plik

ÁRMANN JAKOBSSON

Where D o the Giants Live?

O nce upon a tim e, in th e forest

Bragi  th e  Old,  a  renow ned  n inth  century  co u rt  p o et  and  perhaps
even  th e  inventor  of  the  dróttkvætt  m etre,  is  travelling  thro u g h   a
certain  unspecified  forest  (“þa  er  hann  oc  vm   skog  nokqvorn”)  late
at  night  (“sið  vm   qveld”),  w hen  a  certain  unspecified  troll-w ife

w ith o u t even a nam e (“trollkona”) throw s a verse in his direction

and asks who is there. Bragi replies w ith a stanza filled w ith

m etaphors (kenningar) and poetic synonyms (heiti) about poets —
she replies in kind and explains who she is, starting w ith “Tra

/11

kalla m ic” and ending in “hvat er tra

/11

nem a þ a t” (Troll they call

Jakobsson, Á ., dr. p h il., H áskóli Islands, Reykjavik. “W h ere do th e G ian ts L ive?”, A N F

121 (2 006), pp. 101-112.

A bstract: T h is article ex a m in es ideas about the w h ereab ou ts o f giants in th e Edda

o f Snorri Sturluson, w h ere it is n ot o n ly d ifficu lt to d istin g u ish b e tw e e n giants and

e.g. trolls, but even m ore d ifficu lt to d eterm in e w h ere th e y live. G ian ts m ay b e foun d

in forests, in th e m o un tain s and on th e shores. Living on th e ou tsk irts o f the kn ow n

w orld, th e giants seem to b e located on all p oin ts o f th e com pass, bu t are also p a rti

cularly associated w ith th e East and th e N orth , perhaps reflecting th e fact that from

th e p oin t o f v iew o f 13th cen tu ry Icelanders, th e se w ere th e d irectio n s w here h eathen

and som ew h at u n fam iliar races like Finns and P erm ians are to b e found. T h ere is so m e

co n fu sio n as to w h eth er or not all giants live in Jötunheim ar, a place that is so m e ti

m es in th e East and so m e tim e s in th e N orth . A t th e tim e o f th e tw ilig h t o f the G od s,

th e giants arrive from all d irectio n s and perhaps th at is our b e st clu e as to th e giants'

w h ereab ou ts in S norri’s Edda. — T h e con fusion in th e Edda m ay b e m ore system atic

than it se em s to be at first sight. Evil is not u n ified but d ivid ed , perhaps reflecting the

ch aos originally associated w ith th e prim eval giant Ymir, w h ich was th en replaced by

th e order estab lish ed by th e gods. In accordance w ith th is sy stem , it is logical to e x p e c t

th a t th e giants are going to attack from all d irectio n s and that giants and their kin w ill

be fo u n d everyw here, in th e East and th e W est, th e forests and m o u n ta in s and in every

u n fa m ilia r place in th e world.

K eyw ords: giants, trolls, Edda Snorra Sturlusonar, O ld N o rse m y th o lo g y

102 Å rm ann Jakobsson

m e . . . w hat is th a t b u t a troll) (Finnur Jónsson 1931: 164-65).1

Explains is a not really th e best w ord for w hat th e troll-w ife is doing,

because  even  after  having  heard  th e   verse,  we  cannot  really  be  sure
w hat  she  is.  T here  is  still  th e  problem   of w hat  exactly  a  troll  is  sup
posed  to  be.  Ironically  we  can  no  longer  be  quite  sure  either  about
who  Bragi  is,  w hether  our  protagonist  is  indeed  Bragi  Boddason  the
n in th   century  p o et  or  some  other  Bragi  the  Old,  or  w hat  exactly  the
relationship  is betw een th e  co u rt p o et and th e   o th er Bragi,  th e  god of
po etry   (see  Mogk  1887;  Bugge  1888;  Mogk  1889;  Turville-Petre  1964:

185-86; Clunies Ross 2006). But in th is narrative, Bragi seems to be

well-known  indeed,  so  th a t  it  is  sufficient  for  th e  narrator  to  m erely
m ention his  name.  T he  nameless troll-wife,  on th e   other  hand,  rep re
sents th e unknow n,  the  nature of w hich  we  m ay only catch  a  glimpse
of.

