Frost Thurses
*Keep in mind that all work with the Etin is done on the other planes, through projection and similar means*
Personality/Appearance
Sometimes called by various names such as rime-thurses. These are the frost-giants. These tend to be what people associate the word “jotun” with, simply because they tend to get more coverage than the others. They dwell in Niflheim, which suits their demeanor. If you are doing pathwalking, you may go to Niflheim to see them but most would advise you to be wary and careful of this. The land there is not exactly ruled by one particular Frost-thurse, and the other smaller clans take their property very serious. You can easily be seen as a trespasser on certain land, and put yourself in a bad place. Some easier places to meet some of the frost-thurses will be listed later on. On a side note, Raven K came up with a suggestion, should one of them decide you are a trespasser on their land: immediately tell them that you were trying to travel to Helheim, and simply got lost. Due to the fact that Helheim borders their lands, and that the Jotun Hel is the ruler of such a place, they definitely have a deep respect for her and her lands- and often will let you go on your way. Be prepared to actually go to Helheim though, because sometimes they may take you up on that and follow you the rest of the way there. They dislike liars.
They are thought to be the oldest, largest, stoic, territorial, cold-blooded and most frigid (see what I did there?) of the entin-kind. Their disposition towards people who work with them tends to be described as cold, because they do not much care for people. They are territorial, and dislike trespassers. They even dislike most visitors. Heck, sometimes they even dislike each other. In all truth, they are content to be left alone, isolated, and not bothered. They are very decisive about things. If they decide you shouldn’t be there, or that you are bothering them, they will immediately take action and you cannot talk your way out of whatever they have decided for you. And often what they decide is not going to give you the warm-fuzzys. They are cold, and calculating, non-emotional in their work. This is not to say that you cannot befriend one, or work with them. Many of them have a good spectrum of emotion and do not mind companionship and working with someone- but you will have to grow accustomed to their quirks.
For instance, don’t touch anything. They tend to be a bit possessive about their land, their home, and their objects. If you aren’t sure if something, some object, belongs to anyone- just leave it alone. If you see a rock on the ground, don’t touch it. If you see a cave in the side of a cliff, don’t go in there- that’s probably someone’s home. See a pile of snow and want to jump in it? I wouldn’t advise it that might be one of them. They can be very quiet, and stealthy- which makes them great hunters. You may not necessarily see them, but they will see you. Another thing, don’t start fires, bring fires with you, light candles, etc. As you can imagine, that displeases them quite a bit. If they wanted heat they would go to Muspellheim. And that’s not happening anytime soon. They are very private individuals, and so asking them a ton of personalized questions may not be the way to go about things. This sort of behavior makes them suspicious of you, and from personal experience I’ve found that a good number of them are already suspicious and paranoid due to their nature.
They tend to be more feared that some of the other types of Etin. I assume this has to do with their nature.. and their size. The frost-thurses tend to be viewed as the largest out of all the jotunfolk, even when they assume smaller forms. In a humanoid type shape they appear as literal giants, standing several feet taller than the tallest human ever could be. But it is not common for them to walk around in this form, quite the opposite. Their natural forms are their most preferred, and the word giant does not even begin to help you comprehend their massive sizes. You may perceive them as literal pillars of snow, hurricane-gusts of ice and cold, giant moving icicles. While they are physically slower while assuming certain shapes, their definition of slow is not the same as ours. They can easily outmaneuver and outrun a traveler. When seen in their humanoid shapes, they are often described as being extremely pale- white as snow, sometimes with a light blue tint to their skin. Their hair varies between white-black and all sorts of grayish colors.
“The frost-thurses can be very problematic. Perhaps I should just change that to automatic-problem. They are the least friendly of giants, but they also will ignore you first, until you present a problem. They can smell intent pretty damned fast. They also don’t take kindly to humans in their physical form, so be aware of that when you enter..Actually, if you can think about an avalanche as an entity, you'll see what I mean here. An avalanche zone can be seen or not, but if you so much as make too loud a noise, step in the wrong spot, or don't take heed, it will come crashing down on you. As for offerings, they seem to like milk, tea (green tea and white tea especially), and work. Hard work..” –Lyn
Some tips on working with them or building a relationship with them? Be polite, be quiet and reserved, be respectful. Do work for them, or with them. Move things, clean things, as long as you ask them permission to touch it first. Learn to listen more than talk. Learn to stand still and not fidget.
