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/

1

”). 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/

11

, 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/

11

) 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/

1

-

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/

11

” (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/

11

”). 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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