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Home , Borr, Dagr, Dellingr, Gangr, Giantess, Gillingr

AND A study in and belief by Lotte Motz - Hunter College, N.Y. The family of giants plays apart of great importance in North• , as this is presented in the ''. The phy• sical environment as weIl as the race of gods and men owe their existence ultimately to the giants, for the world was shaped from a 's body and the gods, who in turn created men, had de• scended from the mighty creatures. The energy and efforts of the ruling gods center on their battles with and giants; yet even so the world will ultimately perish through the giants' kindling of a deadly blaze. In the narratives which are concerned with human heroes trolls and giants enter, shape, and direct, more than other superhuman forces, the life of the protagonist. The mountains, rivers, or valleys of and are often designated with a giant's name, and royal houses, famous heroes, as weIl as leading families among the Icelandic settlers trace their origin to a giant or a . The significance of the race of giants further is affirmed by the recor• ding and the presence of several hundred giant-names in the Ice• landic texts. It is not surprising that students of Germanic mythology and religion have probed the nature of the superhuman family. Thus giants were considered to be the representatives of untamed na• ture1, the forces of sterility and death, the destructive powers of

1. Wolfgang Golther, Handbuch der germanischen Mythologie, Leipzig 1895, quoted by R.Broderius, The Giant in Germanic Tradition, Diss. Univ. of Chicago 1933, p. 6.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 84 wintertime2 , or an older dynasty of gods3 . In these efforts scho• lars have not treated the female members as aseparate group and have not attempted to ascertain whether giant-women might not have their own distinct and special qualities. The paper at hand wishes to examine just this issue and therefore looks to the inter• family relationships between male and female trolls to find those aspects which are shared and those which are special to each sex4 . I have observed that indeed giants and giantesses hold many qualities in common, such as their custom of dwelling in the wil• derness, or their occupations. Both sexes may show themselves as menacing or protective, both in command of magic skills and in possession of generative powers. It is also clear, however, that there is differentiation, that male giants appearmorefrequently as ancestral and giantesses more often as erotic beings, that the woman's action and emotions unfold more frequently in the con• text of a personal relationship. The woman is envisioned also as a fiercer and more warlike creature, and the man more strongly as generative power and as ruler over his domain. The most conspi• cuous relationship is between an aged giant and his daughter. Let us now consider the source material taken from the 'Eddas' and the , and the of skaldic poets. The meaning of the giants' names has also yielded information. 1. We shall first consider the Sagas5 1.1. Habitation. Giants as weIl as giantesses are firmly settled in the rocks and glaciers of the wilderness. They also may inhabit a

2. E.O.G.Turville-Petre, and Religion of the North, London 1964, p. 177. Anne Holtsmark considers the giant Piazi as the representative of the icy storms of wintertime who had in this capicity seized the goddess Iöunn, apower of fruitfulness: "Myten om Idun og Tjatse i Tjodolvs Haustlong, in: ANF 64 (1949) pp. 1-73. 3. J acob Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie, reprint of the fourth edition, E.H.Meyer ed. Graz 1953, III p. 150. 4. Members of the family are designated by such names as: jötunn, risi, purs, all masculine and , neuter; the woman may also be a gygr or a skessa. 5. In this study I used the narratives contained in the twelve volume edition of the 'Islendinga sögur', Gu5ni Jonsson, ed. Reykjavik 1953, and the four volume set of the 'Fornaldar sögur', Gu()ni J6nsson, ed., Reykja\'ik 1959. Though these sagas were recorded in late medieval or even in early modern time they oontain much orally transrnitted material which had been extant in

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 85 special region - the World of Giants or they are seen as mlers of a certain kingdom, such as Geirrö~argaröar, or Glresisvellir6. 1.2. Family grouping. Both, the male and the female spirit, may live alone, as does Valdi of Valadalr or the giantess Hit of Hunda• hellir7. More frequently we meet with an entire household with father, mother and their offspring. Thus live Hrimnir, Hyrja and their daughters Kleima and Feima of 'Grims loÖinkinna' (eh. I) and Syrpa and with their sons and daughters of 'Jökuls pattr Buasonar' {ch.2)8. It would seem that in such a nuclear fa• mily the man is master of the household. The family may be more extended or contain some retinue; Dofri of 'Illuga saga Tagldarbana' lives with his mother, his daugh- mueh more archaie periods. The two sets of Sagas would eomprise, moreover, a signifieant part of Ieelandie literature so that valid eonclusions might be drawn from the corpus. 6. Jotunheimen - Giantland - designates, still today, the largest mountain range of Central Norway. In the Sagas Giantland may lie to the North of the White Sea, as in the Saga of 'King the Wise' (U Text), Christopher Tolkien, ed. London 1960, eh. 1, or to the North ofNorway, as in 'Hversu Noregr byggdist', f 2, eh. 1. The kingdoms Geirrödargardar and Glaesisvellir are named in several Sagas, as in 'Porsteins pattr baejarmagns', f, 4, eh.5, or in 'Helga pattr P6rissonar', f 4, eh. 2. 7. 'Armanns saga inn fyrri', is 12, eh. 11; Bitrdar saga Snaefellsass, is 3, eh. 13. Other lonely giants are Geitir of 'Fljotsdaela saga', is 10; Selr of 'Halfdanar saga Eysteinssonar', f 4; Armann of 'Armanns saga og Porste ins ghla; is 12; Surtr of 'Ketils saga haengs', f 2 ; nameless giants of 'Egils saga einhenda', f 3; 'Yngvars saga vidförla', f 2. The giantesses Hetta, and Torfar-Kolla of 'Baroar saga Snrefellsass' , is 3, live alone as do Skinnbrok and Skinn- hetta of 'Armans saga inn fyrri', and Torfa, , and Homnefja of 'Sturlaugs saga starfsama, f 3. 8. Other such farnilies are: Hildir, Hildirior and their ehildren Hildi• gunnr and Goomundr, 'Orvar-Odds saga', f2, eh.18; Kula, Oskruor and their eighteen daughters, 'Egils saga einhenda', eh. 12; Skdmnir, Mana and their sons, 'Sörla saga sterka', f 3, eh.3; Jap1skjöldr Skjald• vör and their ehildren, Hak, , and Skjalddls of 'Porste ins saga uxafots', is 10, eh. 10; Dalmann, Svafrlaug and their sons Armann and Gramann, 'Armanns saga inn fyrri', eh. 1 ; Gramann, his wife and two daughters, 'Armanns saga inn fyrri', eh. 15; Sknimr, Glamdis and their daughter Hergerdr, 'Asmundar saga Atlasonar', is 4, eh.4; Dumbr Mjöll and their son Barör, 'Bardar saga Snrefellsass', eh.I. We also meet a number of small, intaet farnilies in the eontext of genealogies; these farnilies are not dramatically presented.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 86 ter and his fosterson (eh.3). Surtr of 'Hellismanna saga~ seems to share his eave with a erowd of giants - jötna /Ji6d - (eh.13)9, and thirty trolls defend the eave of Tjösnir of 'Illuga saga Tagldar• bana' (eh.9). Three sisters, Flanka, F16rsokka and Flannhildr form a household in 'Armanns saga og porsteins gala' (eh.S), and some• times, though rarely, a eave is shared by a married eouple, as by Svalr and Pufa of 'Bar6ar saga Snrefellsciss' (eh.4), or by Sleggja and Jarnnefr of 'Hälfdanar saga Brönufastra' (eh.4). These giants are settled with their mother: Kolbjörn with the hag Skrukka 10 , and Skröggr and Skramr with their mother Mella ('Illuga saga Tagldarbana', eh. lS). We meet a mother with her daughter, named Arinnefja and Skinnefja, in 'Egils saga einhenda' (eh.S), and Gri6r and her daughter Hildr in 'Illuga saga Griöar• fostra' (eh. 4). Most frequently eneountered, however, is a father-daughter pair. The Sagas thus present, among others, Dofri and his daughter Fridr ('Kjalnesinga saga', eh.13), Porir and his unnamed daughters ('Gret• tis saga', eh.6l), or GUdmundr and Ingibjörg ('Helga pcittr Paris• sonar', eh.2). In some instanees the mother is not even mentioned; in others she is named in passing but not dramatically presented, as in 'Ketils saga hrengs', where Bruni is the father of Hrafnhildr (eh.3). Or the mother may be dead, as in 'Hrana saga hrings', and here three daughters forage for their father (eh.6)11.

