The
jötnar (anglicized
jotunn or
jotun, plural
jötnar; , , or ;
Icelandic: ; from
Old Norse jotunn ; often glossed as
giant or
ettin) can be seen throughout
Norse mythology. The Jötnar are a mythological race that live in
Jötunheimr, one of the nine worlds of
Norse cosmology. They were banished there by the
Æsir who refuse them entry to their world,
Asgard. The Jötnar frequently interact with the
Æsir, as well as the
Vanir. They are usually in opposition to, or in competition with them, but also interact with them in a non-hostile manner. Some Jötnar even intermarry with the
Æsir and
Vanir and many are named as parents or grandparents of
Æsir such as
Thor and
Odin. This very complex relationship between these two comparable races develops most notably in the
Prose Edda and the
Poetic Edda, ultimately making it difficult to distinguish them from the more familiar
Norse gods.
