Of course, there are no more evil and cruel creatures in Scandinavian mythology than frost or ice giants. For their gluttony, they also received the nickname "jotuns" - gluttons. It was they who often acted as the main opponents of aces and people - not too smart, but vile, cunning and strong, they caused a lot of problems for the inhabitants of both Midgard and Asgard.
Where did the frost giants come from?
Thanks to the Scandinavian legends preserved in Iceland (in Sweden, Denmark and Norway they were destroyed by rooted Christianity), it is known that their direct ancestor was Ymir himself - the first living creature from whose body the whole world was created.
But then there are disagreements. Some experts believe that the frost giants are the children of Ymir, partly exterminated, partly hiding from the wrath of the aesir. Others say that the giants and jotuns were not equal in strength. That the giants, being the children of Ymir, were much larger and more cruel. But the etuns (or jotuns) became the children of the only giant not killed - Bergelmir, who survived the death of Ymir. Accordingly, they were onlyweakened descendants of giants and grandchildren of Ymir, so they cannot be reduced to one category.
In any case, it was the ice giants in the mythology of the ancient Scandinavians who were the main antagonists of the main characters. Many myths are connected precisely with the fact that they tried to steal magical artifacts from the aces (Draupnir ring, Mjolnir hammer, Idunn apples) or goddesses (Idunn, Freya). Therefore, the confrontation between the highest gods - aces - and giants runs through all myths.
What they looked like
Frost giants were mostly anthropomorphic. They were distinguished from people and gods primarily by their huge size and ugliness. However, there were also more original specimens.
For example, Trudgelmir had as many as six heads. Grungnir, the prince of the Jotuns, had a heart and a head made of stone. Of course, what the ice giants looked like, the photos will not be able to show us due to their complete absence. Therefore, one has to rely solely on legends and tales.
It is believed that it was a giant who was born and Loki is one of the main characters in Viking mythology. In the society of aces, he was accepted for outstanding resourcefulness and intelligence. True, later the gods regretted this more than once. Loki could turn into anyone - from a fly to a mare, who later gave birth to Sleipnir himself - Odin's six-legged horse. But mostly he had the appearance of a handsome man with red hair.
Where they lived
On the question of where the ice giants lived, Scandinavian mythology gives a fairly unambiguous answer. Their main placehabitat was Jotunheim. This world (one of the nine connected by Yggdrasil) was located on the roots of a mighty ash tree. That is, he was related to Niflheim and other worlds with a very unpleasant "climate".
And here, too, there is confusion. On the one hand, according to the legends, it is known that the ice giants lived in Niflheim. On the other hand, the world of Jotunheim, although located not far from Niflheim, was clearly separated from it, while having a name that makes it related to the jotuns. This adds further difficulty to the attempt to classify the nine worlds and their inhabitants.
According to legend, Jotunheim is located east of Midgard (modern scientists place it behind the Ural Mountains, in unknown and harsh lands). Utgard was located here - the main settlement inhabited by giants. Also in this world were the Stone Mountains and the Iron Forest.
However, the Aesir couldn't stop the Frost Giants from getting out of their worlds. Therefore, they often strove to harm by stealing magical items and goddesses. As a result, aces often visited their lower worlds in order to return their girlfriends and property, and at the same time take revenge on their age-old opponents for their audacity.
It is believed that it was in Jotunheim that the Norns were born - the three keepers of time: past, present and future. Only after their appearance, time was divided - before that, the future and the past were one. This partly explains many of the misunderstandings and paradoxes inherent in Scandinavian mythology.
The most famous of the giants
Difficultto say exactly how many giants inhabited Jotunheim and Niflheim (and at the same time Muspelheim, because its lord was the ice giant Surt). But the legends have preserved many names of the most prominent personalities.
We have already spoken about Loki and Trudgelmir, the progenitors of the jotuns. It is also worth highlighting Angrboda, the giantess with whom Loki lived for three years. It was she who gave birth to his children - the huge wolf Fenris, the terrible goddess of death Hel, the monstrous serpent Jormungand, encircling the entire Midgard.
Vaftrudnir became famous for daring to compete in wisdom with Odin himself. Thor went fishing with Gimir and almost caught Jormungand.
Gunnled is a giantess, the daughter of Guttung, who kept the Mead of Poetry, taking it away from the dwarves.
There were also many other, slightly less famous giants, whose names have come down to us in legends and tales.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. In it, we tried to briefly tell who the ice giants were, where they lived, and what they looked like. They also mentioned the most prominent characters. We hope that after reading the article you have become much better at understanding Scandinavian mythology.