Variations:
Under the category of “frost etin” you have some variation. Storm giants, for instance, are actually just frost-giants who no longer dwell in Niflheim with the rest. They tend to be more associated with winds and storms related to that than an actually ground-type of storm. The distinction, however, between what makes up a “storm-giant” and what makes it different from a “frost-giant” is not always clear. Certainly, there are storm giants who associate with frost-related storms. And due to jotun blood (which I guess I need to explain) there are several throw-backs in their lineage. If a frost-giant takes a mountain-giant as a mate, their offspring could be either almost wholly frost or mountain, or a combination of the two, and somewhere in-between all of that. Genetics to them do not work the same way it does for us. It depends on their environment, and where they choose to live. Anywho, do not be too concerned with trying to tell if something is frost or storm. It matters very little to the jotunfolk anyways.
Why work with a frost-thurse?
People who work with them tend to work with them for a few reasons:
Why avoid a frost-thurse?
A few spirit workers tend to be drawn to them because they are very much like isolated hermits, and people who sympathize with that can relate.
Personality/Appearance
Sometimes called by various names such as rime-thurses. These are the frost-giants. These tend to be what people associate the word “jotun” with, simply because they tend to get more coverage than the others. They dwell in Niflheim, which suits their demeanor. If you are doing pathwalking, you may go to Niflheim to see them but most would advise you to be wary and careful of this. The land there is not exactly ruled by one particular Frost-thurse, and the other smaller clans take their property very serious. You can easily be seen as a trespasser on certain land, and put yourself in a bad place. Some easier places to meet some of the frost-thurses will be listed later on. On a side note, Raven K came up with a suggestion, should one of them decide you are a trespasser on their land: immediately tell them that you were trying to travel to Helheim, and simply got lost. Due to the fact that Helheim borders their lands, and that the Jotun Hel is the ruler of such a place, they definitely have a deep respect for her and her lands- and often will let you go on your way. Be prepared to actually go to Helheim though, because sometimes they may take you up on that and follow you the rest of the way there. They dislike liars.
They are thought to be the oldest, largest, stoic, territorial, cold-blooded and most frigid (see what I did there?) of the entin-kind. Their disposition towards people who work with them tends to be described as cold, because they do not much care for people. They are territorial, and dislike trespassers. They even dislike most visitors. Heck, sometimes they even dislike each other. In all truth, they are content to be left alone, isolated, and not bothered. They are very decisive about things. If they decide you shouldn’t be there, or that you are bothering them, they will immediately take action and you cannot talk your way out of whatever they have decided for you. And often what they decide is not going to give you the warm-fuzzys. They are cold, and calculating, non-emotional in their work. This is not to say that you cannot befriend one, or work with them. Many of them have a good spectrum of emotion and do not mind companionship and working with someone- but you will have to grow accustomed to their quirks.
For instance, don’t touch anything. They tend to be a bit possessive about their land, their home, and their objects. If you aren’t sure if something, some object, belongs to anyone- just leave it alone. If you see a rock on the ground, don’t touch it. If you see a cave in the side of a cliff, don’t go in there- that’s probably someone’s home. See a pile of snow and want to jump in it? I wouldn’t advise it that might be one of them. They can be very quiet, and stealthy- which makes them great hunters. You may not necessarily see them, but they will see you. Another thing, don’t start fires, bring fires with you, light candles, etc. As you can imagine, that displeases them quite a bit. If they wanted heat they would go to Muspellheim. And that’s not happening anytime soon. They are very private individuals, and so asking them a ton of personalized questions may not be the way to go about things. This sort of behavior makes them suspicious of you, and from personal experience I’ve found that a good number of them are already suspicious and paranoid due to their nature.
They tend to be more feared that some of the other types of Etin. I assume this has to do with their nature.. and their size. The frost-thurses tend to be viewed as the largest out of all the jotunfolk, even when they assume smaller forms. In a humanoid type shape they appear as literal giants, standing several feet taller than the tallest human ever could be. But it is not common for them to walk around in this form, quite the opposite. Their natural forms are their most preferred, and the word giant does not even begin to help you comprehend their massive sizes. You may perceive them as literal pillars of snow, hurricane-gusts of ice and cold, giant moving icicles. While they are physically slower while assuming certain shapes, their definition of slow is not the same as ours. They can easily outmaneuver and outrun a traveler. When seen in their humanoid shapes, they are often described as being extremely pale- white as snow, sometimes with a light blue tint to their skin. Their hair varies between white-black and all sorts of grayish colors.
