Ægir is a significant figure in Norse mythology, a sea god associated with the ocean's power and unpredictability. Ægir is often labelled as one of the Jǫtnar, the giants, alongside his wife Rán. While this isn't ever confirmed and is certainly open to speculation, it isn’t an unreasonable assumption given their association with the natural world, and they aren't ever explicitly stated to be Æsir or Vanir. 

As the ruler of the sea, Ægir often hosts feasts for the gods, one of which is accounted for in Lokasenna, a feast ultimately ruined by Loki. Ægir means ‘sea,’ and he is a personification of the friendly powers of the sea. Rán means ‘robber,’ serving as a sinister counterpart to Ægir, embodying the dangers present to all seafarers. She is said to rule over those who died at sea. Rán does not appear in the Eddas, but she does appear in Skaldic poetry and would have been a well-known force to the seafarers of the late Viking age. 

Alvaldi is a lesser-known figure in Norse Mythology, known as the father of the more prominent Þjazi. His name translates to ‘the all-powerful one,’ and he is mentioned in the 19th stanza of Hárbarðsljóð, a poem in the Poetic Edda. Not much else is known about him though, however, his son, Þjazi, plays a larger role in the Norse Myths. Þjazi is the father of the goddess Skaði, his story was told by 9th-century Skald and then retold by Snorri. 

He attempts to kidnap the goddess Iðunn and her magical fruits of youth. In this story, he shows up to the gods as an eagle and causes great harm to Loki, who pleads with Þjazi for his life. He would let Loki go if he agreed to lure Iðunn outside the walls of Asgard, which he does. Iðunn is kidnapped and after a while, the ageing gods find out what happened, forcing Loki to go and rescue her, which he does, leading to Þjazi being beaten to death by the gods. Skaði then shows up to Asgard seeking vengeance, and I’ll tell you more about that on her page. 

Angrboða is a giant with a devastating background presence in the world of Norse Mythology. Her name translates to ‘the one who brings grief,’ an appropriate name for the mother of the three monstrous beings that will cause untold destruction at Ragnarǫk. These three children are Fenrir, Hel and Jǫrmungandr, and the father is, of course, none other than the devious trickster Loki.

In the 40th stanza of the Eddic poem Vǫluspá en skamma, we learn that she is the mother of Fenrir. Snorri expands on this, including the goddess Hel and the Midgard serpent as her other children, begat by Loki. While her presence isn’t large outside of these stories, her influence as the mother of these beings is one felt throughout the entirety of the Norse cosmos, and will ultimately lead to countless deaths in the final battle.  

Aurboða & Gymir are two giants in Norse Mythology, the parents of Gerðr, who becomes the wife of Freyr as told in the Poetic Edda's Skírnismál. Despite both of her parents being giants, she is listed as a member of the Æsir by Snorri, which is confusing. In Skírnismál, Freyr sends his servant Skírnr on his behalf to woo Gerðr. To accomplish this task, Freyr gives Skírnr his legendary sword that is capable of fighting on its own, ultimately leaving him to fight and slay the giant Beli at Ragnarök with an antler, and ultimately be slain by Surtr. 

Skírnr originally offers 11 golden apples to Gerðr, followed by Óðinn’s golden ring Draupnir. Both are refused, which results in Skírnr using Freyr’s sword, which can fight by itself, to threaten her life and her father's. This is followed by him threatening a series of curses,  ultimately changing her mind. She agrees to meet with Freyr after 9 nights, something the Fertility god struggles to accept.

Baugi & Suttungr are two giant brothers in Norse Mythology, heavily involved in Snorri’s version of the mead of poetry story. this story is told in stanzas 103-110 of Hávamál and then expanded on by Snorri. In Hávamál, we’re told this story by Óðinn, who tells us of how he visited an old giant [Suttungr] and seduced his daughter for a drink of the mead of poetry, which he stole all of before returning to the Æsir.

In Snorri’s retelling, Óðinn first visits the giant Baugi, who isn’t mentioned in Hávamál. He sneakily murders 9 of his farm hands and then agrees to do the work of them all, gaining Baugi’s help in attempting to bargain with Suttungr. This bargain ultimately fails, leading to him seducing Gunnlǫð and stealing the mead.

Beli is a lesser-known giant in the Norse myths, and one said to be slain by Freyr at Ragnarǫk using nothing but an antler. The reason for this is believed to be because he gave his sword, which was capable of fighting on its own, to his servant Skírnir for the wooing of his wife, Gerðr.

