Here I will document the powers and resistances of Giants and Gods, two godly races from the Norse Pantheon of the Magnus Chase series.
Contents
- 1 Jotnar/Giants
- 1.1 Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- 1.2 Immortality (type 2)
- 1.3 Enhanced Senses
- 1.4 Magic
- 1.5 Illusion Creation, Perception Manipulation and Madness Manipulation (type 3) with Glamour
- 1.6 Size Manipulation and Reality Warping
- 1.7 Resistance to Extreme Cold
- 1.8 Resistance to Madness Manipulation (type 3)
- 2 Norse Gods
- 2.1 Jotunn Powers
- 2.2 Immortality (type 2 and 8)
- 2.3 limited Age Manipulation with apples of immortality
- 2.4 Teleportation
- 2.5 Life Manipulation
- 2.6 Transmutation and Corruption
- 2.7 Enhanced Magic
- 2.8 Sealing
- 2.9 Resistance to Extreme Heat and Fire Manipulation
- 2.10 Resistance to Extreme Cold
- 2.11 Resistance to Madness Manipulation (type 3)
- 2.12 References
The Jötnar (Old Norse "Devourers" or "Eaters"; pronounced "YOT-nar"; singular Jötunn, pronounced "YO-tun") are a tribe of primordial beings that inhabit the lands of Niflheim, Muspellheim and Jotunheim. The most well-known Jötnar are the Frost, Fire, Earth, and Mountain Jötnar, however, several other types also exists. They derive from the same family as the Aesir and Vanir, but personify wild, chaotic, primordial forces and often interact with the other gods (both the Aesir and the Vanir tribes), usually in hostile ways, but there have been instances of intermarriage between these tribes.
Superhuman Physical Characteristics
Immortality (type 2)
Type 2: Giants can continue to fight despite injuries such as being harpooned in the guts[1] or having an ax stuck in their side[2].
| “ | My friends fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered two-to-one. The fire giants didn’t want to die. Even the one Blitzen had harpooned was still staggering around, trying to blowtorch the einherjar with his bad breath. | „ |
Loki, one of most powerful giants, hadn't severely weakened after having boiling acid dripped onto his face multiple times over the course of a thousand years[3][4].
Enhanced Senses
They can see through camouflage of a swan cloak in their turf[5].
| “ | “Take a mount if you wish. But you will need to be discreet. I don’t want the giants to know you were ever there. And this warning, Samirah: Your magic hijab will be of no use in Jotunheim. On their own turf, giants can see through that kind of magic.” | „ |
Magic
Giants are magic by nature[6][7].
Illusion Creation, Perception Manipulation and Madness Manipulation (type 3) with Glamour
Giants are experts at glamour, they can effortlessly manipulate people's perceptions[6]
| “ | Blitz shrugged. ‘You’d be amazed what mortals don’t see. Not just humans. Dwarves and elves are just as bad. Besides, giants are experts at glamour.’ ‘Glamour. I’m guessing you don’t mean fashion.’‘No. Giants are horrible at fashion. I mean glamour like illusions. Giants are magic by nature. They can manipulate your senses without even trying. One time a giant made Hearthstone think I was a warthog, and Hearth almost killed me.’ | „ |
It was said that looking through the glamour and mists could drive a mortal insane[8]. In order for a mortal to see the mythical world as it is, to stretch her/his mind without breaking it, her/his eyes must be opened permanently by magical means.
| “ | “Just being honest.” Alex chewed on a piece of lamb. “The older you are, the harder it is to accept that the world might not be the way you thought it was. It’s a miracle that Amir managed to see through all the mist and the glamour without going insane. | „ |
Size Manipulation and Reality Warping
Many giants (like Geirrod and his daughters[7], fire giants[9], mountain giants[10] and jotun deities/sea giants[11]) can change their size.
| “ | Squeezing back under the sill would be impossible. In fact, I didn’t see how Gjalp or Griep could have fitted through the doorway, unless they changed size as they moved from room to room. Maybe that’s what they did. Giants were shape-shifters. Magic and illusion were second nature to them. If I spent much more time here, I’d have to bring a large supply of motion-sickness medicine and some 3-D glasses. | „ |
They can also change the proportions of an entire building[10][11].