“The frost-thurses can be very problematic. Perhaps I should just change that to automatic-problem. They are the least friendly of giants, but they also will ignore you first, until you present a problem. They can smell intent pretty damned fast. They also don’t take kindly to humans in their physical form, so be aware of that when you enter..Actually, if you can think about an avalanche as an entity, you'll see what I mean here. An avalanche zone can be seen or not, but if you so much as make too loud a noise, step in the wrong spot, or don't take heed, it will come crashing down on you. As for offerings, they seem to like milk, tea (green tea and white tea especially), and work. Hard work..” –Lyn
Some tips on working with them or building a relationship with them? Be polite, be quiet and reserved, be respectful. Do work for them, or with them. Move things, clean things, as long as you ask them permission to touch it first. Learn to listen more than talk. Learn to stand still and not fidget.
Variations:
Under the category of “frost etin” you have some variation. Storm giants, for instance, are actually just frost-giants who no longer dwell in Niflheim with the rest. They tend to be more associated with winds and storms related to that than an actually ground-type of storm. The distinction, however, between what makes up a “storm-giant” and what makes it different from a “frost-giant” is not always clear. Certainly, there are storm giants who associate with frost-related storms. And due to jotun blood (which I guess I need to explain) there are several throw-backs in their lineage. If a frost-giant takes a mountain-giant as a mate, their offspring could be either almost wholly frost or mountain, or a combination of the two, and somewhere in-between all of that. Genetics to them do not work the same way it does for us. It depends on their environment, and where they choose to live. Anywho, do not be too concerned with trying to tell if something is frost or storm. It matters very little to the jotunfolk anyways.
Why work with a frost-thurse?
People who work with them tend to work with them for a few reasons:
- Learning about the forces of nature
- Learning how to understand winter, and cold
- Learning about surviving in raw nature
- Controlling ones emotions and self
- Controlling ones tongue and thoughts
- Being decisive, and learning to appreciate working hard.
Why avoid a frost-thurse?
- They care very little about human emotion and human affairs
- They do not think twice about hurting you if they are compelled to
- They will not comfort or baby you, they expect you to work
- They can be too overwhelming and powerful
- They may not necessarily give you all the answers and help you want
A few spirit workers tend to be drawn to them because they are very much like isolated hermits, and people who sympathize with that can relate.
Notable Frost-Thurses:
I’ll list some of the better known ones.
1) Ymir
As you can imagine, Ymir is a very notable frost-etin. This is because he was the very first, and from him come all other etin (except for the fire-etin). If you understand the norse creation story, it tells us that as Muspellheim and Niflheim drew closer to each other, the heat and cold clashed and melted away the body of Ymir. He was beyond gigantic. (Consider that later on his body parts are used to make whole realms- so his size is beyond massive, beyond the size of one planet). When he was uncovered, he was very primal and primitive (though I say the word primitive with respect to him). By this, I mean that he did not move much, did not think much or want for much. He just was. In truth, if the mysterious cow (Audumhla) did not shoot rivers of milk and feed him, he might have simply faded away, as he made no moves to take care of himself on his own.
Now, as the temperature began to rise he began to sweat more and start moving around- as his body was being uncovered from the ice. The friction provoked from his jerking body ended up creating a man and woman (from his armpit region) and another man from his legs. These were the first technical frost-thurses, and they were unlike the ones we are familiar with today. They were massive in form, completely huge, and had multiple heads. From the mating between these three giants comes the entire race of the frost-thurses. They were different from Ymir in several ways. They moved on their own, thought, etc. “As the world of Niflheim came periodically closer to the world of Muspellheim in a sort of dance, a bridge would be made of water which thawed and then froze again. Frost-thurses began to cross the bridge and meet with the sons of Surt, and some of them wedded each other and had children. In this way, the race of giants began to increase). Raven K.