T he verse reveals some facts about her: th a t she has a friendly rela

tionship  w ith  “volur”  (sibyls  or  witches),  and  some  relations  w ith  the
dead  and  th e  giants  (“iotvns1’).  Last  b u t  not  least,  she  is  antagonistic
to  th e  sun  (“solar  ba/

”). In fact, th e only th in g we may be sure of is

th a t she is entirely negative. She is a creature of th e night and of death,

an O ther, and likely to possess otherw orldly powers. A nd she can be

found in a certain forest late at night. As th e narrative ends w ith her
verse, we do not even know how th e encounter ends, w h ether Bragi

and the troll-wife p arte d amicably or if one killed th e other.

A lthough this ogress is a “trollkona”, n either Bragi nor we can be

entirely sure th a t she m ight not also qualify as a “iotvnn” or even a

"risi”,  since these words  are  often  used  as  synonyms,  not only in  m od
ern Icelandic b u t also in late mediaeval literatu re (see esp.  Schulz 2004:
29-52).  For example,  in  the  15th  century Hjálmþérs saga ok  Ölvis,  one
of th e  leading character spots a “risi” b u t tw o sentences later,  th is crea
tu re  speaks  and  is  now  a  “jö tu n n ”.  T he  n ext  tw o  tim es  he  speaks,  he
is “risinn”  again,  b u t then  he  is th e “jö tu n in n ”  (Rafn  1830:  486-88).  In
another legendary saga,  king H rólfr G autreksson encounters  a terrible
“risi”,  whom  calls  a  “trö ll” to  his back  (Rafn  1830:  121-26),  and in Egils

saga ok Ásmundar, th e words “jö tu n n ” and “tro ll” seem alm ost in ter

changeable (Rafn 1830: 394-402).

A similar confusion is present in th e Edda Snorra Sturlusonar (c.

1 A ctually, not all m anuscripts o f E dda Snorra Stu rlu son ar in clu d e th e verse o f th e

tro ll-w ife. O f th e four m ain m anuscripts, C o d ex R egius has it bu t n ot C o d e x U p sali-

ensis, C o d e x W orm ianus or C o d ex T rajectinus. In th is article, all translations from th e

E dda Snorra Sturlusonar are m y ow n.

Where Do the Giants Live? 103

1220), w here th e anecdote about Bragi and th e troll-w ife is found.

According to Snorri Sturluson, th e very first being is called Ymir. He

and all his family are “hrim þvrsar” (frost-giants) at first, although Ymir
in fact has “m annz likaNdi” (the shape of a man), b u t soon he is also

referred to as a “iotvnn” (giant) and w hen he is killed and all his family,

one  escapes  who  is  th e  father  of th e  “hrim þvrsar”  family,  and  called
Bergelmir by  “iotnar”  (giants).  These  “iotnar“  continue  to  play  a  large
role in  th e  narrative.  Soon we  are  also  introduced to  som ething  called
“Iotvnheim ar” (giantland)  and a “gygr”  (giantess) w ho lives in th e forest
Ironwood  in  th e  east,  along  w ith  a  band  of  “tra/llkonvr”  (trollwives)
called "Iarnviðivr”,  who breed  giants  and wolves  (Finnur Jónsson  1931:

12-18). Some beings called “bergrisar” (m ountain-giants) also m ake

an appearance before long, whose m ortal enem y Þórr is and against

w hom Bifrçst m ust be defended, should they wish to cross it, perhaps

along w ith th e frost-giants. These m ountain-giants may be identical

w ith “iotnar” (giants), since at least one of th em “færiz . . . iiotvnm oð”

(changed into giant shape) w hen provoked (Finnur Jónsson 1931: 23,
29, 33 and 47).

