Jötun (jɔːtʊn)

The race of Giants known as the Jötnar (singular Jötun) were known for their ferocity, gluttony, and size. These giants were unique to the frigid island of Hadorstadir and seem, according to scholars, to be most similar to the oldest giant skeletons, leading some to belief that the ancestors of the modern giant races were similar to the Jötnar-though most do not believe the Jötnar are completely unchanged from the original species. These giants can no longer be observed however, as the native Vörðr had strong superstitions about them and found them a nuisance at best, and thus reacted to them with hostility. As such, they eventually wiped them out and there has been no claims of sightings that can be substantiated.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Jötnar, based on the skeletons and stories, were overall very similar to giants: large, heavy humanoids, with hips as wide as their shoulders, straight legs, almost elephantine feet, and a large, potbellied gut. Writings and oral tradition preserve their unique features: based on these records, Jötnar were pale, almost ghostly in their complexion, a thick coat of coarse hair-12 inches thick on some parts of the body- and thick, rough skin on the palms, soles, and face around the eyes, suggesting cornification.

Ecology and Habitats

All of the traits of their anatomy suggest a species incredibly specialized for the cold, and they would have to be to survive in the frigid climate of Hadorstadir. In the coldest winter blizzards-even so far as a few miles from a glacier-where every other living thing would freeze to death, the Jötnar are said to have persevered with no worry at all. Archives and stories suggest that they lived in dark forests and rugged foothills and were perfectly active when the snow was at its hardest and the horizon was pure white. It was said that this was when they liked to hunt, using the howling wind and falling snow to cover their tracks and stalking. Villages are said to have hunkered down in for the hard times of winter, only to be suddenly under siege by giants, who took just about anything they could grab. According to stories and fables, Jötnar hunkered down in caves or thick forests when not traveling or in search of food.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Giants are primarily browsers and this is likely true of Jötnar as well. They likely fed on the branches of tall trees and shovel whatever plant matter is on them into their mouths. However, as ogres and fomorians attest, giants are perfectly capable of predation under the right circumstances. And according to archaeological and traditional evidence, Jötnar were certainly under the right circumstances. According to stories, Vörðr in the past often had to deal with cattle raids from Jötnar hunting bands and horses are also noted among their prey. Most impressive however are the stories of Jötnar hunting mammoths, which they did by ambushing them during blizzards or at night and grappling with them, restraining the head or tusks while one of them drops a boulder on its head. Archaeological evidence supports these claims, in the form of mammoths skeletons found with unusual bite marks and crushed skulls: one particularly spectacular find includes a broken tusk, with the tip lodged in its eye socket. These skeletons are actually quite common, implying that Jötnar were regular predators of the Hadorstadir mammoths, and older finds in other parts of Kadagard suggests a similar relationship with the ancestral giants.

Behaviour

Quite unfortunately, the only instances of Jötnar behavior come from sagas and oral tradition of the Vörðr, of which most of the reliable accounts are of aggressive instances such as cattle raids or Vörðr warriors seeking out the giants to slay. As such, it is the consensus to most naturalists that the there is little unbiased information to go on and much of their behavior is speculation. If they were anything like the giants of Brianey, the Fir Bulg, they so resemble, than they lived in nuclear families and mated for life. However, there are a not insignificant number of stories that seem to suggest that they lived in larger social groups, although these accounts also claim they lived "debaucherous lives of constant sex, even to the point of incest" which is more than likely heavily biased and has little basis in fact. However, it is possible, naturalists admit, that Jötnar could've lived in extended families, perhaps due to the lack of resources in Hadorstadir relative to mainland regions making it a more worthwhile investment to take care of a sibling's offspring rather than strike out to have some of their own.
Likewise, it is unclear how the Jötnar behaved with other animals, other than mammoths, in no small part due to the countless, exaggerated stories about them. Vörðr seem to view the Jötnar in a similar vein to how peoples south of the Allfire Peaks view ogres, even being downright evil, so there is little fact to go on. However, there are some inferences that can be made, if tentatively, based on their likely closest relatives: the Fir Bolg and Goliaths. Using these giants as a model, it is likely that Jötnar would likely be not too concerned with most animals, even large predators like bears. However, given their more predatory nature than the other two giants, it is probable that they were more aggressive overall, occasionally attacking large predators like bears when feeling threatened or for territory. Fir Bolg are known to attack Trolls on sight, as a means of preventative aggression, but Hadorstadir trolls are much smaller than mainland trolls and would likely be much less likely to prey on young Jötnar. However, Vargr are notably large predators that are known to occasionally take mammoth calves and regularly prey on large herd animals, so it is possible that they may have occasionally preyed on Jötnar offspring, and even if they didn't, Jötnar may have still acted aggressively towards them out of competition.

EXTINCT

Genetic Descendants