Jotun

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈjəʊtʊn/

Definitions

1. A large mythical creature from Norse legends, often characterized as a giant
2. An entity symbolizing primal chaos and natural power in opposition to deities
3. A huge mythic being from Scandinavian tales, typically described as a giant ; a representation of wild and unruly natural energy contrasting with divine beings

Etymology: Old Norse "jǫtunn" named the giants of Norse mythology, beings who were often portrayed as the enemies of the gods, and the English word "jotun" borrowed that term directly, which is why it sounds so unlike the more familiar "giant" beside it. The Proto-Germanic root "etunaz" meant "giant," the same ancestor that gave English the word "ettin," so the two are doublets: separate borrowings or inheritances from one source that ended up as distinct English words. The English form keeps the Norse sound and spelling intact, marking it as a learned borrowing rather than a word that has been worn down through centuries of everyday speech. Its use is mostly confined to discussions of Norse mythology and to Wagner's operas and their retellings, where the jötnar appear as the primal forces the gods must contend with. Writers who adopt the term tend to want that older, stranger sense of a being that is neither quite a god nor quite a monster.