As everyone knows from the story, when this is happening, the cow, Audumhla, is busy licking away the ice and revealing Buri. He was the first Aesir, and the only truly pure-blooded one. I say this, because when he came out of the ice he married a frost-thurse, Bestla. They bore sons, and thus came along Odin, Vili and Ve. To sum up things, the three children end up killing Ymir and using his body to create the realms. However, in doing this they murdered kin, and his blood drowned a great number of the jotunfolk. As you can imagine, this causes a lot of high tension between them- even to this day.
2) Thyrm
Thyrm is the Chief and “King” of Jotunfolk. However, if you want to get technical, his role is a bit ceremonial- as Utgard Loki is also respected just as much as him, and actually has more power to fulfill the role of a chief. If you think of this in political terms, he’s not unlike the Queen of England in his role. His main duty is to bring the jotunfolk together and to help make decisions, peace treaties, and so on. His peaceful nature is apparent in his personality. He is often seen as jovial, happy, and incredibly calm. He loves generosity, and likes to give people gifts, as well as invite people to parties and gatherings. Socializing is one of his strong-points. He loves jokes and to be entertained, whether that be through song, dance, whatever. However, as I mentioned about Jotun nature- under the surface he is not all laughs and games. He is very serious, very dedicated to his causes. If you harass him or anger him, you will face his wrath.
I mentioned that politics can become a problem with the Jotun, and this is the perfect example of that. Thyrm has a distinctive and passionate hate for the Aesir, and you would do best to never mention them in his presence, or again you’ll face his wrath. He was involved in the stealing of Thors hammer. He was in love with the Vanir goddess, Freyja, and wanted to marry her so he went about it this way- and it did not end pleasantly. If you’ve heard the story, you know that Thor and Loki dressed up as ladies and Thor pretended to be Freyja. Once he got the hammer back, he killed nearly everyone at the event- though Thyrm escaped with physical and emotion bruising. Even if you are the most dedicated person ever, and you absolutely love the Aesir, leave all talk of them behind you when visiting him. He will appreciate you for it.
3) Mimir
Mimir has to be one of my favorite Jotun, if not simply because of his story. He had quite an interesting life. His lineage goes back to the first chieftan of the frost-giants, of whom Mimir is his grandson. He was charged with guarding the well that was growing near the root of Yggrasil, touching Jotunheim, and he took that job very seriously. (Yes, this is the Well of Wisdom). However, after a very long time he decided to leave (whether out of boredom or a desire to travel again) and he went to Asgard. Here he was taken in by Odin, who immediately recognized the sheer intelligence and knowledge he possessed. Meanwhile, the war with Aesir and Vanir was taking place. When a truce between the two races of Gods was made, hostages were sent and taken from either side. Njord and his children (Frey and Freyja) were sent to the Aesir as Vanir hostages. But in return, Odin shipped off his brother and Mimir (who disliked being treated as property and was not fond of the entire situation that had occurred).
Because of his resentment towards this whole affair, Mimir became a smart-ass and bitter. The Vanir recognized his intelligence, just as Odin had, and wished him to give advice and answers. However, he was not open with them, and he did not like them. Whenever they would ask him a question, he would make sure to make his answer as long and as confusing as he could. This led several times to them misinterpreting it, and ending up in bad positions. They got fed up with him. So they cut his head off, and sent Odin’s brother back to deliver the message to him. Odin was saddened to see this, knowing the great wisdom of Mimir, and so with magick he brought the head back to life. As you can imagine, when Mimir opened his eyes- curses and cussing of all sorts flew out of his mouth. Mimir, you pottymouth! His resentment had doubled. Not only had he been traded like property, he had been killed, and now cursed to live as only a head. Odin immediately flung the head back into the well which Mimir had guarded- and this is where is today, and where he will be eternally.
As I’m sure you can guess, all of these events have made Mimir into a very cranky, often dark and resentful figure. This can be seen in the tale where Odin ventures to the Well to seek knowledge, and in return Mimir demands his eye in exchange. “To this day, one of his eyes glows like an underwater star in the Well, providing little light to see into its depths” Raven K. Pathwalkers always wish to travel to the Well, for a variety of reasons. One form of divination through seidhr calls for staring into the waters of the well, and finding answers in the images it shows you. However, to do that is problematic and I would say 90% of the people who venture to the Well turn around and flee. This is not a happy place. Heads line the walkway to reach the Well, and when looking into the water there are several heads floating in there as well. It is said by some that the heads turn, watching you and following you as you come to the well, and that is Mimir likes you enough they may even speak to you and share knowledge. If he likes you. This is rare, as seen by the heads, which tend to be heads of people who annoy him or who make the mistake of trying to out-smart him. He does not always come up to the surface of the Well. When he does, he likes to challenge passerbys to a game of questions. Never take him up on his offer. The price for losing is your head.