In the Eddic poem Vǫluspá, Freyr is referred to by the kenning ‘Beli’s killer,’ and in Snorri‘s Skírnismál, we’re told that Gerðr fears Freyr may be the killer of her brother, which could possibly be Beli? But if Ragnarǫk happens at the end of everything then this doesn’t hold a lot of credibility. That being said, if Beli is in fact Gerðr’s brother, this adds an interesting layer of complexity and nuance to the story of Freyr trying to woo her.

Bǫlþorn is a giant known as the father of Bestla, making him the grandfather of Óðinn, Vili, and Vé. His daughter is Bestla, the wife of Borr and thus the mother of Óðinn, Vili, and Vé, who ultimately descended from the ancestral giant Ymir. These three sons kill Ymir and use his body to create the world as we know it. Details on Bǫlþorn & Bestla are scarce, but they clearly play an important role in the lineage of the first gods, and thus the creation of the world.

We originally learn about Bǫlþorn in stanza 140 of Hávamál, with Óðinn telling us that he learned 9 spells from him. We’re told of the creation myth in Snorri’s Gylfaginning, which is where the rest of the details come from.

Býleistr & Helblindi are Loki’s brothers in Norse Mythology. While I couldn’t find them outright stated to be giants, their lineage of course suggests this, being the children of Fárbauti and Laufey [Nál]. 

Outside of this information, however, not much is really known about these two. They don’t appear as significant characters in any of the myths and stories. 

Fárbauti is a giant in Norse mythology whose name means ‘dangerous striker.’ In all sources, he is the father of the trickster god Loki, through his union with Loki’s mother Laufey (alternatively - Nal). The meaning of Laufey is not known for certain, but we do know that Nal means ‘needle,’ which is supposedly due to her being slender and nimble.

Loki’s mother is never referred to as Nal outside of Snorri’s work, so this name and the characteristics described above could perhaps just be an invention of Snorri.

Fornjót is quite the interesting giant in Norse Mythology, who assumes the roles of a significant progenitor and a legendary ruler. He is the father of three notable elemental beings - Hlér, Logi, and Kári, who are the embodiments of the sea, fire, and the wind. It is speculated that the personification of the sea - Hlér, is actually an alternative name for the well-known sea god Ægir. 

Another notable of these children is Logi, who appears in the myth of Þórr’s trip to Útgarða-Loki, where he gets into a fiery eating contest with Loki. 

Gangr is a giant in Norse Mythology, characterised as the son of Alvaldi and the sibling of Þjazi and Iði. The story goes that Alvaldi divided his inheritance in a way that each of his sons was allowed to take a mouthful of gold. A kenning for Gold is Gangr’s or Þjazi’s or Iði’s mouthfull. We’re told all of this by Snorri in his Prose Edda. 

In terms of their names, Gangr translates to ‘gait,’ and Iði translates to ‘the hard-working one,’ or ‘the movable.’ 

Geirrǫðr is a giant in Norse mythology who holds significance as the father of the giantesses Gjálp and Greip, both of whom meet their end at the hands of Þórr. His role is detailed in the skaldic poem Þórsdrápa and recounted by Snorri Sturluson in Skáldskaparmál, as well as in Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus. 

In this tale, Þórr travels to Geirrǫðagarð where he is challenged to a sporting contest by Geirrǫðr, who throws a red hot piece of iron at him. Using a pair of gauntlets lent to him by the giantess Gríðr, Þórr catches the piece of Iron and throws it back at Geirrǫðr, who is hiding behind a pillar. He threw it with such force, that it went through the pillar, the giant and the wall behind the giant before sticking to the ground outside. 

Gillingr (also Gilling) is a giant in Norse mythology and the father of Suttungr. He meets a tragic fate at the hands of the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar, who overturn his boat, leading to his drowning. Seeking vengeance, his son Suttungr forces the dwarfs to give him the mead of poetry after putting them in a life-or-death scenario. 

This is all told in Snorri’s retelling of the theft of the mead of poetry. Neither Gillingr nor the dwarves are featured in the simplified version of this story presented in stanzas 104-110 of the poem Hávamál, from which Snorri would have taken his inspiration. 