9. Twelve trolls reside in the eave of the Giant Queen Tögld, 'Illuga saga Tagldarbana', is 3, eh. 4; Gunnarr enters a eave erowded with trolls in 'Gunnars saga Keldugmipsflfls', is 10, eh.7; the eave of Kald• rani of 'Ketils saga hamgs', f 2, eh.2, is densely populated. Orvar-Oddr enters a eave inhabited by many trolls, 'Orvar-Odds saga', f 2, eh.6. 10. 'Baröar saga Snrefellsass\ eh.15; Brosi dweIls with his mother who is in the form of a eat, 'Orms pättr Storolfssonar', is 11, eh.B. 11. There are more instanees of a prominent father-daughter re• lation, as of Hallmundr and his daughter, 'Grettis saga', is 6, eh.57; GaIa and FaIa and their father Sknimr, 'Gunnars saga Keldugnupsfifls', eh. 7, in this saga a mother is mentioned but not brought to the fore; Hildir and his daughter~Hildigunnr, 'Orvar-Odds saga', f 2, eh.18, the mother here also is merely mentioned; Broni and his daughter Hrafn• hildr, 'Ketils saga hrengs', f 2, eh.3, again a mother is mentioned and not presented; Hrauönir of 'Hjälmpes saga og Ölvis', possesses 10 daughters, f 4, eh.12; Mana, Molda, and Brana and their father Jarn• hauss, 'HaIfdanar saga Brönuf6stra', f 4, ehs.6,7; Ag6ir and his daugh-

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 87 The most vividly portrayed interaction between members of a family of trolls thus is between the father and his daughter; the girl may range through the countryside to bring hirn food, as does Nipa of 'Hrana saga hrings'. She may plead with the aged giant to show kindness to her lover, as does Friör. She may heal her fa• ther's wounds after his battle, as does the daughter of Hallmundrl2. She may also, on the other hand, turn in wrath and hate·against her father and Brana murdered J arnhauss with her own hands, while SkinnhUfa brought the sword which alone could kill the giant13 . Barör, in his turn, so deeply loved his daughter Helga that he beeame distraught and melaneholy after she had disappeared ('Baröar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 5). The father-daughter household may inelude the girl's lover; Ke• till bedded Hrafnhildr while he stayed with Brunil4 ; Grettir dallied with the daughters of P6rir (eh.61), and Barar loved, and later married, the daughter of his fosterfather Dofri. 15 1.3. Giant dynasties. The human ruling families of Norway traee ter Goonin, 'Porsteins pättr brejarrnagns', f 4, eh.12; Bäror and his daughter Helga, 'Bäröar saga Snrefellsass', is 3, ehs. 5,6,7; BärÖr and Pordis in a different episode of the same Saga, eh. 10; and in the same Saga also Dofri and his daughter Flaumgeror, eh. 1. - I eould find only one example of a father's dwelling with his son: Skrimr and Grimr of 'Jökuls pättr Buasonar', is 12, eh.3. We meet a father with a daughter and sons in 'J?jostolfs saga hamramma' , is 8, eh.5. 12. 'Grettis saga' , is 6, eh. 57. 13. The Brana-Järnhauss episode oecurs in 'Halfdanar saga Brönu• fostra f 4, eh. 7; the giant brought to disaster by Skinnhufa is only her foster-father, 'Hjalmpes saga og Ölvis', eh.9; P.i6st61fr is told by a giantess how her father Ölfr may be killed, 'Pj6st61fs saga hamramrna', is 8, eh. 5. 14. Ketils saga hamgs', f2, eh. 3. 15. 'Bäröar saga Snrefellsass', eh.l; Bui loved Fridr, daughter ofthe giant Dofri, 'Kjalnesinga saga', is 12, eh.14; örvar-Oddr shared the bed ofHildigunnr, 'örvar-Odds saga', eh.18; Helgi lay with Ingibjörg, daughter of the giant ruler of Glresisvellir, 'Helga pattr P6rissonar', f 4, eh.l; HaIfdan slept with Brana, the daughter of Järnhauss, 'Half• danar saga Brönufostra', eh.7; Porsteinn married the daughter of King Agoir, 'Porsteins pattr brejarrnagns', eh. 12; Hörör slept with HrauO• nir's daughter Yma, 'Hjalmpes saga ok ölvis', eh.13; Bär5r married Flaumgeror, Dofri's daughter, 'Bäroar saga Snrefellsass', eh.I. Oddr married Bärör's daughter Pordis, ofthe same Saga, eh.10.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 88 their descent, in one account, to the giant Fornjotr, father of Hier, and Kari, and these intermarried with other noble giant families in the way of human dynastiesl6. Other princes of giant stock did not turn into humans and remained what they had been: Giant Kings. Dumbr, for instance, was a mler to whom lesser chieftains yaid their tribute until one day they rebelIed against their Lord 7. And Gu~mundr pledged his fealty to his Lord Geir• rÖdr, King of Giants. 18 We may note that both the ancestors of human royal families and the mling Giant Kings, are male. 1.4. The erotic character 01 giant and 01 giantess. We have observed that the giantess may take a lover. She is indeed presented often as a sexual being. Arinnefja, Queen of Giantland, is consumed by her sexual desires19 and Yma expresses her eagerness, on meeting with the Hjalmper, to experience the power of his man• hood20. The erotic alliance of a giantess often is successful and Porsteinn so dearly loved his giant-mistress that he assured her in a poem that he would cherish her until he died 21. The comely young women, Hildr, Fnör, Hrafnhildr, and Brana are easily induced to share their bed with a young hero and may thereafter bear his child. Even hideous creatures, like Geimor or Skellinefja, succeed in gaining a love relation with a man22 The embraces of a giantess may bestow great benefits. When

16. 'Hversu Noregr byggoist', f 2, eh. I. 17. 'Baroar saga Snrefellsass', is 3,-ch.2. 18. Porsteins pattr brejarmagns', eh. 6. 19. 'Egils saga einhenda', f 3, eh. 12. 20. 'Hj31mpes saga ok Ölvis', eh. 12. Geit and Gnipa who have eome to plunder stranded sailors express the wish to marry the young vi• king hero Jökull, 'Jökuls pattr Buasonar', is 12, eh. 1. 21. 'Porsteins saga Geirnefjufostra', is 8, eh. 5. 22. Geirridr of 'Grims saga looinkina', f 2, eh. 2, and Skellinefja of 'l>orsteins saga Vikingssonar', f 3, eh. 19, both offer to save the hero's life on eondition of reeeiving his loving embraees. In both eases the men eomply and thereby release the loathsome ereatures from their enehantment so that these regain their former beauty. The hideous Vargeisa offers a sword to the hero Hjälmper on the eondition that he kiss her, 'Hj 31mpes saga ok Ölvis', f 4, eh. 10.