Defining a giant in 13th and 14th century sources is thus far from

unproblem atic.  L otte  M otz  (1987)  m ade  a  brave  attem pt,  arguing
for  four  distinguishable  categories  of giants  in  some  unspecified  p re
history.2  U nfortunately,  even  those  mediaeval  sources  w hich  w ish  to
make such a distinction are unable to sustain it (see Å rm ann Jakobsson
forthcom ing).  In this article I w ill not discuss th e  term inology any fu r
ther b u t focus  instead  on w here  such  beings  may be  found.  I  will  also
lim it m yself to  one source,  th e Edda  Snorra Sturlusonar.

This particular single source is, of course, m uch m ore than that.

It is the m ain m ythological work of th e 13th century, and it is thus
of some w orth to ascertain w h ether th e m ythologist Snorri Sturluson

(1179-1241) had a clear notion of w here giants lived. Furtherm ore, I do

th in k   it  is  w orth  th e  effort  to  dem onstrate  how  even  a  single  source
presents us w ith  conflicting inform ation  of th e w hereabouts of giants.
O f course,  reviewing  o th er  sources  would  add  fu rth e r  examples  and
increase  th e  ambiguity.  However,  as  I  will  dem onstrate,  th at  is  not
really necessary.

Do giants, trolls and ogres live in th e forest? In this instance, yes.

If travelling through th e forest at night, you may ru n into a troll-wife.

2 T h ese four classes o f b ein gs, each w ith its o w n role, w ere lords and guardians o f

nature (“jö tu n n ”), m y th ica l m agicians (“troll"), h o stile and m onstrou s b eings (“þurs")

and “heroic and co u rtly b e in g s” (risi).

104 Å rm ann Jakobsson

But  as  a  closer inspection  of Edda  reveals,  they  also  live in  th e m o u n
tains  and  on  th e  shore,  in  th e  East  and  in  th e  N orth.  John  Lindow  is
m ore  or  less  right  w hen  he  says:  “Scandinavian  m ythology  places  the

jçtnar in tw o different rem ote locations: on th e beach, and to th e east”

(p. 18). This is close enough to th e tru th , but, ap art from th e fact

th a t th e term “Scandiavian m ythology” is som ew hat vague (he actually

m eans  Snorri),  th e  w hereabouts  of th e   giants  actually  tu rn   out  to  be
even m ore u ncertain th an  this.  In fact,  once you get out of th a t fam il
iar  place  th a t  Snorri  calls  “Miðgarþ"  (Finnur Jónsson:  16),  w ho  knows
w here you m ight ru n  into one.

In the periphery

A cute  readers  of  th e  Edda  Snorra  Sturlusonar  are  bound  to  becom e
infuriated  w ith  w hat  seems  to  be  Snorri's  unconventional  sense  of
mythological  geography.  According  to  his  Gylfaginning,  th e  first  p art
of his  Edda,  there  are  tw o  world  besides  th e   one  w hich  we  inhabit,
N iflheim r  in  th e  N o rth   and  M úspell  in  th e  South.  Both  are  cruel  in
th eir  excesses,  one  excessively  cold,  th e   o th er  hot.  O u r  own  world
seems  to  be  an  am algam ation  of th e  two.  W hen  elem ents  from   these
tw o  worlds  drip  into th e  em ptiness  of Ginnungagap,  th e  clash  of heat

and cold make th e first m an (“maNz likaNdi”) b u t this first “m an” is
not a m an b u t th e aforem entioned frost-giant (“hrim þvss”) or a giant

(“iotvn”) called Ymir, who in S norri’s version tu rn s out to be the

ancestor not of m en (cf. Meyer 1907), b u t of all giants and frost-giants

(Finnur Jónsson: 12-14). Ó ðinn and his brothers descend from another

first  man,  —  but,  according  to  S norri’s  Gylfaginning they  are  not  th e
forefathers  of m an  either,  b u t  create  a  th ird   “first  m an”  of th e ir  own
out of driftw ood,  along w ith  his wife  (Finnur Jónsson:  16).