Gríðr is a giant in Norse mythology known for the dual roles of aiding the god Þórr and being the mother of Víðarr. During his trip to Geirrǫðagarð, Þórr stays with Gríðr, who warns him that Geirrǫðr is as cunning as a fox and be an issue for him. She lends Þórr a powerful belt, a pair of iron gauntlets and a wand which is called Gríðavǫlr. 

What’s interesting about Gríðr is that she is one of the very few giants that are friendly towards the gods, even helping them as she does in this scenario. As you will have read on the page about Geirrǫðr, Þórr used these gloves to outwit him, and then kill him. 

Gunnlǫð is a giantess in Norse mythology who stands out as the guardian of the mead of poetry, a role entrusted to her by her father - Suttungr. She is an important character in that story, one who is seduced by Óðinn who spends three nights with her in exchange for a drink of the mead. This story is told in stanzas 104-110 of the poem Hávamál and then retold by Snorri in his Prose Edda. We have actually illustrated the Hávamál version of this event as part of our Hávamál book, taking some inspiration from Snorri’s work with the addition of Baugi. 

After the three nights were up, the disguised Óðinn was given three sips of the mead from Gunnlǫð. With each sip, Óðinn drained each of the three vats, transforming into an eagle and flying back to the Æsir to share his prize. 

Hrímgrímnir is a giant whose name means ‘hoar-grímnir,’ a combination of Grímnir and the Old Norse word Hrímþursar, which means ’frost-giants.’ According to Skírnismál, Hrímgrímnir lives in the realm of the dead. In that story, Freyr's servant invokes Hrímgrímnir in the context of a coerced marriage proposal to Gerðr. The threat of a union with Hrímgrímnir in Hel [death] is used by Skírnir alongside other threats to, quite harshly, convince Gerðr to marry Freyr.

There is another giant by the name of Grímnir, but it’s never actually made clear as to whether these two are one and the same. 

Hrungnir is a prominent giant in Norse Mythology, known for engaging in a daring wager with Óðinn before bravely challenging Þórr to single combat. Hrungnir is challenged by Óðinn, who states that no horse in Jotunheim is faster than his own - Sleipnir. Hrungnir states that his own horse Gullfaxi is faster, and this leads to them racing back to Asgard. The result was a victory for Sleipnir - the swift and mighty 8-legged steed gifted to the All-father by Loki. 

This event leads to Hrungnir's drunken and disruptive presence within Asgard, prompting Þórr to confront him. Hrungnir points out that he drinks under the safeguard of Óðinn, and challenges the thunder god to a duel outside of Asgard. The encounter culminates in a fierce battle, during which Þórr employs his mighty hammer, Mjǫllnir, to vanquish Hrungnir for good. 

Hrymr, also known as Hrym is a significant giant in the events of Ragnarǫk. According to Snorri’s Gylfaginning, Hyrmr is the one to steer the ship Naglfar, but this is contradicted by the 49th stanza of Vǫluspá, which states that the helmsman is Loki. To me, it makes a lot more sense for Loki to be the helmsman, given how personal this would be to him after his imprisonment and escape.

In the 48th stanza of Vǫluspá, Hyrmr is said to just be an armed giant to fight against the gods. All we’re told is that Hyrmr advances from the west with a shield before him. 

Hymir is the giant featured in the story of Þórr fishing for the Midgard-serpent. In the Poetic Edda’s version of this story, Hymir is named as Týr’s father and is the one who owns a cauldron that the gods need to brew mead, which is what leads to this fishing trip. In Snorri’s work, Óðinn is instead the father of Týr.  Hymir is killed by Þórr as a conclusion to their trip. The reason they went fishing in the first place was that Þórr ate a ridiculous amount of Hymir’s food, all of it to be precise. 

After rowing out to sea, Hymir proudly caught two whales, but the thunder god was unsatisfied, he looking for a bigger catch. He rows out much further than Hymir is comfortable with, out to the open sea where the head of an ox would be used as bait. After luring the monstrous Jǫrmungandr in, just as Mjǫllnir was about to land the killing blow, the terrified Hymir cuts the line. An enraged Þórr would then throw him overboard and leave him to die, either to the sea, or the giant monster lurking within it.

Hyrrokkin is a giantess who emerges as a key figure during the cremation of the god Baldr. She was called upon by the gods and is said by Snorri to have arrived ‘riding a wolf with poisonous snakes as a harness.’ Her might is evident as she propels Baldr's ship into the sea, setting the stage for his funeral pyre. 