| “ | “They’re too small to see properly,” he complained. “Let’s scale things down.” I hated it when gigantic people changed the proportions of reality. Instantly the world telescoped around me. My stomach imploded. My ears popped. My eyes expanded painfully in their sockets. | „ |
Resistance to Extreme Cold
Various giants of different species were unaffected by the cold of the Niflheim-Jotunheim border, the coldest place in Niflheim[12].
| “ | In person, the ship was even more horrible than in my dreams. The deck seemed to stretch out forever—a glistening patchwork of yellow, black, and gray nail plates, like the hide of some armored prehistoric creature. Hundreds of giants bustled about, looking almost human-size in comparison with the vessel: stone giants, mountain giants, frost giants, hill giants, and a few nattily dressed fellows who might have been metropolitan giants, all coiling ropes, stacking weapons, and shouting at each other in a variety of jotun dialects. | „ |
Even high summer temperatures in Niflheim are around - 30 degrees Fahrenheit[13].
| “ | NIFLHEIM: An inhospitable, frigid region of mist, ice, and fog, it is where the frost giants often reside. Great place to make an ice sculpture or store meat if you run out of room in your freezer. However, since high summer temperatures hover at around –30 degrees Fahrenheit, I’d wear your warmies. | „ |
However, fire giants probably do not have this resistance, as Loki thinks it is unlikely that a fire giant would come to Nifleheim, even for Ragnarok.
Resistance to Madness Manipulation (type 3)
They can look through glamour without going insane.
The Norse Gods are a pantheon of deities central to all accounts of Norse mythology. The principal pantheon of the Norse gods consists of the Aesir (pronounced 'AYE-seer', traditionally spelled Æsir), who are connected to war and conflict, while a second pantheon comprises the Vanir (pronounced 'Vah-NEER'), who are associated with nature and fertility. In Norse mythology, the two clans waged war against each other, ultimately resulting in the eventual unification of the two pantheons.
Jotunn Powers
It is stated that most gods have a decent amount of jotunn blood in them and the line between giant and god is always blurred[14]. Therefore, they should have at least some of the powers that all jotuns have.
| “ | ‘Oh, those two aren’t properly gods. They are neither Aesir nor Vanir. I think they’re more giantish, though of course the line between giant and god has always been blurred. Our clans have intermarried so many times over the years.’ | „ |
Immortality (type 2 and 8)
Type 2: Even though Odin was hung from Ygdrasil while his side was pierced by Gungnir for 9 days and nights, he did not die[15]. They should be comparable to giants, their annoying relatives. Type 8: Annabeth figured out that all gods are real and will continue to live as long as people remember their stories[16].
| “ | The way Annabeth figured it, all the old myths were true. They fed off human memory and belief—dozens of musty pantheons still muscling up against one another like they did in the old days. As long as their stories survived, the gods survived. And stories were almost impossible to kill. | „ |
limited Age Manipulation with apples of immortality
By eating an apple of Idunn, they can become younger up to about 25 years old[14].
| “ | ‘You’re a lord?’ I asked. ‘A king, in fact.’ Big Boy took another bite of apple. Immediately his hair darkened and some of his wrinkles faded. 'Utgard-Loki at your service!’ | „ |
| “ | The giant popped the rest of the apple in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He now looked about twenty-five, with coal-black hair, his handsome angular face free of wrinkles | „ |
Teleportation
The minor Gods who came to listen to Surtr's speech teleported away when Alex gave them a speech about even though her side aren't destined to win they will fight with honor to the end[9]. Hel[17], Njord[18] and the Fear[19] also showcased this ability.
| “ | The deities vanished. I nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s what I thought.’ | „ |
Life Manipulation
Kvasir, God of Wisdom and living peace treaty of Aesir-Vanir War, was born from saliva of the Aesir and Vanir[20].