W hen Ymir has been killed by Ó ð in n and his brothers, he also ends

up  as  th e  m atter  of which  our world  is  m ade  and  m an  (or  at  least  the
giants) thus precedes th e  world, w hich is essentially created ou t of him .
It  rem ains  unclear  how  to  define  this  founding  father  of  th e  world,
man  or frost-giants  or giant,  as  well  as  his  race,  th e   giants  (see  Schulz

2004: 65-72; Å rm ann Jakobsson forthcom ing). In fact, the term s giant

and frost-giant seem interchangable in the first C hapters of th e G ylfa

ginning, and th e vagueness about th e term s “iotvnn” and “hrim þvss”

(and to w hat degree they should be considered hum an) eventually

translates into confusion about w here th e giants live.

W here Do the Giants Live? 105

T he first place th a t Snorri Sturluson m entions is th e outskirts of

th e world: “Hon er kringlott vtan ok þar vtan vm liGr hiN divpi siar,
ok með þeiri siavar stra/ndv gafv þeir la/nd til bygþar iotna æ ttv m ” (It

is circular round th e edges and th e deep sea surrounds it, and along

th e shore they gave lands to the families of giants to settle) (Finnur
Jónsson 1931: 15). This seems to suggest th a t th e geographical dem ar

cation  betw een  th e  gods  and  the  giants  is  one  of  centre  and  perip h
ery.3  T he  civilized  world  is  called  “M iðgarðr”  (M iddle-E arth  being  a
tem pting  translation),  and  only  considerably  later  in  Gylfaginning  is
it  revealed  th a t  at  least  some  giants  live  in  th e   city  called  “V tgarðr”

(Finnur Jónsson 1931: 53) w hich literally w ould translate into “outskirt

city”. As Clunies Ross has argued  (1994:  50-56)  this is som ew hat of an
over-simplification  (see  also  Schulz  2004:  99-106).  According  to   her,
th e  idea  of “M iðgarþr“  and  “V tgarþr”  nevertheless  reveals  how  all  the
m yths  are  narrated  from   th e   po in t  of view  of th e  gods,  and  thus  th e
giants  can be said to live  “away” or “ou t th e re ”.

In accordance w ith this first statem ent about th e giants' w here

abouts after th e slaughter of Ymir, w hen th e god Þórr goes on one of

his hunts for th e giant serpent “Miðgarþz o rm r” th a t lives in th e deep
sea th a t surrounds th e world, of course he finds giants on the shore:

“G eek hann v t of Miðgarþ sva sem vngr drengr ok kom eiN aptan at
qveldi til iotvns nockvrs” (H e w ent out of M iðgarðr having assum ed

th e guise of a young boy and cam e one evening at a certain giant’s)

(Finnur Jónsson 1931: 61). O f course, th a t may have seem ed puzzling to

S norri’ s original Icelandic audience, since Iceland tended to be m ostly

inhabited along the shore even at th a t tim e, and central Iceland w ould

be  m ore  likely  to  be  th eir  role-m odel  for  th e  wilderness.  In  fact,  th a t
is  not  th e  only  peculiar  thing  about  th e  centre  and  periphery  binary
in  S norri’s  Edda,  if we  take  into  account  th a t  13th  century  Icelanders

are more likely to have regarded them selves as being in th e periphery

rather than th e centre  (see Sverrir Jakobsson  2005:  161-88).  N everthe
less,  this is  at least one of Snorri's versions of w here th e giants live.  For
those who would prefer sym m etry,  it is unfortunately not th e only one,

and in fact it is close to impossible to conceive of one single location for

the giants in S norri’s m ythical world.

