Learnings: Giants: Children of Ymir
Even though giants and gods were often enemies in Norse mythology, some gods were part giant themselves. According to legend, the god Odin was a descendant of Ymir. This did not stop him from defeating and slaying his ancestor. To escape Odin, the other giants sailed away on Ymir's blood until they reached a new world: Jotunheim.
Norse lore described Jotunheim as a harsh place, filled with cold, stark landscapes. This artist has sought to capture this eerie, enormous, and unsettling world.
The giants lived in both Jotunheim and Muspelheim, the world of fire and ashes. The leader of the Muspels, Surtr, was a cuel giant capable of terrible destruction. The legends say that he is destined to bring fire and death to Asgard, land of the gods at Ragnarök: the End of Days.