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Halfdan bade farewell to his mistress Brana he received from her gifts of magical endowment, counsel concerning his future life, and her actual help at a time of mortal danger. Through Fn~r's intercession Bui was enabled to complete his dangerous quest: the gaining of a precious game from her father. Yma promised her fu• ture help on the day of the departure of her lover23. Male giants, in their turn, are subject to erotic wishes. Their way of dealing with this anguish is to seize by force the young woman, usually a human princess, who had roused their lust. J arn• nefr thus had captured Hildr ('Halfdanar saga Brönufostra', ch.5), Kolbjörn had taken Solmn ('Bardar saga Snrefellsass', ch.15), Geitir abducted Droplaug, whose father mIed the Shetland islands ('Fljots• drela saga', ch.5). Almost always the giant later loses his captive bride and is not able to assuage his passion24. Sometimes a giant's past success in love may be deduced: Stark• adr had abducted Alfhildr and she bore his son, Storvirkr, the fa• ther of a famous her025 . Brana was daughter of Jarnnefr and his human bride; Menglöa descended from a human mother and the giant Ofoti ('Orms Storolfssonar', ch.8). And the giant-fathers of many children must at one time have consummated a marriage or a mating. The successfullove affaire of a giant is, however, not unrolled before uso What is dramatically presented in the texts is the capture and the loss of the giant's object of desire. We must note, however, some exceptions: the giants Armann and Bar5r both seduce, while visiting a farmstead in their travels,

23. 'Hjälmpes saga ok Ölvis', f 4, eh. 13. Geirnefja teaehes her lover many skills and offers him rieh gifts when he must depart for battle, 'Porsteins saga Geirnefjufostra' ehs.5, 7. We already noted that the gift of life was given by Skellinefja and Geirriör to their lovers and that a sword was offered by Vargeisa to the man who had kissed her. 24. The prineesses Bekkhildr and Brynhildr were seized and taken to beeome the brides ofthe giants Gautr and Hildir, 'Egils saga einhenda', ehs. 1,2,15; an lrish prineess was eaptured by Tjösnir of 'llluBa saga Tagldarbana', eh. 9; Tögld of the same Saga took hold of Gyoa, the daughter of theJarl of Permland, to foree her into marriage to her son, eh.6; Hrolfr of the mountain seized Goi, daughter of Fornjotr, 'Hversu Noregr byggoist', eh. 1; Svanborg was eaptured by Hetta for her son, 'Armanns saga inn fyrri', eh. 14. 25. '', f 4, eh.3.

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the farmer's daughter and she later bears a son26 . Sinee these two instanees are in no way typieal we may agree that, in general, the giant's sexual passions remain unstilled. 1.5. The magie powers o[ the race o[ giants. They may wie1d eon• trol over the elements. Gnmnir of 'Hrc5lfs saga Gautrekssonar' (eh. 19) and Skrimnir of 'Sörla saga sterka' (eh. 3) ereated the tempests whieh brought sailors to their shores. Porri is able to provide snow for 'good skiing,2 7. The giantess Porgeror se nt a hail-storm so that her .protege, King Haakon, might gain vietory in battle28 . Queen Tögld of Giantland brought about 'witeh's weather' - galdahrid - when she wished to eapture Illugi, and the giantesses Hildr and Torfa hastened their friends' journey thfGlugh a favorable wind29 Giants eommand, moreover, a magician's skills. In his youth Ar• mann had aequired all the magie knowledge of his time and he could fly aloft at his volition30. Selr is designated as spellvirki - creator of magie spells31 . The term seioskratti 'soreerer' is applied to the giantess Skinnhetta32 and the giantess SkinnhUfa transforms

26. 'Annanns saga inn fyrri', eh.8; 'Baroar saga Snrefellsass', eh.1I. 27. 'Hversu Noreger byggÖist', f 2, eh. I. 28. 'The Saga ofthe Jomsvikings', L.M.Holland, translator, (Texas University Press, 1955), eh. 21. 29. 'Illuga saga Tagldarbana', eh.4; 'Sturlaugs saga starfsama', f 3, eh. 16; the giant Tjösnir had ereated gerningaveor 'a soreerer's stonn' to draw Illugi to Ws land, 'Illuga saga Tagldarbana', eh.9; a troll ereates the wind whieh will take Örvar;Oddr from the land, 'Orvar-Odds saga', eh.6; the giant SurtrJneited the waves through his magie powers, 'Grims saga looinkinna', f 2, eh. 1 ; Ogautr sends a storm, '1>orsteins saga Vikingssonar', eh. 19. Jarnnefr of 'Halfdanar saga Brönufostra' brought through his magie men to his shores, eh. 4. 30. 'Annanns saga inn fyrri', is 12, eh. 6. 31. 'H31fdanar saga Eysteinssonar' f 4, eh. 16; Bardr leamed from Ws foster-father Dofri magie skills, knowledge of genealogy, soreerer's ehants, and the old magie lore - tprbttir, amvtsi, vi'gfimi, galdrar, [orneskja - and thus he beeame wise and prophetie, 'Baraar saga Snre• fellsass', eh. 1. Annann's father knew the "old wisdom", 'Annanns saga ok 1>orsteins gäla', is 12, eh.7; the gi~Ilt Gramann is in possession of a gannent whieh enables Wm to fly, 'Armanns saga og Posteins gäla', is 12, eh. 7; Amgrimr of the 'Saga of King Heidrek', as in ref. 6, is a great magician, eh. 1. 32. 'Annanns saga inn fyrri', eh.13; she is also said to be fuH of wizardry

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 91 her human allies into birds to protect them from her father's wrath33 . Brana, we may recall, rendered magie gifts to her lover: a herb whieh will turn a woman's mind to love, a ring whieh warns against enemy attack, and a coat whieh is never rent by arms. Hornnefja handed a spear of uncanny power to her friend34. Gloves given by Menglö(1 to Ormr bestow indefatigable strength35 , and the coat received from Mana cannot be pierced by hostile swords36. Magie powers thus are held by the male as well as the female of the race. We note that Porgerör Hölgabruor sent a storm to help King Haakon, that Torfa and Hildr created for their friends good sailing winds, and that magic treasures are handed by a giantess to her friend and lover, that also Queen Tögld caused atempest to seize the warrior Illugi. We may understand through these examples that the fern ale troll expends her powers and her gifts towards a chosen individual, a friend, or lover, or an enemy, thus in the con• text of a personal relationship, while the talents of the male giants are dispersed in a less specific way. 1.6. Healing, wisdom and legal knowledge. Giantesses are know• ledgeable about medieine. Arinnefja joined the severed hand, whieh she h<;ld kept alive with special herbs, to the stump of Egill's arm and, after she had applied the right healing herbs, the two parts grew together3 ~ When Geirnefja found the warrior Porsteinn lying elose to death on the battlefield she took hirn with her to her earthen house and healed his wounds before she elasped hirn as a lover3 8. Hallmundr's daughter nursed the wounded Grettir back and tricks - Juli forneskju ok flattskapar. Hetta of 'Baroar saga Snre• fellsass' is able to assurne many forms, eh. 8; Vargeisa and Skinnhufa turn themselves into vultures to assist their human friends, 'HjaImpes saga ok Ölvis', eh. 20. 33. 'HjaImpes saga ok Ölvis', eh. 9. 34. 'Sturlaugs saga starfsama', f 3, eh. 16. 35. 'Orms pattr St6rolfssonar', is 11, eh. 8. 36. 'Sörla saga sterka', f 3, eh. 6. 37. 'Egils saga einhenda', f 3, eh. 14. 38. 'Porsteins saga Geirnefjufostra', eh. 5. Mana healed Sörli with a drink from her horn, 'Sörla saga sterka', f 3, eh. 3; Skellinefja of 'Por• steins saga Voo.ngssonar', f J, eh. 19, and Geirrlor Gandvlkrekkja of 'Grims saga loöinkinna' , f 2, eh. 2, restore the strength of wounded warriors.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 92 to health ('Grettis saga',ch.57). Giants, on the other hand, frequently display their knowledge of the laws. Skröggr is the 'lawman' of the trolls in 'Egils saga ein• henda'. Barer imparted to young Oddr so much legal knowledge that the boy became the greatest legal expert of his generation39 The giant Armann offered valuable counsel in the lawsuit of a farmer40. In this area we note indeed a clear separation of talents with the women versed in leecheraft and the men versed in law. 1.7. The protectiveness of the race. Dumbr, Surtr, and BarO"r are designated as bjargvcettir, 'protective spirits,41. The sheep and goats of Icelandic farmers seemed to grow better after the giant Armann had settled in the land42 . Men would call on the giants Armann Guemundr, and Dumbr for assistance when they were in need43 . The giant Surtr is asked for 'prosperity and peace,44. Armann also exerts a promise from the troll SkinnhUfa that she will no longer injure men and cattle ('Armanns saga inn fyrri', ch.16). By killing Svalr and PUfa Barer gave succour to the human community of Ieeland ('Bardar saga Smefellsass',ch.4). Hallmundr claims with pride in the hour of his death that throughout his life he had fought against the evil spirits of the countryside ('Grettis saga', ch.62). The giantess Brana saved her lover from dying in a blaze45 , and Vargeisa and SkinnhUfa attacked and killed a whale to rescue their human friends46 . Sörli called on Mana when he was threatened by the anger of a queen and very quickly the giantess softened the