Isn’t he lovely?
4) Skadi
Down below I will talk of Thjatsi(#6) and explain how he died. Regardless, this Jotun was the father of Skadi. She is the most famous Jotun giantess in all of their history, simply because she became part of the Aesir. Her father had apparently owned land in Asgard, due to his relationship with an Asgard woman. After his death, Skadi traveled to Asgard and laid claim to his property there, as well as demanded weregild for her father’s death (weregild is sort of a fine that must be paid to the family of someone who was slain). She actually showed up armored and with weapons, planning to kick butt. However, she claimed the Aesir owed her a husband and they decided that was fair. To make it complicated, she was only allowed to look at the feet of the Aesir and choose her husband this way. She chose the finest feet, thinking it was Baldr, but it turned out to be Njord. Their marriage did not last long, as neither could stand the environment their partner lived in. But it was long enough for Skadi to be given a permanent seat in the Aesir council, making her the most powerful female Jotun in the game of politics.
After this, she and Loki had a bit of a fling. If you want to call it that (though I wouldn’t recommend ever asking Skadi about it). She had become depressed and sad, and none of the other Gods could make her smile or laugh. Loki, as always, decided to take up the challenge. He tied his testicles to a goat and played a game of tug-o-war, until the rope broke and Loki landed in Skadi’s lap. This provoked much laughter and smiles from her. This was an offering of sorts, between Loki and Skadi, and she took him up on that offer. But it did not last. Loki did not take that relationship seriously, and Skadi felt scorned and betrayed by him. When he was caught and bound, it was she who placed the serpent dripping venom above him. Hell hath no fury like a Jotun Goddess scorned.
5) Vafthrudnir
This is an ooooold frost-giant, who is called “Mighty in Riddles” and “Wise One”. He is an extremely intelligent Jotun. And he knows it. In the past, he was so confident of his mighty knowledge that he would travel other entities to a game of his, in which they would exchange riddles and words- and whoever lost in the battle of wits would forfeit their head to the winner. One day, Odin decides to match wits with him. He travels to him in a form Vafthrudnir does not recognize. They begin easily, and build their way up, each asking the other questions and each one answering correctly. Odin begins to realize that Vafthrudnir is actually as smart as he proclaimed himself to be, and Odin realizes he must ask a question that Vafthrudnir will not know the answer to or he may lose the best or at least come to a draw (which would probably have hurt his ego a bit). So Odin asks: “What did Odin whisper into his dead son’s ear on his funeral pyre?”. No one but Odin would know the answer to that. Vafthrudnir immediately realizes that he is dealing with Odin, and submits that he cannot answer and he forfeits his head. The story never goes on to say whether Odin decided to take his head or not, however, some pathwalkers mention seeing him occasionally walking the grounds of Helheim.
6) Thjatsi
This giant is the son of Olvalde, a frost giant who was called the “Ale Emperor”. He is most famous for his part in kidnapping Iduna. In a bit of fun, Thjatsi put a spell over the fire Odin, his brother, and Loki were trying to start. Odin agreed to give him some of their meat, if Thjatsi would simply remove the spell- so he did. But the moment the meat was prepared, Thjatsi (being a true jotun) took the majority of it and began to fly away in the form of an eagle. Loki, not having any of this, whacked him with a stick. Unfortunately for the both of them, this stick was actually a wand that had been laying in the grass, and Loki became stuck to Thjatsi, who thought it great fun to fly low enough that Loki smacked into trees, thorns, bushes, and the like. When Loki became tired of this torment, he asked what Thjatsi wanted in exchange for his freedom, and it was Iduna and her golden apples. Long story short, Loki helps him to get Iduna and her apples but then must fix the situation or face the wrath of the Gods, who were aging due to the immortal apples being taken. He steals them back from Thjatsi and is chased all the way back to Asgard. Thjatsi did not know that the walls of Asgard were enchanted to keep out intruders, so when he flew over them in his eagle form- flames shot out and killed him.