If the civilized world lies in th e M iddle and th e world is a globe

3 S ee exam p les c o lle c te d by M o tz (1984). O n th e binary o f M iðgarðr and Ü tgarôr as

centre and periphery, see G u revich (1969) and H astru p (1985: 145-51). S tew art (1993:

71) ch aracterizes th e relation sh ip b e tw e e n us and giants as us b ein g "enveloped by th e

gigantic, surrounded by it, en clo sed w ith in its sh a d o w ”.

io6 Å rm ann Jakobsson

(“kringla heim sins” is a word famously used by Snorri in th e prologue

to  his  Heimskringla),  th e  outskirts  lie  in  all  directions  so  th a t  if you
travel for long enough,  sooner or later you will find th e place w here the
giants live.  O n th e o th er hand,  Snorri  seems to favour some directions

as m ore likely than o ther to lead to th e w hereabouts of th e giants.

N orth or East?

N ot every giant seems to live on th e shore. Snorri frequently assumes

th a t th e giants live in Iotvnheimar (giantland) (see e.g. Finnur Jónsson

1931: 17, 20, 46 and 65), and while th a t may very well be on th e shore

or close to it,  there is  no explicit statem en t to  th a t fact.4 This  suggests
a fixed  space,  a  terrain  governed  and inhabited by  giants  and hom e to
every possible  kind of ogre,  including th e  m onstrous  children  of Loki:
the giant w olf Fenrir,  th e giant serpent M iðgarðsorm r and Hel  (Finnur

Jónsson 1931: 34). O n at least tw o occasions, it is indicated th a t the

region of Iotvnheim ar is to th e north: “flygr hann nordr i Iotvnheim a”

(flies n o rth to giantland) (Finnur Jónsson 1931: 80; see also p. 104).

As we will see, this idea does not ru n th ro u g h Gylfaginning — b u t if
Iotvnheimar are indeed to th e N orth, we m ight infer th a t th e natural

abode of th e giants is th e coldness of th e N orth, w hich fits in w ith the
notion of frost-giants. However, as it tu rn s out, N o rth is not always the
direction w here giants can be found.

Leaving th e exact location of Iotvnheimar aside for th e m om ent, the

gods  certainly do  not need  to  go  n o rth   to  find th eir enemies.  T he  tale
of th e wicked giant H rungnir starts w hen Þórr has  gone east to  thrash
trolls b u t Ó ðinn goes to Iotvnheim ar:  “Þor var fariN i A/strvega at beria
tra/

, en OþiN reið Sleipni ilotvnheim a” (Finnur Jónsson 1931: 100).

W hile trolls and giants are not quite as inseparable as giants and frost-
giants, th e dem arcation betw een th em is nevertheless far from clear

(see Schulz 2004: 45-46; Å rm ann Jakobsson forthcom ing). In th is in

stance, th e gods travel in tw o separate directions to encounter ogres.

Þórr goes east b u t Ó ðinn goes to Iotvnheimar, which presum ably lie in

th e N orth. A re they seeking th e same enemy?

If we are supposed to regard trolls (tra/

) and giants (iotnar) as one

4 W h ile Iotvnheim ar is u su ally translated as “g ia n tla n d ” in th e singluar, th e O ld N orse

w ord is in th e plural, w h ich ex p la in s th e u se o f th e plural in th is article. Iotvnheim ar

actu ally do n ot figure strongly in Eddie p o em s. T h e y are only m e n tio n e d in S kirnism al,

Vçluspà and Þ rym sk við a (K ellogg 1988: 575).

