Jotnar

Jötunn, plural jötnar, are a race of beings in Norse mythology. Often translated as giants, they comprise a diverse array of beings—from frost giants and fire giants to hill giants and other nature-spirits. They primarily inhabit Jotunheim, a realm separate from Asgard, and interact frequently with the Æsir and Vanir. The term denotes beings who often stand in opposition to the gods or embody forces of nature and chaos, though not all jotnar are uniformly hostile, and some form alliances with the gods or become kin through marriage or offspring.

The jötnar are not a single, uniform group but a broad category that includes many notable figures. Frost giants (hrímþursar) are a common subtype, as are various individual giants who appear in sagas and poems. Some jotnar are wise or powerful rulers, and others are tricksters or threats. Loki is commonly described as a jotunn by birth, son of Farbauti and Laufey, which makes him a bridge figure between the gods and giants.

Several well-known jotnar play central roles in the myths. Ymir is the primordial giant whose slain body is used to fashion the world. Utgard-Loki appears in tales about Thor and the other gods testing their strength and wit. Angrboða, a jötunn, is the mother of Loki’s monstrous offspring Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel. Thrym, another giant, features in the tale Thrymskvida, where he steals Thor’s hammer Mjölnir.

In literary sources such as the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, jotnar are depicted as a persistent presence in the cosmos, shaping conflicts with the gods and the eventual events of Ragnarok.