Soon after this, his daughter (Skadi) came to Asgard to demand compensation for her fathers death. As we know, she is now part of the Aesir and considered the Goddess of Winter and the Hunt. So things worked out in the best for her.
7) The Norns
The Nornir are actually believed to be frost-etin. I don’t want to go much into them, as I plan to talk about them later on. And I’ve already written an article about them, which I believe is in the public forums. Working with them definitely has its magickal uses. Wyrdwalking is working with the Norns to view someone’s Wyrd, and if you work close enough with them, to manipulate Wyrd, However, this is NOT for everyone and I don’t recommend people to be messing with that type of thing. You can create more problems than you solve. However, working with the norns has its place in divination as you can learn a lot regarding the future present and past.
8) Tyr
Tyrs lineage is debated a bit, as in some parts he is spoken of as being the son of Odin. However, in the Hymskvida it clearly states that Tyr is actually the son of a fire-etin and frost-etin. In the stories, he actually travels home to his Jotun parents, with Thor, and ends up stealing a cauldron from them- and thus breaking his bonds with them, as his father denounced him.
“In many ways, Tyr is a way for those who are unfamiliar with the Jotun to understand the word ‘trolltryggr” which means ‘faithful as a giant’.” Raven K
I’ll list some of the better known ones.
1) Ymir
As you can imagine, Ymir is a very notable frost-etin. This is because he was the very first, and from him come all other etin (except for the fire-etin). If you understand the norse creation story, it tells us that as Muspellheim and Niflheim drew closer to each other, the heat and cold clashed and melted away the body of Ymir. He was beyond gigantic. (Consider that later on his body parts are used to make whole realms- so his size is beyond massive, beyond the size of one planet). When he was uncovered, he was very primal and primitive (though I say the word primitive with respect to him). By this, I mean that he did not move much, did not think much or want for much. He just was. In truth, if the mysterious cow (Audumhla) did not shoot rivers of milk and feed him, he might have simply faded away, as he made no moves to take care of himself on his own.
Now, as the temperature began to rise he began to sweat more and start moving around- as his body was being uncovered from the ice. The friction provoked from his jerking body ended up creating a man and woman (from his armpit region) and another man from his legs. These were the first technical frost-thurses, and they were unlike the ones we are familiar with today. They were massive in form, completely huge, and had multiple heads. From the mating between these three giants comes the entire race of the frost-thurses. They were different from Ymir in several ways. They moved on their own, thought, etc. “As the world of Niflheim came periodically closer to the world of Muspellheim in a sort of dance, a bridge would be made of water which thawed and then froze again. Frost-thurses began to cross the bridge and meet with the sons of Surt, and some of them wedded each other and had children. In this way, the race of giants began to increase). Raven K.
As everyone knows from the story, when this is happening, the cow, Audumhla, is busy licking away the ice and revealing Buri. He was the first Aesir, and the only truly pure-blooded one. I say this, because when he came out of the ice he married a frost-thurse, Bestla. They bore sons, and thus came along Odin, Vili and Ve. To sum up things, the three children end up killing Ymir and using his body to create the realms. However, in doing this they murdered kin, and his blood drowned a great number of the jotunfolk. As you can imagine, this causes a lot of high tension between them- even to this day.
2) Thyrm
Thyrm is the Chief and “King” of Jotunfolk. However, if you want to get technical, his role is a bit ceremonial- as Utgard Loki is also respected just as much as him, and actually has more power to fulfill the role of a chief. If you think of this in political terms, he’s not unlike the Queen of England in his role. His main duty is to bring the jotunfolk together and to help make decisions, peace treaties, and so on. His peaceful nature is apparent in his personality. He is often seen as jovial, happy, and incredibly calm. He loves generosity, and likes to give people gifts, as well as invite people to parties and gatherings. Socializing is one of his strong-points. He loves jokes and to be entertained, whether that be through song, dance, whatever. However, as I mentioned about Jotun nature- under the surface he is not all laughs and games. He is very serious, very dedicated to his causes. If you harass him or anger him, you will face his wrath.