Where Do the G iants Live? 107

and th e same,  th eir race presum ably lives b o th  in th e N o rth  and in th e
East.  A nd  while  lotvnheimar  som etim es  seem   to  lie  in  th e  N orth,  it
tu rn s out th a t the land of th e giants may also lie in th e  East. W hen Þórr
visits th e  giant Útgarða-Loki,  he  “byriaþi ferþina a/str i Iotvnheim a ok
alt til hafsins,  ok þa for hann  v t yfir hafit þ at it divpa;  en  er hann  kom
til landz, þa geck hann vpp ok með honvm  Loki ok Þialfi ok Ravsqva. Þa
er þa/ hqfþv litla hrið gengit,  varð firir þeim  m ork stor”  (started on th e

journey east to giantland and all the way up to sea and th en he crossed

th e deap sea. But w hen he reached land, he w ent ashore and Loki, Þjálfi

and Ra/skva w ith him . W hen they had only w alked for a short while,

they came to a great forest)  (Finnur Jónsson  1931:  50).  H ere Þórr is not
only heading east to find giants but th e region he is heading for is even
called  lotvnheimar,  apparently  som ew hat  contradicting  S norri’s  later
statem ent th a t w hile  Þórr is  going to  th e  East,  Ó ðinn  travels  n o rth   to
lotvnheimar.

It may not be a coincidence th a t th e East and th e N o rth should be

replete w ith giants since from the 13th century Icelanders’ point of
view these directions would have been full of strange and unfam iliar

races of m en, such as Finns and Permians (Lindow 1995; M cKinnell

2005;  Sverrir Jakobsson  2005:  217-76).  Locating th e   giants  in  th e  East
and  the  N o rth   may  indeed  seem   to   reflect  a  som ew hat  archaic  and
Norw ay-centric  view  of th e  world,  as  East  and  N o rth   to  Norwegians

w ould  m ean  heathen  and  som ew hat  unfam iliar  races  whereas  to  th e
W est  and  South  were  C hristians  and  m ore  N orw egians.5  N ot  th a t
giants  are  always  presented  as  unfamiliar.  In  fact,  Snorri  also  reveals
th a t the  family  of th e  gods  includes  th eir  daughters,  th e ir  ally  Loki  is
a fosterbrother  of Ó ðinn  and  th e  great  god  him self is  th e  grandson  of

a giant. T he relationship of th e gods and th e giants is thus far from

simple (see e.g. C iklam ini 1962; M otz 1982; M undal 1990, Steinsland

1991; Schulz: 256-86), although Snorri attem pts to sim plify it by carv

ing out a separate territory for these troublesom e relatives of th e gods,
the giantland.

However, even in S norri’s Gylfaginning, th ere is great u n certainty

where th e Land of th e giants lies. lotvnheimar tu rn out to not always

s T h is w o u ld not be th e only in sta n ce o f a N o rw a y -cen tric world v ie w surviving in

13th-century Iceland (th e Irish are freq u en tly referred to as “V e stm e n n ” in 12th and

13th cen tu ry sources, althou gh Ireland is n o t to th e W est o f th e Iceland, se e Sverrir

Jakobsson 2005: 217 n ote 3). N e ith e r is th is ty p e o f colon ial archaism u n iqu e to 13th

century Icelanders (21st century A ustralians refer to th e cou n tries to th e far n o rth -w est

as “th e M iddle E ast”).

io8 A rm ann Jakobsson

lie in the N orth. Som etim es the gods m ust go to the East. A nd in the
East there is a great forest.

Forests and m ountains

Is this th e same forest th a t Bragi was crossing w hen he m et his troll-

wife?  T here  seem  to  be  many  forests  in  th e   East,  including  th e   Iron-
w ood where  a  giantess  raises  wolves:  “Gygr ein  byr firir  [av]stan  Mið-
garþ  iþeim  skogi,  er  [IJarnviðr  h(eitir).  Iþeim   skogi  byggia  þæ r  tra/

konvr,  er Iarnviðivr h(eita).  En gamla gygr fæþir  at sonvm  marga  iotna
ok alla  ivargs  likivm ”  (A giantess  lives  east  of M iddle-earth  in  a  forest
called  Ironwood.  This  forest  is  inhabited  by  those  trollwives  called
Ironwoodesses. But th e  old giantess raises as sons many giants and all in
wolf shapes)  (Finnur Jónsson  1931:  18). A nd forests figure in m ore giant
narratives  of th e  E dda:  W hen th e  goddess  Iðunn  is  abducted  to  Iotvn-

heimar, she, too, travels through a forest (F innur Jónsson 1931: 79).