39. 'Bardar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 10. 40. 'Armanns saga inn fyrri', eh. 7. - Bär<)r iwas marviss and forspar. learned and prophetie, 'Baröar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 1. 41. 'Baroar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 1; 'Hellismanna saga', is 2, eh. 13, in• a p~m; 'Baröar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 6. 42.'Armanns saga in fyrri', eh. 5. 43. 'Armanns saga inn fyrri', eh. 5; 'The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise' (U Text), eh. 1; Baröar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 1. 44. 'Hellismanna saga', eh. 13, he is offered horses and oxen as tide offering so that he will provide tir ok frior. 45. 'H3Ifdanar saga Brönuf-ostra', eh. 13. 46. 'Hjru.mpes saga ok ölvis', eh. 20.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 93 woman's wrath4 7. Gunnar wished for Fala's help when he stood against an entire family of trolls and she came immediately to his side48 . We may observe, once more, that the protection of a giantess aids an individual hero, a lover or a friend, while a giant's guardian• ship may extend over an entire region. Again we must also note some exceptions to this pattern: The giant Armann shows him- self as the staunch and loyal ally of a chosen individual and the giant Barör aids some special friends in the hour of their need49. 1.8. Destructiveness and [ighting power. The men and women of the race are both feared for their aggressive acts. A giant, as weIl as a giantess, may seize upon helpless men or be asts to devour them or to hold them captive; in this aspect the trolls are known as meinvcettir 'noxious spirits'. Torfar-Kolla, a troll woman, thus was feared and hated for stealing and killing sheep and men ('Bärdar saga Snrefellsass', ch.9)50. Another female troll would enter a farmstead every Yule time and carry off a member of the household ('Grettis saga',ch.65). The giants Looinn and Ulfueöinn would take hold of farmers' sheep51. After landing on a foreign shore sailors woke to the sounds of the footsteps of Kleima and of Feima who had come to plunder and to

47. 'Sörla saga sterka', f3, eh. 26. . 48. 'Gunnars saga Ke1dugnupsfifls', is 10, eh. 7; Hergerör of 'Asmundar saga Atlasonar', saves Asmundr's men from her father's anger, is 4, ehs. 4, 5; Hrimger3r wams lllugi of an impending attaek of trolls, 'llluga saga Tagldarbana', eh. 10; the daughter of Ölfr reveals to Pjost- 61fr how her family is to be destroyed, 'Pj6st61fs saga hamrannna', eh. 5; Gnlpa assists Jökull in the extermination ofher family, Joku1s pattr Buasonar, eh. 2; Skinnhüfa proteets human heroes in her foster-father's cave, HjaImpes saga ok Ö1vis, eh. 9. Among the male giants only Vagnhofdi acts in sueh a manner, llluga saga Tagldarbana, is 3, eh. 5. 49. In 'Armanns saga og Porsteins gala' and in 'Armanns saga inn fyrri', the giant Armann guides a young peasant lad through his adventures; in both Sagas the man is named !lorsteinn. BarÖr of 'Baroar saga Snre• fellsass' saves the man Ingjaldr from death by drowning, eh. 8, and he supports P6rir in his strugg1e with the troll-wo man T6rfar-Kolla so that she is overeome, eh. 9. 50. The visit of a troll woman to a farmstead oeeurs also in 'Pj6st61fs saga harnramma', is 8, eh. 16. 51. 'Pj6st61fs saga hamramrna; eh. 5.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 94 kill52 . In 'Yngvars saga vldförla' a giant studs his belt with the men he had captured in his hunting expedition (ch.6). Giantesses are in no way less cruel or less gifted in fighting power than their men. Often, in fact, an aged giant will send his daughters (more frequently than his sons) to subdue the men whom he had drawn to his land by magie s]

52. 'Grims saga looinkinna; f2, eh. I ; the giant Hallmundr steals fish, 'Grettis saga', is 6, eh.62; Skrimnir's sons forage in 'Söda saga sterka', eh. 3; Surtr sent his sons to bring sailors to his eave, 'Jökuls pattr Bua• sonar', is 12, eh. 2; a giant of 'Illuga saga Tagldarbana' tries to steal a portion of a stranded whale, eh. 8. - In the following instanees women go out to fight and forage: Brana, Molda and Mana of 'Half• danar saga Brönuf6stra', eh. 6; Nipa and her sisters, to bring food for their father, in 'Hrana saga hrings', is 9, ehs. 6, 8; Hrimgerör enters Illugi's tent, 'Illuga saga Tagldarbana', eh.9; seven women and five men had been foraging for Tögld's household, 'Illuga saga Tagldar• bana', eh. 11; Gnipa and Geit seek to eapture sleeping sailors, 'J ökuls pattr Buasonar' , eh. 1 ; Flanka, Flannhildr and Fl6rsokka steal a farmers' sheep in 'Armanns saga og I>orsteins gala', eh.5; Hrauonir's daughters leave their dwelling plaee to enter into battles with men, 'Hjalmpes saga ok Ölviss', eh. 12; Hetta of 'Bardar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 8, and T6rfar-Kolla, eh. 9, both steal men and sheep. - In this seetion we must also mention the giants who steal human women for their lust, as noted in ref. 24. 53. Kleirna and Feima also forage for their father, 'Grims saga loöin• kinna' , f 2, eh. 1; as do Geit and Gnipa of 'J ökuls pattr Buasonar' , eh. 1; and FaIa and Gala of 'Gunnars saga Keldugnupsfffia', eh. 6. . Sometirnes the giant sends his sons: Vlfr sends Ulfhedinn and LoÖinn, 'Pj6st6lfs saga hamramma', eh. 5; Surtr sends Samr, Eitill, Sniöill, and his daughters, 'Jökuls pattr Buasonar', eh. 2; the boys are supposed to fill Skriinnir's eave with stranded sailors in 'Sörla saga sterka', f 3, eh. 3.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 95 fostra', ch.4), and the battle against Mima came close to bringing Sörli to his doom ('Sörla saga sterka, ch.3)54. We may conclude that the giantess is shown as somewhat fiercer than the man. She employs in her attacks a sword, or spear, or a spiked club and Gnar of 'Illuga saga Gd5arfostra' raised a gruesome hatchet against Illugi. 1.9. Kingship. Giants are frequently presented as kings qr rulers of arealm, as for instance, Geirrö~r of Geirröoargaroar, Dumbr of Dumbshaf, Gudmundr of Glresisvellir, or Gusir of Finmark55 . Gautr and Hildr vie with one another for the kingship over Giantland56 , while Skramr rules 6bygoir - the uncultivated land57 . Örvar-Oddr helped the giant Hildir to obtain the royal state5 8. While the women Arinnefja and Tögld each bear the title 'queen' it is clear that the royal office is held, usually, by a man59 . 1.10. Giants as ancestors. The royal family of the Ynglingar of traces its lineage to the marriage of and Gerar, a giantess, and the rulers of Halogaland descended from Ooinn's union with Ska(Si, daughter of the giant Piazi60. The ruling houses of Norway originated