I mentioned that politics can become a problem with the Jotun, and this is the perfect example of that. Thyrm has a distinctive and passionate hate for the Aesir, and you would do best to never mention them in his presence, or again you’ll face his wrath. He was involved in the stealing of Thors hammer. He was in love with the Vanir goddess, Freyja, and wanted to marry her so he went about it this way- and it did not end pleasantly. If you’ve heard the story, you know that Thor and Loki dressed up as ladies and Thor pretended to be Freyja. Once he got the hammer back, he killed nearly everyone at the event- though Thyrm escaped with physical and emotion bruising. Even if you are the most dedicated person ever, and you absolutely love the Aesir, leave all talk of them behind you when visiting him. He will appreciate you for it.
3) Mimir
Mimir has to be one of my favorite Jotun, if not simply because of his story. He had quite an interesting life. His lineage goes back to the first chieftan of the frost-giants, of whom Mimir is his grandson. He was charged with guarding the well that was growing near the root of Yggrasil, touching Jotunheim, and he took that job very seriously. (Yes, this is the Well of Wisdom). However, after a very long time he decided to leave (whether out of boredom or a desire to travel again) and he went to Asgard. Here he was taken in by Odin, who immediately recognized the sheer intelligence and knowledge he possessed. Meanwhile, the war with Aesir and Vanir was taking place. When a truce between the two races of Gods was made, hostages were sent and taken from either side. Njord and his children (Frey and Freyja) were sent to the Aesir as Vanir hostages. But in return, Odin shipped off his brother and Mimir (who disliked being treated as property and was not fond of the entire situation that had occurred).
Because of his resentment towards this whole affair, Mimir became a smart-ass and bitter. The Vanir recognized his intelligence, just as Odin had, and wished him to give advice and answers. However, he was not open with them, and he did not like them. Whenever they would ask him a question, he would make sure to make his answer as long and as confusing as he could. This led several times to them misinterpreting it, and ending up in bad positions. They got fed up with him. So they cut his head off, and sent Odin’s brother back to deliver the message to him. Odin was saddened to see this, knowing the great wisdom of Mimir, and so with magick he brought the head back to life. As you can imagine, when Mimir opened his eyes- curses and cussing of all sorts flew out of his mouth. Mimir, you pottymouth! His resentment had doubled. Not only had he been traded like property, he had been killed, and now cursed to live as only a head. Odin immediately flung the head back into the well which Mimir had guarded- and this is where is today, and where he will be eternally.
As I’m sure you can guess, all of these events have made Mimir into a very cranky, often dark and resentful figure. This can be seen in the tale where Odin ventures to the Well to seek knowledge, and in return Mimir demands his eye in exchange. “To this day, one of his eyes glows like an underwater star in the Well, providing little light to see into its depths” Raven K. Pathwalkers always wish to travel to the Well, for a variety of reasons. One form of divination through seidhr calls for staring into the waters of the well, and finding answers in the images it shows you. However, to do that is problematic and I would say 90% of the people who venture to the Well turn around and flee. This is not a happy place. Heads line the walkway to reach the Well, and when looking into the water there are several heads floating in there as well. It is said by some that the heads turn, watching you and following you as you come to the well, and that is Mimir likes you enough they may even speak to you and share knowledge. If he likes you. This is rare, as seen by the heads, which tend to be heads of people who annoy him or who make the mistake of trying to out-smart him. He does not always come up to the surface of the Well. When he does, he likes to challenge passerbys to a game of questions. Never take him up on his offer. The price for losing is your head.
Isn’t he lovely?
4) Skadi
Down below I will talk of Thjatsi(#6) and explain how he died. Regardless, this Jotun was the father of Skadi. She is the most famous Jotun giantess in all of their history, simply because she became part of the Aesir. Her father had apparently owned land in Asgard, due to his relationship with an Asgard woman. After his death, Skadi traveled to Asgard and laid claim to his property there, as well as demanded weregild for her father’s death (weregild is sort of a fine that must be paid to the family of someone who was slain). She actually showed up armored and with weapons, planning to kick butt. However, she claimed the Aesir owed her a husband and they decided that was fair. To make it complicated, she was only allowed to look at the feet of the Aesir and choose her husband this way. She chose the finest feet, thinking it was Baldr, but it turned out to be Njord. Their marriage did not last long, as neither could stand the environment their partner lived in. But it was long enough for Skadi to be given a permanent seat in the Aesir council, making her the most powerful female Jotun in the game of politics.