Perhaps readers of Edda Snorra Sturlusonar w ere expected to m ake a

distinction betw een th e trolls and troll-wives in th e forests of th e  East
and  th e   giants  of Iotvnheim ar  in  th e  m ountains  of th e  N orth.  W hen
Þórr  m eets  th e  huge  Skrým ir in  th e  forest  he  tells  th em   to  go  east  to
Ú tgarðr  w hile  he  is  heading  n o rth   to  th e   m ountains:  “þa  stefnit  þer
iavstr,  en  ek  á  nv  norðr  leið  til  fialla  þesa”  (Finnur  Jónsson  1931:  53).
A nd East is th e place w here Þórr goes to thrash his trolls:  “þa var hann
fariN iA ustrveg a tb e ria  tra/

” (Finnur Jónsson 1931: 46; see also p. 121).

In this particular episode, it is possible to argue for a distinction m ade

betw een trolls, forests and th e East on one hand, and on th e other

giants,  m ountains  and th e N orth.  But infortunately,  in  Gylfaginning as
a whole,  this distinction  is at best hazy and we cannot so easily resolve
the  controversy  or  overlook  the  fact  th a t  in  Edda  Snorra  Sturlusonar,
Iotvnheimar are som etim es  in th e  East b u t som etim es in  th e  N orth.

In th e beginning of th e Edda, giants are m ore frequently known

as frost-giants (“hrim þvssar”) rather th an giants (“iotnar”) or trolls

(“tra/

”). O nce Snorri claims th a t these frost-giants now live w here

th a t  great  void  Ginnungagap  used  to  be  (Finnur  Jónsson  1931:  22).
There  is  no  fu rth e r  depiction  of th a t  particular  place,  apart  from   the
fact  th a t  there  is  a  well  there,  guarded  by  th e  extrem ely  wise  M im ir
who  probably is  a  frost-giant,  although  th a t is  no t explicitly  stated  —

Snorri m erely says th a t his well is located w here th e frost-giants live,
adding “heitir sa M imir, er a brvNinn” (the ow ner of th e well is nam ed

Where Do the Giants Live? log

M im ir)  (Finnur  Jónsson  1931:  22).  G iants  thus  may  be  found  near  a
well,  as  well  as  on  th e  shore  and  in  th e   forest.  It  is  unclear  how  th a t
may  be  a  foundation  for  th e  closeness  of giants  and  m ountains,  or  a
relationship w ith forests.

However, Snorri soon starts producing examples of giants who in

habit th e m ountains — influenced perhaps by giant kennings w here
their relationship w ith m ountains seems overw helm ing (M eissner

1921: 256-58). T he giantess Skaði w ho m arries th e god N iorðr tu rn s out

to be used to m ountain landscape (which contributes to th e wreckage
of th e ir marriage) (Finnur Jónsson 1931: 30). Ó öinn also finds th e giant

Suttungr in a m ountain (Finnur Jónsson 1931: 83-84) and w hen Loki
assumes th e form of the party-pooping giantess Þavck he, too, dwells

in a cave (Finnur Jónsson  1931:  67).  B ut w hile Snorri seems to be aware
of th e  fact  th a t  giants  may  be  located  in  m ountains,  also  reflected  in
the  word  “bergrisar”  (m ountain-giants)  (see  e.g.  Finnur Jónsson  1931:

23, 29 and 33), in his Gylfaginning, m ountains nevertheless do not to

have m ore prom inence as a dw elling place for giants th an th e shore or
the forest (cf. M otz 1984).