While pushing the heavy ship, she causes tremors which inevitably anger Þórr. In his hot-headed fashion, he draws Mjǫllnir, ready to add another giant to his tally. It was only from the pleading of the other gods that Þórr is convinced not to smash her head in. This is all told to us by Snorri in his Gylfaginning. 

You might be thinking that she’s lucky, being one of the few giants to survive the wrath of the thunder god. This is apparently not the case though, as in another poem she is named among the giants killed by him. We can only assume that he let her off the hook during the funeral, and tracked her down afterwards. 

Járnsaxa is quite a confusing figure in the Norse Myths. She is a giantess whose name means ‘the one with the iron knife,’ and we’re told about her by Snorri in his Skáldskaparmál. In one section, he states that Járnsaxa is the mother of Þórr’s son Magni. In a later chapter, he states that Járnsaxa is another name for Sif, which just adds a layer of unnecessary confusion to the whole thing. 

To top that off, in the 37th stanza of the shorter version of Vǫluspá, presented in the Poetic Edda, she is named as one of the 9 mothers of Heimdallr. I don’t personally believe that she is Sif as she was only mentioned to be the mother of Magni, with no reference to Ullr or Þrúðr. 

Logi is both a giant and the personification of fire in Norse mythology. He is the son of the giant Fornjótr and the sibling of Hlér [maybe Ægir] & Kári, the personifications of the sea and the wind.

The Prose Edda's Gylfaginning recounts a tale where Logi engages in an eating competition with Loki. Loki swiftly eats the meat from the bones, while the fiery Logi on the other side eats the meat, the bones and the trough in which the food was served. This happens during Loki and Þórr’s trip to Útgarða-Loki. This part tale supposedly comes from an old riddle which asks ‘What can eat faster than Loki?’ with the answer being ‘only a wildfire.’ 

Mǫgþrasir is a giant whose name more than likely means ‘the one who is striving for sons.’ He is mentioned solely in stanza 49 of the Poetic Edda’s Vafþrúðnismál. 

During a contest of wisdom between Óðinn and the giant Vafþrúðnir, Mǫgþrasir is referenced in relation to the Norns, with them being referred to as ‘his girls.’ Not much is really known about what this means, and some have speculated that he is their father. I’d probably agree with this, as this single stanza is the best piece of information we have on this topic.  

Skaði is the goddess associated with winter, skiing, and hunting. She is the daughter of Þjazi and upon his death, arrives to Asgard armed and seeking revenge. The Æsir, whom she later joins as an honorary member, ask her to accept compensation in the form of a husband, but she could only choose this husband by looking at his feet.

Naturally, she chooses the cleanest feet, eager to take Baldr as her husband. Her choice was Njǫrðr however, whose feet were cleaned and exfoliated from living near the sea. Another agreement was that the gods would make her laugh, a feat that only Loki could accomplish. He does this by tying a piece of rope to his testicles and the other end to the beard of a goat, the result of which would make anyone laugh, and so she did. 

Her marriage to Njǫrðr would ultimately fail, troubled by neither party being able to adapt to the home of the other. Skaði couldn’t adjust to the sea, and Njǫrðr couldn’t adjust to the harsh climate of the mountains.

Surtr is a powerful giant in Norse Mythology. His name ominously translates to ‘the black one,’ and he is associated with fire and chaos due to his role in the events of Ragnarǫk. He is a fire giant who will ultimately fight with and kill Freyr in the final battle and is said by Snorri to conquer all of the gods and set the world ablaze. 

Surtr is mentioned in two Poetic Edda poems - Vǫluspá and Vafþrúðnismál, as the fire giant that will come from Muspellheim in the south and lead the final battle against the gods. 

Þǫkk is a mysterious giantess whose name translates to ‘thanks.’ She plays a role in Snorri’s retelling of the death of Baldr. After his ride down to Hel, Hermóðr reports back to the gods that the goddess Hel will return Baldr on the singular condition that every living thing weeps for his return.

Every living being did weep, except for the giantess in the cave - Þǫkk. There has been speculation as to whether this giantess is actually a shape-shifted Loki in disguise. With the implication that even Loki wept for Baldr, I personally wouldn’t put it past Loki to feign weeping for Baldur, only to prevent his return by disguising himself as a giantess who refuses to. To me, that seems like the kind of petty thing that Loki would do.