54. The fight with Brusi's mother, in the shape of a eat, is longer and more nearly fatal than the battle with her son, 'Orms pattr St6r61fs• sonar', eh. 9; an aged giantess fights more fiereely than her husband in 'Gunnars saga Keldugmipsfifls', eh. 7; Hyrja of 'Grirns saga 10oin• kinna' is a more dangerous opponent than her husband Hrimnir, eh. 1; Mella offers a greater challenge than her sons, 'Illuga saga Tagldar• bana', eh. 15. - I met with only one instanee where the male giant was a more dangerous opponent than the woman, that of Surtr of 'J ökuls pattr Buasonar' , eh. 2. 55. Gusir, kingofFinmark,appears in 'Ketils saga hrengs', f 2, eh. 3. 56. 'Egils saga einhenda', f 3, eh. 15. 57. 'Jökuls pattr Buasonar', is 12, eh. 3. 58. 'Örvar-Odds saga', f 2, eh. 18; Logi is King of Halogaland, 'Por• steins saga Vikingssonar', f 3, eh 1; Öskruor is another king of Giant• land, 'Egils saga einhenda', eh. 12; Skelkingr is designated as 'King of the trolls' in 'Ketils saga hrengs' ,eh. 5. 59. Arinnefja appears in 'Egils saga einhenda', f.3, eh. 5, and is named Queen of Giantland; Tögld of 'Illuga saga Tagldarbana', is ealled Queen of the trolls, eh. 4. 60. ' Snorra SturIusonar', Bjarni Aoalbjarnarson, ed. Reykjavik 1941, Ooinn and Ska8i enter rnarriage in'', eh. 8, and Freyr and Geror in the same Saga, eh. 10.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 96 with the giant Fornj6tr61 and the dynasty of which the Kings Dumbr and Dofri are a part, show a patrilinear line of succession62 . Starkaör, a giant, is ancestral to a hero of the same name63 and the family of the Völsungs originated in the union of King Völsungr and a giantess named Hlj6~64. The Icelandic settler Ketill Raumr traced his family to the giant Jötunbjörn, and the heroes Egill Skalla-Gnmsson, Ketill hrengs, and Grettir Asmundarson possess a 'half troll' in their ancestry. We therefore realize that male and female giants may appear as an• cestors of noble families and of famous heroes with the male trolls somewhat more in evidence. 1.11. Relation to animals. While male giants may, as hunters, be concerned with and related to the beasts of the forest they them• selves are in the form of men. The women, on the other hand, some• times take upon themselves the features of an animal. Forad of 'Ke• tils saga hrengs' rushes through the waters as a whale (ch.S). Skinn• hUfa and Vargeisa turn into vultures in their attack on a marine beast66 . Hlj65 of 'Völsunga saga' is transformed into a crow before her visit to King Rerir's wife (ch.2). A giantess mayaiso be fitted with the appurtenance of an animal: Vargeisa with a horse's hoofs and tail, Gnor and Marger9r with iron c1aws and an iron nose in resemblance to a bird of prey67. Skjald• vör of 'Porsteins saga uxaf6ts' is covered with the shaggy hide of a woodland beast. Giantesses, moreover, dress frequently in furs and skins, in similarity to the mammals of the forest, while male giants are envisioned, when their garments are described, in dark and concealing c1oaks. We may state in summary that the giants and giantesses of the Sagas possess indeed many common qualities. It is, however, also

61. 'Hversu Noregr byggoist', f 2, eh. 1. 62. 'Bär3ar saga Snrefellsass', eh. 1. 63. 'Gautreks saga', f 4, eh. 3. 64. 'Völsunga saga', f 1, eh. 2. 65. 'Landnamab6k'. is 1, eh. 2 (third part); Rönd6lfr deseended from giants on his i mother's side, 'Göngu-Hr6Ifs saga', f 3, eh. 30. 66. 'HjaImpes saga ok ölvis' , f 4, eh. 20. 67. Hjalmpes saga ok Olvis', ehs. 10, 12; 'Illuga saga Gri~arf6stra', f3, eh. 4.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 97 possible to discern differing aspects of the sexes. A dominion or a kingdom is usually ruled by a male giant and he may extend his protective powers over the human settlers of the land. Giants are versed in law and magie skills while giantesses know the art of healing. The helpfulness and guidance of the giantess are usually directed towards a chosen friend and her magic talents deployed in his service, thus are unfolded ~n a personal relationship. The giantess is an erotic creature while the giants are hardly ever cast as successful lovers. The most frequently presented as• sociation is between the giant and his daughter whose emotions travel, in love or hate, to her father and her lover. Giantesses often are fiercer in combat than the male members of their race and they show a eloser affinity to the beasts, of the forest, sea, or air. We may conelude that, on the whole, giants are seen as ancestral and ruling forces who are gifted with magic skills and the women as aggressive fighters and as elose friends and guardians. in a personal alliance. It is elear that both creatures share their way of life of herding, foraging, and hunting and their station in the wilderness. 2. Eddic Poetry and Prose We shall now examine the patterns in the 'Eddas,68. These sources flowing more sparsely, do not provide us with the abundance of examples offered by the prose narrations. We move here, if we make exception of a few heroic poems, in the world of myth and deal therefore with concerns of cosmology, with the creation, organization, and destruction of the world and also with the ways of the gods towards one another. The incidents relating to the na• ture of the giants will therefore elearly bear a different stamp. It is possible, however, to meet in the different environment themes

