Mythology 2: Norse (The Jötunheimr and the Jötunns)

 The Jötunheimr

The terms  Jötunheimr  (in Old Norse orthography : Jǫtunheimr [ˈjɔtonˌhɛimz̠] ; often anglicized as Jotunheim ) or Jötunheimar refer to either a land or multiple lands respectively in Nordic mythology inhabited by the jötnar (relatives of the gods, in English sometimes inaccurately called "giants "). 

Jötunheimar  are typically, but not exclusively, presented in Eddic sources as prosperous lands located to the north and are commonly separated from the lands inhabited by gods and humans by barriers that cannot be traversed by usual means.  

Old Norse :  Jǫtunheimr  is a compound word formed from  Old Norse :  ' Jotunn '  and  'heimr' , meaning a 'home' or 'world'. When attested in  Eddic  sources, the word is typically found in its plural form,  Jǫtunheimar  (' jǫtunn -lands')

The Jötunns

In  Norse mythology  , the  Jotun  (in  Portuguese giants  , in  Old Norse Jotun  or  Jötunn  ) are a mythological race with superhuman strength and always manifest themselves in opposition to the gods, although they often mixed with or even took some of them for marriage, both the  Æsir  and the  Vanir  . Their stronghold is known as  Utgard  , and was located in  Jotunheim  , one of the  nine worlds  of the Norse cosmology, separated from  Midgard  , the world of men, by high mountains and dense forests. Those who lived in worlds different from their own seemed to prefer caves and dark places 

In Old Norse, they were called  jotnar  (singular, the  jotun  ), or  risi  (singular and plural), in particular a  bergrisi  , or  þursar  (singular,  þurs  ), in particular  hrímþursar  . Giantesses may also be known as  gýgr

Jotun  probably derives from the same root as "eat"  ,  retaining the original meaning of "glutton" or "man-eater". Following the same logic,  þurs  may derive from the modern "thirst"  or  "blood  -thirst  " .  Risi  is probably a cognate of "rise"  ,  which may mean "elevated person". The word  Jotun  first appeared in Old English as  Yotun  , and eventually seeded the variants  Geottin  ,  Eottan  , and  Eontann  , from which can be derived Yettin,  Ettin  , and  ent  , respectively. Yettin is a false cognate of  Yeti  .