Surrounded by evil

W hen th e tw ilight o f the gods (the "ragna ra/kr“) is near, th e ir enemies

attack from all directions. T he frost-giants arrive from th e sea w hile

th e sons of M úspell cross th e rainbow  of Bifravst (Finnur Jónsson  1931:
71).  T he  gods  seem  surrounded,  w hich  m ight fit in  w ith  a world-view
w here th e civilization lies at th e  centre, in th e M itgarðr.  But this centre
is surrounded by outskirts, a shore in an undisclosed direction,  a N o rth
w ith m ountain-giants  and  an  East replete w ith  forests  and trolls.

Possibly, th ere is no real discrepancy — gods and hum ans are simply

surrounded  by  “iotnar“  and  “tra d l”  and  “hrím þvrsar”  and  “bergrisar”.
They  live  on  th e  shore  and  in  th e   East  and  in  th e  N o rth   and  in  th e
forest and in th e  m ountains.  T hey are,  indeed,  everywhere.

In S norri’s presentation of th e tw ilight of th e gods in Gylfaginning,

it  is  revealed  th a t  th e  giants  very  m uch  outn u m b er  th e  gods,  and  it
thus  alm ost  seems  like  an  act  of  destiny  th a t  they  have  to   surround
the  centre  and  seem   to  be  everywhere:  in  th e   forests  and  caves  and
m ountains  and  sea-shores  —  in  th e   East  and  th e  N o rth   and  perhaps
everywhere  if you  venture  far  enough.  Snorri  also  presents  them   as

being m ore fertile. Before th e gods kill him , Ymir can m ultiply by

n o Å rm ann Jakobsson

rubbing  his  feet  together  and  by  sweating,  w hich  seems  in  the  end
bound to  produce  a  lot  of “hrim þvrsar”  (Finnur Jónsson  1931:  13),  and
enable them  to  attack from   all directions in th e tw ilight of th e gods.

W hen th e old giant Ymir was killed and his body transform ed into

th e world,  cosmos succeeded chaos — th e  gods  arrange th e new world
to th eir own liking. T he killers of Ymir are not presented as creators ex
nihilo,  instead they are the m akers of th e world order and th u s the slay
ers  of the  chaos  th a t preceded  it  (see  e.g.  Clunies  Ross  1994:  197-98,

262-63; Kroesen 1996: 59). In this binary, th e giants and frost-giants
and all th e ir family represent chaos. Thus it is perhaps only logical

th a t they should have many nam es and th a t they should be grouped

into hazy sub-categories w ith vague dem arcation betw een th e  various
classes.  T hey  are  after  all  th e   enemies  of order  and  m ethod.  Perhaps
it  is  also  th eir  chaotic  nature  w hich  allows  th em   to  triu m p h   in  th e
tw ilight of th e  gods.  It needs  only one tiny thing to be  out of order for
chaos to replace unity.

A nd it seems to be equally logical th a t th e gods should live together

and  be  united   while  th e  giants  can  be  found  in  all  directions.  W hile
good is unified,  evil is divided. W hile harm ony can be found in a single
place,  discord is  everywhere.  A nd  so,  indeed,  are th e   giants.  They  are
in th e  East and in th e N orth,  on th e shores and in th e  forest and in th e
m ountains.  To  pin  th em   dow n is to  deny th e  giants th e ir very chaotic
essence.

As the encounter betw een Bragi and th e troll-w ife dem onstrates,

it  is  impossible  to  be  quite  sure  of how  to  classify  th e  creatures  you
m ight encounter in th e dark forest of th e night.  T here are frost-giants,
m ountain-dw ellers,  trolls,  ogres  and  all  sorts  of evil  creatures  lurking
in  th e   unfam iliar  places  of th e  world.  A nd  you  may  encounter  th e m

anywhere.

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