68. The 'Poetic ', an important source of information of northern myth, contains poems concerning the gods, as well as poetry conpeming human heroes. The poems have been ascribed to various ages from the seventh to the twelfth century. - The so-called '' was com• posed by the thirteenth century Icelandic scholar who retold many quoting sometimes the '' and drawing also on other sources. I used the following editions: Edda; die Lieder des nebst verwandten Denkmälern, Gustav Neckel-Hans Kuhn, eds. Heidelberg 1962; Edda Snorra Sturlusonar, Finnur J6nsson, ed. Copenhagen 1931.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 98 and patterns which were encountered also in the Sagas. 2.1. Habitation. The dwelling of the giants may lie beneath the earth (vsp 2), or around the settlements of men and gods and se• parated from them by an icy stream (hym 5), both realms called Jötunheimar - Giantland. At times the family is situated beneath one of the roots of the cosmic tree Yggdrasi1l69. The giant dweIls "East", and "at the edge of heaven"(hym 5) and the god Porr traditionally wanders the eastern ways to battle with the trolls. The giant Hraesvelgir is' stationed in the North (gyl 9). The giantess Hyndla and the mistress of King Agnarr are settIed, as are their sisters in the Sagas, in a mountain cave 70. And, as in the Sagas, the dwelling places are shared by male and female trolls. 2.2. Family grouping. The Eddic troll may live like the Saga giants in a nuc1ear family, as do Ran and .tEegir, the rulers of the ocean, and their nine daughters, the waves of the sea 71. Sometimes the household is extended, for Prymr dweIls with his sister and, appa• rently a crowd of trolls who are gathered at his wedding feast (Prym). Out of Hymir's cave, so it seems, emerges a multitude to pursue the fleeing Porr (hym 35). The giantess Hyndla, on the other hand, is alone within her dwelling. The father-daughter alliance is, as in the Sagas, the most promi• nent. GunnlöÖ shares the mountain grotto of her father (sk 6), Geirrödr dwells with his daughters Gjalp and Greip (sk 27). The Jarl of Halogaland and his daughter Porgerdr Hölgabrudr are both worshipped, according to Snorri's 'Edda' (sk 56). Skaoi, the daugh• ter of a slain giant, came in rage and sorrow to the stronghold of the gods to avenge her father's death (sk 3). The lovely Ger<~r was

69. gyl8; the giant Piazi dweIls in a place called brumheimr, gy112. 70. 'HyndloljOd', E; 'Grimnismal', pro se introduction E. 71 sk 42; married , a giantess and their sons were 6öinn, ViIi, and V6, gyl 5; Nott married and had Auor, gyl6; Gil• lingr and his wife possess the son , sk 5; frequently only one of the partners of a marriage is a giant or a giantess; Porr married Jarnsaxa and their son was Magni, sk 25; Ödinn married Jörö and their son was f>orr, sk 12; Gefion, mating with a giant, gave birth to four oxen, gyl 1; Farbauti and had , Helblindr and By• leistr, gy119; Loki and Angrbo6a had , and Jormungandr, gy119.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 99 wrenched by magie powers from her father's realm. Even though the girl's mother, Aurboda, is mentioned in the texts the Eddie poem whieh most fully tells the story speaks only of her father. Thus she is beheld by Freyr as she leaves her "father's house" and she herself talks proudly of her "father's" gold and treasures. And, as in the Sagas, a lover or a suitor (OÖinn and Sc1rnir) may find his way into the dwelling. 2.3. Male and female giants as erotic creatures. Giantesses are, as in the Sagas, both desirous and desirable. Skadi who became the spouse of Njör~r is known as "the glittering bride of gods" (grim 11). Freyr is aroused to an agony of passion by the beauty of the giant's daughter Gerdr. A king finds it pleasant to beget children with a troll-woman in a cave (grim, prose) and the god 6~inn lay in GunnlÖd's arms (sk 6). The giantess Hnmgerdr, though she is not successful, invites with eagerness the warrior Atli to her bed (HHJ 12-30). As human heroes might receive a magie gift from their giant-mistress so 6~inn receives from GunnlÖd the magie . As the male giants of the Sagas lust for human women so the male giants of the Eddas lust for the women of the iEsir. A giant offers a bargain to obtain the embraces of the goddess (gy I 25)}iazi seizes the goddess Idunn (sk 2); prymr attempts to gain the lovely Freyja as his bride (Prym); longs for the love of Freyja and of (sk 25). As in the Sagas the giants are frustrated and thwarted in their erotic wishes. We hear, how• ever, in the heroic poem 'Helgaqvi6a Hjörvarchsonar' that the giant Hati had abducted many girls from their dwellings (17). 2.4. The magic powers of the race. The command of Saga giants over wind and water weather finds a counterpart in the action of Hr

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Witches and wizards have descended from Vioolfr, Vilmeiör and Svarthöfdi and these are, though not themselves named giants, cited in a passage which traces giants' genealogies (hyn 32). Giants also are envisioned with strong generative gifts, able to create from within themselves new forms of life. , the first living being, gave birth to sons and a daughter from within him• self (gy15), and elsewhere the giant Aurgelmir brought forth Prudgelmir who had , the ancestor of the race of giants (vaf 29). The family of dwarfs generated in the blood of a slain giant (gyl 7). And from the bones and blood of the giant Ymir the natural environment was fashioned by the gods (vaf 21). The giants' creativity finds expression also in their craftsmanship and the JEsir dweIl in a stronghold erected by a giant mason (gyI25). The women of the family claim their share of the creative ta• lents. Nine giant girls brought forth the god HeimdaIlr in virgin birth (hyn 35) and wolves were born to an old witch who inha• bits the "Iron Forest" (gyI6). Two giantesses, Menja and Fenja, are shown in the poem 'Grottasöngr' to have had a part in the creation of the landscape, for they performed, in ancient time, the "mighty work" of moving mountains from their places (grot 12). We conclude from the examples that women are endowed with some of the generative faculties of the giants' race. They are not as strongly gifted, as their male relatives, with procreativeabili• ties, nor as weIl equipped with the magician's tools: the wand, the charms, or the runes. 2.5. The wisdom o[ the [amily. We must remember, before em• barking on the instances, that the line between wisdom and magi• cal ability cannot be clearly drawn, for wisdom partakes of ma• gie knowledge and of magie craft. Giants clearly are gifted with deep understanding so that 66inn, the wisest of the gods, engages in a contest with a hundv[ss, 'ex• tremely wise' giant and wins it only through a kind of trick (vaf). The wen of wisdom is guarded by the giant Mimir and the liquid of this source is designated as "Mimir's mead" (gy18). Menja and Fenja are said to be prophetie - [ramv[sar - (grot I); a sibyl of giant origin has knowledge of the past and the future (vsp 2), and Hyndla in her cave is versed in genealogy.

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In their possession of wisdom, and especially of prophetie gifts, the giantesses of this group are c10sely matched with their male re• latives. 2.6. Help and protectiveness. In 'Helgaqvida Hjörvarozsonar' a troll-woman offers her help in batt1e to the warrior Hedinn (prose) and Menja and Fenja supported human warriors in their fights (grot 13-15). The daughters of the giant Mögprasir alone are re• sponsible for the individual happiness of men (vaf 49). Grior of• fered her iron gloves and her belt of strength to the god Porr af• ter he had spent the night in her lodgings (sk 27) and GunnlÖd offered the precious mead to O~inn (sk 6). As in the Sagas, the giantess renders her gifts and her assistance to a hero or a god on the basis of a personal relationship. As for tue helpfulness of the male giants we can only point to Bölporr's teaching of magie charms to OÖinn. 2.7. Destructiveness and jighting powers. The first golden age of the created cosmos was brought to an end by three giant maidens (vsp 8). Menja and Fenja participated as "Choosers of the Slain" in human warfare. Ska~i arrived in fuH armor in the dwelling of the gods, ready to do battle with the .tEsir (sk 3); a troll-woman had protected the warrior Helgi in his fights (HHJ). Menja and Fenja were able, also, to tumble and destroy their cruel master. Hrimgerdr, Hati's daughter, claimed that she had drowned Hlö5- vardr's sons (HHJ 19). A giant's daughters supposedly had un• manned Sinfjötli" (HHJ 40). Giantesses thus are, as they are also in the Sagas, capable and ruthless in their warlike acts. The male giants, in their turn, will wreak the destruction of the world in a fiery blaze. The "Sons of Muspell", riding from the South, will accomplish the terrifying deed. The word Muspell is not of north-Germanic derivation. It occurs in West-Germanie speech as designation of the last days of the world of Christian religion 72. The "Sons of MuspeH" therefore are not native to the

