jotun

Other Definitions
jotun (dict)

In Norse mythology, Jotuns, Jtunn or Jotnar of Utgard, Jtunnheim were the race of supernatural beings called giants (thurs), separated into categories such as frost giants (rime giants, hrimthurs), fire giants, sea giants and storm giants. The first race drowned in Ymir's blood, and were repopulated by Bergelmir. The word Jotun first appeared in Old English as Yotun, and eventually spawned the variants such as Geottin, Eottan, and Eontann, whence we get Yettin, Ettin, and Ent, respectively. Yettin is a false cognate with Yeti. The |thorn-rune ᚦ is called thurs "giant" in the Icelandic and Norwegian rune poems:

urs vldr kvinna kvillu;

ktr vrr fr af illu.

Giant causes anguish to women;

misfortune makes few men cheerful.

urs er kvenna kvl

ok kletta bi

ok varrnar verr.

Saturnus engill.''

Thurs is torture of women

and cliff-dweller

and husband of a giantess.

In Anglo-Saxon England, the same rune was called thorn and it survives as the letter Þ. List of giants: