by scholars such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Rudolf Simek, with the words being used to describe the being in either Old Norse or Old English respectively.[11][12]

Appearance, connotations and distinctions

In the

Icelandic and Norwegian rune poems, where they are identified for causing strife to women.[15][16] Descriptions of the appearance of jötnar are uncommon however the progenitor of the jötnar is described as having the form of a man.[17] Some female jötnar are described as being beautiful, such as Gerðr and Hymir's partner while others are described as monstrous and having many heads.[18] Some dwarfs are described as jötnar such as Regin and Fáfnir, while in Alvíssmál, the eponymous dwarf is noted for having the likeness of a þurs.[19]

As the influence of Christianity grew, jötnar became

Germanic folklore.[20] In some later sagas, such as Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss, risar are clearly distinct from jötnar however in others the terms are used interchangeably, albeit with an overall trend that jötnar have begun to be seen negatively relative to risar.[14]

Troll has a much wider semantic scope in Old Norse literature than solely jötnar, also including individuals with unusual or supernatural traits such as witches, abnormally strong, large or ugly people, ghosts and

berserkers.[21]

Glossing as "giant"

Terms for jötnar are often problematically translated into Modern English as "giant" or "giantess".[19] John Lindow uses the glosses to contrast them with the gods but notes that they are not giant, being similar in size to the gods, and are best conceived of as a kin or family group, separated by relation rather than physical appearance.[22] Due to this issue, some scholars such as Terry Gunnell, Jeramy Dodds and Benjamin Thorpe either anglicise or leave untranslated terms for jötnar in translations and academic work.[23][24][25]

Notable jötnar

Further information: List of jötnar in Norse mythology

Mythological origin

In a stanza of Völuspá hin skamma (found in the poem "Hyndluljóð") all jötnar descend from Ymir.[35] 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.[34][36]

Later, he was killed by the first

Indo-European mythology.[38][39][40]

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.[17][36]

Attributes and themes

Position as the "Other"

image stone Stora Hammars III is believed to depict Odin in the form of an eagle (note the eagle's beard), Gunnlöð holding the mead of poetry, and Suttungr
.

Most stories in Old Norse mythology show a clear division between "This World", pertaining to that of gods and men, and "The Other", which is inhabited by jötnar and beings associated with them.[41][42]

A common motif is the journeying to obtain secret knowledge from the jötnar. In the

völva who tells the Völuspá
prophecy to Óðinn, while not explicitly described as a jötunn but was raised by them. [46]

Cosmology in Germanic mythology, as with other oral cultures, has many apparent contradictions when viewed from a naturalistic standpoint.[47] Despite this, a system of motifs repeat when travelling to the jötnar. In the

eponymous saga, wherein the female beings may only be reached by crossing through water.[49][50] The seemingly ununified location of the jötnar has been suggested to be an outcome of their intrinsically chaotic nature.[17] Even within the same story, what seem like contradictions have been noted by scholars, prompting the proposal of a model that the otherworld where the jötnar dwell can be reached from a number of passages or boundaries that cannot be traversed under normal conditions, such as the mountains, darkness and "flickering flame" crossed by Skírnir in Skírnismál.[48]

In Eddic sources, jötnar present a constant threat to gods and humans, often leading them to confrontation with

Mjöllnir, jötnar would soon overrun Midgard and Asgard respectively.[51] 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.[52]

Ancestors of gods and humans

A bergrisi ("mountain risi") — the traditional protector of southwestern Iceland—appears as a supporter on the coat of arms of Iceland.

The distinction between gods and jötnar is not clearly defined and they should be seen as different culturally rather than biologically, with some gods, such as

Ynglings.[54][55]
Odin also seduces the jötnar
vés in Lokasenna and toponyms such as Skedevi in Sweden suggests that despite being a jötunn, she was worshipped in Old Norse religion.[57][58]

Association with wild animals

One of the tröllkonur who dwell in the wood

Gjálp's horse", "Gríðr's horse", while a group of wolves is referred to as "Gríðr's grey herd of horses".[51][62] Wolf-riding gýgjar are referred to as myrkriður ("riders in the night") or kveldriður ("dusk riders").[62][63]

arnarhamr (eagle-guise) who creates the wind by beating his wings.[64] Other jötnar, such as Þjazi and Suttungr are able to become eagles by wearing their arnarhamir,[65][66][67] or resemble them like Griðr in Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra who has hands like eagle talons.[68]

Demonisation

In later material composed during the Christian period such as the legendary sagas, jötnar are often portrayed as uncivilised and cannibalistic. In the case of Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss and Hálfdanar saga Brönufóstra they specifically eat both human and horse meat, the latter of which was directly associated with heathen practices.[69] The post-Christian association between jötnar and pre-Christian practices is also seen in Beowulf, in which the man-eating eoten Grendel is described as having a "heathen soul" and "heathenish hand-spurs".[70] Female jötnar are explicitly described as being heathen in some later sources such as Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar, in which religion prevents her from being with the hero, and the legendary saga Þorsteins þáttr bæjarmagns, in which she must be baptised before marrying the hero.[52]

Modern folklore

standing stone in Rousay in Orkney
, held in local folklore to be a giant or jötunn that has been turned to stone.

trolls.[20][19][74]

As with jötnar, Germanic giants live outside of human communities, in woods and mountains.

