Connections
- Single-handedly ended by Bödvar by trapping the fire giant king in his own volcano
Context
Though named "giants" today, in Old Norse terms, they were called "devourers" (Old Norse jötnar, singular jötunn). Thus, the world of giants—or world of devouers—is called Jötunheim. These Old Norse giants weren't necessarily huge in size, but were often grotesque in appearance.
When talking about the jötnar, we're actually referring to creatures related to the gods, since both gods and the devourers can be called giants in the Old Norse sense, but at different ends of a cosmic scale. The gods represent the law-abiding, orderly side, while the devourers represent chaos and anarchy. Such a sharp contrast between otherwise more similar people would certainly spark wars between Jötunheim and Asgard, with Midgard caught in the middle of these opposing forces. Each side (gods and devourers) is needed to keep a balance between order and chaos, creation and destruction.
When talking about the jötnar, we're actually referring to creatures related to the gods, since both gods and the devourers can be called giants in the Old Norse sense, but at different ends of a cosmic scale. The gods represent the law-abiding, orderly side, while the devourers represent chaos and anarchy. Such a sharp contrast between otherwise more similar people would certainly spark wars between Jötunheim and Asgard, with Midgard caught in the middle of these opposing forces. Each side (gods and devourers) is needed to keep a balance between order and chaos, creation and destruction.
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