jotunheim 59
the serpent but was himself poisoned by the deadly
venom.
J otun (Giant)
The beings who lived in Jotun-
heim, which was the land of the giants. Jotun were
the main enemies of the Aesir gods and goddesses,
although the two races often intermarried.
The first generation of giants was formed from
the original giant, Ymir. They were known as the
rime-giants, hrimthurssar (thursar means “giant”),
or frost giants. Among the people of the north, they
were said to represent the threat of winter, darkness,
and sterility. The Jotun are the descendents of one of
these first giants, Bergelmir, and his wife. This single
rime-giant and his family survived the flood that
killed all the other giants when the divine brothers,
Odin, Vili, and Ve, killed Ymir.
Famous characters among the Jotun are: Gerd a,
beloved of the god Frey; Jarnsaxa, a wife or
mistress of Thor; Hrungnir, who duels with Thor;
and Hymir, with whom Thor goes fishing for the
Midgard Serpent.
J otunheim (J otunnheimar ; Giant Land) The
mountainous, freezing lands of the Jotun, a race
of giants. Many manuscripts of Norse myths use
the plural form, Jotunnheimar, to refer to the lands
of these giants. Some scholars suggest that people
viewed the giants as living in places that surrounded
the edges of the world of humans. Others say that
people saw Jotunheim as one single place, just as
they regarded Asgard, the realm of the gods, as one
place.
One of the three huge roots of the World Tree,
Yggdrasil, reached into Jotunheim. The great thun-
der god, Thor, traveled often to Jotunheim to battle
the giants.