| “ | “This was Kvasir.” Njord’s tone took on an edge of sadness. “The most perfect being ever created. Millennia ago, when the Vanir and Aesir gods ended their war, all of us spit into a golden cup. From that mixture sprang Kvasir, our living peace treaty!” | „ |
Transmutation and Corruption
Gods transformed Vali into a bloodthirsty wolf[21].
| “ | ‘The gods were not content to punish me with eternal torture. They took out their wrath upon my two favourite sons - Vali and Narvi. They turned Vali into a wolf and watched with amusem*nt while he disembowelled his brother Narvi. Then they shot and gutted the wolf. The gods took my innocent sons’ own entrails ... ’ Loki’s voice cracked with grief. ‘Well, Magnus Chase, let’s just say I was not bound with ropes. ’ | „ |
The oldest Gods, Odin, Vili, and Ve, transformed Ymir's body parts into the earth, sky, seas, and so on[13].
Enhanced Magic
They placed a spell on Loki's bonds to prevent him from manifesting fragments of his essence solid enough to wield a magical weapon[22].
| “ | “Yes,” she said. “He can get around his imprisonment in those ways, but he can’t manifest solidly enough to wield magic weapons. The gods made sure of that when they put a spell on his bindings. If he could pick up an enchanted blade, he could eventually free himself.” | „ |
Sealing
Magnus Chase said that as they approached Loki's cave, it felt as if the earth itself was fighting them and trying to push them back[23]. Loki said that the gods sealed her and Sigyn in the cave, so the reason it's difficult to penetrate the ground near the cave likely because the gods magically sealed them.
Resistance to Extreme Heat and Fire Manipulation
Some minor gods (for example: Lofn, Goddess of Arranged Marriages; Snotra, Goddess of Prudence and Self-discipline; Forseti, God of Justice etc.) and Thor were unaffected by the heat and the fires of Muspelheim[9].
| “ | I found the Black One in a large meeting room. Elegant, long-fingered hands clasped behind his back, not a single black hair out of place, he stood staring out of a huge picture window at the fiery landscape below. Seated at the table were several gods and goddesses I didn’t recognize. So how did I know they were deities? They weren’t covered in flames, so they weren’t fire giants or demons. They weren’t bothered by the heat, either – no screaming or sizzling or burning to a crispy crunch. Logical conclusion? They were immortals. | „ |
Resistance to Extreme Cold
The highly diluted cider made from Idunn's apples can increase the endurance of Magnus Chase and his friends enough to withstand the cold of Niflheim[24].
| “ | "This cider was made from the apples of immortality,” Skadi said. “Centuries ago, when my father kidnapped the goddess Idun, we fermented some of her apples into cider. It’s quite diluted. It won’t make you immortal, but it will give you a boost of endurance, at least long enough to get through the wilds of Niflheim.” | „ |
Resistance to Madness Manipulation (type 3)
Goddesses like Ran can look through glamour without going insane[25].
| “ | Ran started to reach for the chain, then caught herself. ‘Yes … I can see the sword through the glamour. But why would I trade –’ | „ |
References
- ↑ Sword of Summer, Chapter 64
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 52
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 49
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 53
- ↑ 9 from Nine Worlds, Jotunheim, My Eighth-Grade Physics Actually Comes in Handy by Samirah al-Abbas
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sword of Summer, Chapter 24
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sword of Summer, Chapter 55
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 33
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9 from Nine Worlds, Muspellheim, I Play Fire by Alex Fierro
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hammer of Thor, Chapter 39
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ship of Dead, Chapter 8
- ↑ Ship of Dead, Chapter 41
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds, What in the Worlds
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sword of Summer, Chapter 35
- ↑ Sword of Summer, Chapter 48
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 5
- ↑ Sword of Summer, Chapter 54
- ↑ Ship of Dead, Chapter 11
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 40
- ↑ Ship of Dead, Chapter 13
- ↑ Sword of Summer, Chapter 46
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 3
- ↑ Hammer of Thor, Chapter 50
- ↑ Ship of Dead, Chapter 39
- ↑ Sword of Summer, Chapter 34
