The Realms Of Jötunheimr – The Home Of The Fearful Giants In Norse Mythology

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Be careful and watch your steps when you enter the realms of Jötunheimr, the home of the fearful giants in Norse mythology. You might think twice before undertaking a journey to this dark, inhospitable place surrounded by dark forests and mountain peaks. Even the most courageous Norse Gods feared this place where winter never sleeps.

Jötunheimr was the dwelling place of the giants (Old Norse Jötnar), and it was one of the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. It was also known as Utgard which means "Beyond the Fence."

Stormjätten jordskakaren (Storm giant, the Earthshaker) by John Bauer (1882 - 1918). Credit: Public Domain

According to ancient myths and legends, the first living being that walked the Earth was a Jotun called Ymir and it was from him the world was created.

Since there was no fertile land where Jötunheimr was located, the Jotuns lived from the fish in the water and the animals from the dense forests.

The superhuman fearful giants living in Jötunheimr were enemies of the Aesir gods and goddesses and there were frequent battles between the two races. Nonetheless, three Jotun giants did enter the Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods, and they were accepted. These three giants were Aegit, the trickster god, Loki, and Karl.

Norse myths and legends tell that Asgard was separated by the river Irving, which never freezes but is always flowing. This world is located in the snowy regions of the furthest shores of the ocean. The well of wisdom, Mimir, is located beneath the Midgard root of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life, and it's the well of Jötunheimr.

View from Knutshøi towards central Jotunheimen. Credit: Jack R. Johanson - CC BY-SA 3.0

The old presence of the Old Norse Gods, goddesses, and giants can still be felt throughout the entire Scandinavia. Many places are named after places and beings that played a vital role in myths and legends.

In Norway, there is a mountain called Jotunheimen (the home of the giants). Jøtunheimen was the name given to this mountain area by the Norwegian author Aasmund Olavsson Vinje in 1862, under the inspiration of the wild landscape and Norse mythology. The Jotuns — trolls — have their home here. Jøtunheimen later became Jotunheimen, which is the name still used for this magnificent mountain area.

Written by - Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on January 22, 2024

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