Jätten Finn who is attributed with the construction of Lund Cathedral.[19][76] Ruins are also attributed to the works of both beings, as in the Old English poem The Ruin and the aetiological story of Wade's Causeway in Yorkshire.[72][77][78]

Some standing stones in northern Europe are explained as petrified giants such as the Yetnasteen in

Old Norse: Jǫtna-steinn (Jötunn's stone).[79] According to folklore, it awakens every New Year at midnight whereupon it visits the Loch of Scockness to drink.[80] Orcadian folklore also explains the Ring of Brodgar as dancing giants who were turned to stone by the morning sun.[81] This motif is also seen in Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar, in which the gýgr Hrímgerðr engages in a senna with Helgi Hundingsbane until the sun rises and she is turned to stone.[82]

The

Grýla (plural grýlur), or other similar terms, in costumes traditionally made from a combination of animal skins, tattered clothes, seaweed, straw and sometimes featuring masks. Grýla is a female creature described in Sturlunga saga as having fifteen tails, and listed as a tröllkona in the Nafnaþulur section of the Prose Edda who features in folklore throughout the North Atlantic islands settled by Scandinavians.[84][85]

Toponomy

Place-names derived from þurs or cognate:

England

See also

  • Asura – a comparable class of deities in Indian mythology
  • Div
    – a comparable class of beings in Islamic-Persian lore
  • Ents
  • Giants (Marvel Comics)
  • Giant (Dungeons & Dragons)
  • Titan
    – a comparable class of deities in Greek mythology

Citations

  1. ^ RHWUD.
  2. ^ a b Orel (2003:86).
  3. ^ "Ettin". Online Etymology Dictionary. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  4. ^ Orel (2003:472).
  5. ^ Orel (2003:429–430).
  6. ^ íviðja.
  7. ^ gýgr.
  8. ^ trollkona.
  9. ^ bergrisi.
  10. ^ hrímþurs.
  11. ^ Tolkien 2011.
  12. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 107, 334.
  13. ^ Simek 2008, p. 33.
  14. ^ a b Jakobsson 2009.
  15. ^ Dickins (1915:28–33)
  16. ^ Wikisource, Rune poems.
  17. ^ a b c d e Jakobsson 2006.
  18. ^ Orchard tr. 2011, pp. 59–66, 76–82, För Skírnis: Skírnir's journey, Hymiskvida: The song of Hymir.
  19. ^ a b c d e Motz 1982, pp. 70–84.
  20. ^ a b c Simek 2008, p. 107.
  21. ^ Jakobsson 2008.
  22. ^ a b Lindow 2002, p. 2.
  23. ^ Ásdísardóttir 2018.
  24. ^ Dodds 2015, p. 9.
  25. ^ Thorpe 2010.
  26. ^ Simek 2008, p. 105.
  27. ^ Monikander 2006, pp. 145–146.
  28. ^ Simek 2008, p. 78.
  29. ^ Simek 2008, p. 120.
  30. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 161–163.
  31. ^ a b Simek 2008, p. 179.
  32. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 286–287.
  33. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 314–315.
  34. ^ a b Simek 2008, pp. 377–378.
  35. ^ Bellows 2018, Hyndluljóð, stanza 5.
  36. ^ a b Sturluson 2018, Gylfaginning.
  37. ^ Simek 2008, p. 377.
  38. ^ Taylor 1998, Chapter 8.
  39. ^ Schneider 1986, pp. 170–171.
  40. ^ Slade 2007, pp. 18–21.
  41. ^ McKinnell 2005, pp. 1–10, Chapter 1.
  42. ^ Lummer 2021, pp. 57–85.
  43. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 169–170.
  44. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 344–345.
  45. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 208–210.
  46. ^ Orchard tr. 2011, pp. 5–14, Völuspá: The prophecy of the seeress.
  47. ^ Brink 2004.
  48. ^ a b c d Heide 2014.
  49. ^ McKinnell 2005, pp. 109–110, Chapter 8.
  50. ^ Fox 2020, p. 30.
  51. ^ a b c McKinnell 2005, pp. 109–125, Chapter 8.
  52. ^ a b McKinnell 2005, pp. 172–180, Chapter 11.
  53. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 78, 240, 316.
  54. ^ Simek 2008, p. 91.
  55. ^ Laing 1961, pp. 14–15, Ynglinga saga, Chapter 12.
  56. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 240–245.
  57. ^ Gunnell 2018, p. 121.
  58. ^ Nafnaþulur (ON).
  59. ^ Lindow 2002, p. 204.
  60. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 69–70.
  61. ^ Salus & Taylor 1969.
  62. ^ a b McKinnell 2005, pp. 147–171, Chapter 10.
  63. ^ Bellows 2018.
  64. ^ Simek 2008, p. 158.
  65. ^ "Skáldskaparmál – heimskringla.no". heimskringla.no.
  66. ^ Sturluson 2018, Skáldskaparmál.
  67. ^ Simek 2008, pp. 304, 314–315.
  68. ^ Lavender 2015.
  69. ^ Maraschi 2020, pp. 3, 11–13.
  70. ^ Beowulf, Chapters 8 & 14.
  71. ^ ettin.
  72. ^ a b Westwood 2006.
  73. ^ jätti.
  74. ^ Simpson 2004, p. 16.
  75. ^ Simpson 2004, p. 81.
  76. ^ Simpson 2004, pp. 48–49.
  77. ^ The Ruin.
  78. ^ Leslie 1961, pp. 23–27.
  79. ^ Ljosland 2013.
  80. ^ Clarke 2020.
  81. ^ Muir 2014, pp. 34–35.
  82. ^ Orchard 1997, p. 11.
  83. ^ Davidson 1970, p. 180.
  84. ^ Simpson 2004, pp. 102–104.
  85. ^ Gunnell 2001, p. 32-54.
  86. ^ Thursford.
  87. ^ Thursgill_a.
  88. ^ Thursgill_b.
  89. ^ Thruss Pits.
  90. ^ Thrispin Head.
  91. ^ Trusey Hill.

Bibliography

Primary

Secondary

External links

  • Media related to Jötnar at Wikimedia Commons
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