After this, she and Loki had a bit of a fling. If you want to call it that (though I wouldn’t recommend ever asking Skadi about it). She had become depressed and sad, and none of the other Gods could make her smile or laugh. Loki, as always, decided to take up the challenge. He tied his testicles to a goat and played a game of tug-o-war, until the rope broke and Loki landed in Skadi’s lap. This provoked much laughter and smiles from her. This was an offering of sorts, between Loki and Skadi, and she took him up on that offer. But it did not last. Loki did not take that relationship seriously, and Skadi felt scorned and betrayed by him. When he was caught and bound, it was she who placed the serpent dripping venom above him. Hell hath no fury like a Jotun Goddess scorned.
5) Vafthrudnir
This is an ooooold frost-giant, who is called “Mighty in Riddles” and “Wise One”. He is an extremely intelligent Jotun. And he knows it. In the past, he was so confident of his mighty knowledge that he would travel other entities to a game of his, in which they would exchange riddles and words- and whoever lost in the battle of wits would forfeit their head to the winner. One day, Odin decides to match wits with him. He travels to him in a form Vafthrudnir does not recognize. They begin easily, and build their way up, each asking the other questions and each one answering correctly. Odin begins to realize that Vafthrudnir is actually as smart as he proclaimed himself to be, and Odin realizes he must ask a question that Vafthrudnir will not know the answer to or he may lose the best or at least come to a draw (which would probably have hurt his ego a bit). So Odin asks: “What did Odin whisper into his dead son’s ear on his funeral pyre?”. No one but Odin would know the answer to that. Vafthrudnir immediately realizes that he is dealing with Odin, and submits that he cannot answer and he forfeits his head. The story never goes on to say whether Odin decided to take his head or not, however, some pathwalkers mention seeing him occasionally walking the grounds of Helheim.
6) Thjatsi
This giant is the son of Olvalde, a frost giant who was called the “Ale Emperor”. He is most famous for his part in kidnapping Iduna. In a bit of fun, Thjatsi put a spell over the fire Odin, his brother, and Loki were trying to start. Odin agreed to give him some of their meat, if Thjatsi would simply remove the spell- so he did. But the moment the meat was prepared, Thjatsi (being a true jotun) took the majority of it and began to fly away in the form of an eagle. Loki, not having any of this, whacked him with a stick. Unfortunately for the both of them, this stick was actually a wand that had been laying in the grass, and Loki became stuck to Thjatsi, who thought it great fun to fly low enough that Loki smacked into trees, thorns, bushes, and the like. When Loki became tired of this torment, he asked what Thjatsi wanted in exchange for his freedom, and it was Iduna and her golden apples. Long story short, Loki helps him to get Iduna and her apples but then must fix the situation or face the wrath of the Gods, who were aging due to the immortal apples being taken. He steals them back from Thjatsi and is chased all the way back to Asgard. Thjatsi did not know that the walls of Asgard were enchanted to keep out intruders, so when he flew over them in his eagle form- flames shot out and killed him.
Soon after this, his daughter (Skadi) came to Asgard to demand compensation for her fathers death. As we know, she is now part of the Aesir and considered the Goddess of Winter and the Hunt. So things worked out in the best for her.
7) The Norns
The Nornir are actually believed to be frost-etin. I don’t want to go much into them, as I plan to talk about them later on. And I’ve already written an article about them, which I believe is in the public forums. Working with them definitely has its magickal uses. Wyrdwalking is working with the Norns to view someone’s Wyrd, and if you work close enough with them, to manipulate Wyrd, However, this is NOT for everyone and I don’t recommend people to be messing with that type of thing. You can create more problems than you solve. However, working with the norns has its place in divination as you can learn a lot regarding the future present and past.
8) Tyr
Tyrs lineage is debated a bit, as in some parts he is spoken of as being the son of Odin. However, in the Hymskvida it clearly states that Tyr is actually the son of a fire-etin and frost-etin. In the stories, he actually travels home to his Jotun parents, with Thor, and ends up stealing a cauldron from them- and thus breaking his bonds with them, as his father denounced him.
“In many ways, Tyr is a way for those who are unfamiliar with the Jotun to understand the word ‘trolltryggr” which means ‘faithful as a giant’.” Raven K