In Norse mythology, the Jotun were a race of giants with superhuman strength, described as opposition to the gods, even though they frequently mixed or even married them, Æsir and Vanir, both. Its fortress is known as Utgard and is located in the Jötunheim, one of the nine worlds in Nordic cosmology, separated from Midgard, the world of men, by high mountains and dense forests. When they live in a world other than their own, they seem to prefer caves and dark places.

The first living being formed in primitive chaos, known as Ginnungagap, was a giant of monumental size named Ymir. When he slept, a giant son and daughter grew out of his armpit, and both of his feet procreated and gave birth to a six-headed monster. Supposedly, these three beings gave birth to the race of hrímþursar frost giants or ice giants, who populated Niflheim, the world of fog, cold and ice. Instead, the gods claim their origin from Buri. When the giant Ymir was later killed by Odin, Vili and Vé, Buri's grandchildren, his blood (water) flooded Niflheim and killed all the giants, except the one known as Bergelmir and his wife, who later repopulated their race.


Giants represent the forces of primitive chaos and indomitable, destructive nature. Their defeat at the hands of the gods represents the triumph of culture over nature, albeit at the cost of eternal vigilance. Heimdall perpetually watches the Bifröst Bridge from Asgard to Jötunheim, and Thor frequently pays a visit to the world of giants to assassinate as many of his kind as he can.


As a collective, giants are generally attributed with a dreadful appearance, with claws, fangs and deformed characteristics, apart from a horrible size, however, not all of them are large, several of the same stature as the Æsir and Vanir. Some of them may even have several heads or a totally non-humanoid shape; such as Jörmundgander and Fenrir, two of Loki's sons, seen as giants. With bad looks comes little intelligence; the Edda more than once resemble their temperament to that of a child.


Even when they are named and described in more detail, they are often given opposite characteristics. Incredibly old, they carry the wisdom of other times. They are the giants Mimer and Vafþrúðnir that Odin seeks to obtain pro-cosmic knowledge. Many of the wives of the gods are giants. Njord is married to Skaði, Gerðr is Frey's consort, Odin wins Gunnlod's love, and even Thor, the great murderer of his race, loves Járnsaxa, Magni's mother. As such, they appear as minor gods, which can be said of the giant of the sea Ægir, much more connected to the gods than to those of Jotunheim. None of these are afraid of light, and in comfort, their houses do not differ much from those of the gods.
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