72. References to the last days of the world are scattered through the texts. travels from the East (vsp 50) and Loki steers the boat Kj6Il (vsp 51). Surtr arrives from the South (vsp 52) all for the sake of battle with die ruling gods. The flame of Surtr cremates the world (vaf 50,51), or we hear that Surtr dweIls in Muspell awaiting the final

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North, but appear to have been imported or constructed on the basis of a word. Giants, as we know them, do not live, moreover, in the South and do not employ fire in their methods of attack. We may understand that the giants of the last encounter are not identical with the giants of our discussion who are firmly wedded to the northem landscape and insolubly linked with frost and ice. If we consider the "Sons of Muspell" to be alien powers we can• not point to many warlike talents of the Eddic giants, nor do they possess the tools of warfare. Hrungnir, who does' do battle with the god l>c5rr, throws a whetstone and Geir• rödr an iron heated in a -smith 's fire against the god. We may un• derstand that Eddic giants are in contrast to their women-folk not envisioned as warriors. 2.8. Kingship and rule. Hel, the daughter of Loki and a giantess, is ruler of the Kingdom of the dead (gy120); prymr is designated as "Lord of Trolls" - pursa drottinn (prym 6) -, and Utgaroa• Loki govems a mighty fortress (gyl 29-32). Realms and dominions such as Suttungs salar, Gymisgaroar, Geirröoargaroar, or Hh~sey, bear a giant's name and would thus indicate that a man was he re the owner or the king73 . We may understand that in the 'Eddas' the stewardship of a dominion is given to a male rather than to a female troll. 2.9. Ancestral beings. A giant and a giantess may form a union and engen der offspring, as do and his wife whose son is Suttungr (sk 5) 74. More frequently the trolls choose partners battle when he will set fue to the world (gyl 4); the flame of Surtr bums earth and sky (gyI4). It is dear that the forces of Surtr, the sons ofMuspell, are the principal agents of destruction. The terms mutspelli, muspilli appear in the Old Saxon epic 'Heliand' and in an poem in the meaning: Day of Judgment, Day of Doom. See my: 'Rulers of the Mountain', in: Mankind Quarterly, 1980, pp. 393-416. 73. We do, however, find the name Gnipalundr - 'forest ofGnipa'. Dnly male giants appear in the position which is associated with the rule over a domain, i.e. sitting on a mound; Marlene Ciklamini, 'The Giants in Germanic Mythology', Dissertation, Yale Univ. 1960, p.97. We meet the giant l>rymr in this position, prym, the giant-guardian of Geror, fs, and the giant Eggper vsp 42. 74. and Aurbooa originated Gerdr, hyn 30.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 103 from outside of their own race; thus Bestla married Borr and gave birth to OOinn, Viii, and Vi so that she became the ancestress of men and gods (gyl 5)75. A giantess may appear as the sole parent of her child and a witch, residing in the Iron Forest, gave birth to wolves from whom a family of wolves has sprung (gyI6, vsp 39). Nine giant maidens brought forth, without sexual encounter, , the watchman of the gods (hyn 35). " In the 'Eddas' male giants are named much more frequently than the women as related or ancestral beings. In virgin birth the race of giants was originated from a male, primeval giant (gyl 5, hyn 33). According to the 'Hyndlolj6~' all sibyls are descended from Viodlfr, all wise men from VilmeiÖr, and all magicians from Svarthöföi (hyn 33). Though the spirits named are not expressly designated as giants the account is placed within the context of a genealogy of giants, and we may regard the former as members of the giants' race. We may observe yet more male relations. Ölvaldi is father 01' Piazi Idi and (sk 4); Piazi, in his turn, has Skaoi for a daughter (sk 3); three giant maidens descended from Mögprasir (vaf 49); Menja and Fenja name as their kinsmen only their male relatives (grot 9); Heidr and Hrosspjofr belong to the family of Hrlmnir (hyn 32); Vindsvalr is father of winter (gyl 10) and GeirrÖdr the father of Gjalp and Greip (sk 27); the sibyl who pronounced her prophecy was born of giants (vsp 2). We already noted under a different heading the frequency of the father-daughter alliance. It seems c1ear that in the 'Eddas' giants rather than giantesses are visualized as ancestral beings.

75. Farbauti and Laufey had Loki, Byleistr and , gy119; Porr married Jarnsa!!(a and had Magni, sk 25; ÖÖinn married Jör" and had Porr, sk 12; Loki married the giantess Angrbooa and had Hel, Fen• rir, and Jörmungandr, gy119; Gefion conceived four sons in the form of four oxen from a giant, gyl 1; the giantess Nott married Naglfari and gave birth to AUdr, then she married Anarr and gave birth to Jöro, afterwards she married and had , gy16; Vidarr, son of OÖinn,i~ also son of Gri~r, a giantess, sk 19, 27. 76. The following are also "single" fathers: Vasudr is father of Vind• svalr, gyll0; Bölporr is father of Bestla, gy15; is father of Nott, gyl 6; Hrimnir is kinsman of Heior and Hrosspjöfr, hyn 31; F ornjotr is father of the wind, sk 36.

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2.10. Relationship to animals. We note, as in the Sagas, the affinity of giantesses with the mammals of the forest or the pasture. Hyndla, , and an unnamed trollwoman sit astride a wolf as they ride through the wilderness, and a giantess appears as ancestress of a family of wolves. Like some giantesses of the Sagas Hrfmger~r of 'Helgaqviöa Hjörvarozsonar' is fitted with a horse's tail; the off• spring of Loki and a giantess are in the form of wolf and snake. In contrast to the Sagas the male giants here show also a relation• ship to animals; Hrresvelgir, Suttungr, and l>iazi, all are visualized, on occasion, in an eagle's form. Four oxen are born to the goddess Gefion from her union with a giant (gyll). 2.11. The epithets o[ the Eddic [amily. In contemplating the adjec• tives applied to Eddic giants we note that the words [r60r, hund• v[ss, VlsS, alsvior, all denoting wisdom, are applied to male giants only; one adjective alone - [ramv[ss, 'foreseeing' - is given to a woman. The giantesses, on the other hand, are seen as algullinn, 'all golden, [agr; 'fair', scfrr, 'bright, glimmering', and brunhvitr, 'white of brows,77. In keeping with what we have learned from other evidence the adjectives point up the wisdom of the male giants and the erotic desirability of the female form. We have seen that, as in the Sagas, the male and female trolls of the Eddas share a number of qualities and that they also possess distinctive features. The male, more than the fe male giants, are an• cestral, more strongly allied with the magician's craft, more richly endowed with generative power, more clearly the ruler of their realm.; As in the Sagas, giants do not succeed in their erotic strivings. The giantess appears as warlike and erotic, and as helpful and protective in her personal relationships. The father-daughter alliance is prominent,as it is also in the Sagas. Both sexes show here an asso• ciation with animals, while the wind is the special concern of the male giant. The interaction of the sexes and their respective quali-

77. [roor - vaf 20,28,33,35, hav 14; hundviss HHJ 25, hym 5; al- svwr - vaf 1, 5,34,42; svilr - vaf 30. - framvfss - grot 1; algullin - hym 8 ;fagr - fs prose; sei" - grim 11. For other epithets of Eddic giants see my: 'Giants in Folkbeliefand in Mythology; a new approach', in: Folklore 1982, pp. 70-84.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 105 ties do not differ essentially from those of the creatures of the Sagas. 3. The Names It was noted earlier that a great number of giants' names has been recorded in the texts. I collected approximately two-hundred mas• culine and somewhat fewer feminine giant-designations, many of which have a elearly decipherable meaning. We find, in considering these meanings, that many of them point indeed to the shared quali• ties of the men and women of the group, to their station in the wil• derness, their affinity with beasts, their menacing and destructive qualities. We also find in the names some indication of that which is special to each sex 78. The noun verkr, m. 'creator, worker', does not occur as part of a woman's name, while Storverkr, Haröverkr, Fjölverkr for male giants point to the greater creative power of the men. The noun valdi, m. 'ruler', is seen in male giants' names, as in Valdi, Ölvaldi, Privaldi, Pvivaldi and not in names of women. The following also are encountered only in the names for men: Reginn 'ruler, king' forms part of the name Helreginn; the adjective prudr 'powerful', is seen in the names Prudgelmir and Vaf]>rudnir. Armaor - ar,n. 'prosperity', and Hlebardr - hle, n. 'shelter', point to the more generally protective aspect of the giants of the Sagas. Vindsvalr, Vindr -vindr, m. 'wind', Leidi 'favorable wind', Gusir - gustr, m. 'blast of wind', show the giants' stronger relationship with the ele• ments of storm and wind. Some giant-women'sdesignations, on the other hand, associate them with love and play, such as HölgabrU~r - brudr, f. 'bride', 'playmate', modern Icelandic 'cunnus', or Flannhildr - j1anni m., modern Icelandic 'penis'. The name Fndr 'beautiful', shows the giantess in her erotic desirability. The forms -vör, -vard- which may be related to a meaning of guard• ing' - vördr, m. 'watchman', varr, a. 'watchful', are noted only in the names of women and would testify to the elose personal and

78. The names are scattered throughout the texts,and are also gathered in lists, called pulur, in Snorri's Edda. See my: 'Giantesses and their Names', in: Frühmittelalterliche Studien 1981, pp. 495-511. The names of male giants were gathered by me in a still unpublished paper: 'Giants and their Names'.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 106 protective alliance of the giantess with a chosen being. While both the giants' and the giantesses' designations mirror the warlike na• ture of the spirits I have found more than twice as many warrior designations for the female form (eleven to twenty-five) 79. The names thus point, as do the other sources, to the greater crea• tivity and the greater ruling powers of the men and to their general protectiveness, and also to the women's sexual appeal and to their role as lover, guardian and companion in a elose relationship. The names envision women also as the more warlike of the two. 4. The kennings of the In the periphrastic language of the poets only a male giant is de• signated as ruler of a certain place, as in bergstjori 'ruler of the rock', or in fjaUa stillir 'King of the fells,80. Only male giants are related by the poets to the magical drink of creativity and mead is desig• nated as the 'drink of Aurrekr' - Aurreks drykkja (skj 84,60, 7), or as 'giant's drink' - fjaUa stillis drykkja (skj 5,3, 2), or as 'giant's mead' - jötna mjöOr (sk 11). Giantesses are envisioned in their eloseness to the battlefield. Battle axes thus bear such names as brynju Hveora, 'the HveÖra of the coat of mail', or hjO,lma grfdr, 'the Gri(}r of the heimets,8I. The alliance of the giantess with ferine beasts is weIl presented by the poets and the wolf is known traditionally as the 'ritling steed' of the troll-woman82. The distinctive qualities of giantesses, discerned through our sources, their eroticism, protectiveness of individual heroes, their fighting prowess, and their affinity with birds or mammals would affirm their kinship with a widely disseminated configuration: of a warlike and erotic female spirit who extends her mastery over

79. Such names might contain the words gunnr, f. 'war', or hildr, f. 'battle', or herr, m. 'arrny, host', as in the woman's names Gunnloo or Hildigunnr and the man's names Hergrirnr and Hildir. 80. Sveinbjörn Egilsson - Finnur J6nsson, eds. 'Lexicon poeticum antiquae guae septentrionaIis', Copenhagen 1931, quoting 'P6rsdnipa' 12, Ano• nymous X, Eilifr Goörunarson, 3. 81.'Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning', Finnur J6nsson, ed. Copen• 1912-1915,3,11,2: 11,231,3,4. 82. The wolf is called Jtirnsöxu [axi-'the horse of Jarnsaxa', skj 453, 4 or Gjtilpar stoJ 'the steed of Gjalp', skj 206, 14,4.

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 11:17:11PM via free access 107 woodland beasts and who renders guidance and assistance to a cho• sen friend. The northern giantess shares her distinctive nature with the Vilas of the southern Slavs, or with the warrior goddesses, the Morrigna, of the Celtic heritage. The emergence of a warlike and erotic female being who also rules the beasts of the forest and the air has been dated for the Mediterranean region by Marie-Therese Barrelet to the third and second millennium; this deity became in her many forms the most important of the goddesses83 . The male giants, we have seen, are ancestors of families and fathers also of many children; yet they are not portrayed as potent lovers. Theirs is a magical and not a sexual-biological potency; and we know that indeed they are endowed with magical, generative powers and are able to bring forth life through virgin birth. We may consider them to be forces of a magical creativity. They are also the rulers of the wild places of the world. The interrelation between giant father and daughter and human lover mayaiso be encountered in the writings of Saxo Grammaticus who has incorporated in his Chronicle many ancient themes and patterns. Here Haddingus, the fosterson of the giant Vagnofthus, is sedu~ed by Harthgreppa, the giant's daughter; and he experiences like the Saga heroes the blessings of the woman's loving loyalty and mighty powers. The theme was retained, moreover, through the cen• turies and modern Norwegian tradition still knows the tale of the giant-ruler of the mountain and his lovely daughter who enchants village lads with her seductive powers84 . And Peer Gynt's encounter with the old man of the mountain Dofri - Dovregubbe -, and his daughter found entrance into and became a portion of a towering work of modern literature. The giants' creative talents, in their turn, were not forgotten by folk-memory, for the mountains, dams, bridges, roads and even churches of our world originate, almost always in the folktales, through the action of a giant. Though giant-women have a share in the fashioning of structures, the men are shown much more often

83. Marie-Therese Barrelet, Les deesses armees et ailees: Inanna-IStar, in:Syria 1915, p. 260. 84. Elisabeth Hartmann, Die Trollvorstellungen in den Sagen und Märchen der skandinavischen Völker (Tübinger Germanistische Ar• beiten), Stuttgart-Berlin 1936, p. 158.

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85. Broderius, as in ref. 1.

ABBREVIATIONS a. - adjective; Diss. - dissertation; E - Edda, die Lieder, as in ref. 68; ed. - editor; f - Fomaldar Sögur, as in ref. 5; f. - feminine; fs - Fqr Seimis, E; grim - 'Grimnismal', E; grot - 'Grottasöngr', E; gyl - Gylfa• ginning' of 'Snorri Edda', as ref. 68; har - 'Harbar~sli6ö', E; hav - Ha• vamal', E; HHI - 'Helgaqvioa Hundingsbana in fyrri', E; HHJ - Helga• qvioa Hiörvarozsonar', E; hym - 'Hyrnisqvi~a', E; hyn - 'Hyndloli6o', E; is - 'islendinga Sögur', as in ref. 5; m. - masculine; n. - neuter; p. - page; skj - 'Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning', as in ref. 81; sk - 'Skaldskaparmal' of 'Snorra Edda', ref. 68; vaf - 'Vatpruonismal; E; vsp - 'Völospa', E; prym - 'Prymsqvioa', E.

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