Are All Giants in Norse Mythology Evil?
In the final battle of Ragnarok in Norse mythology, Norse gods fought bravely against the giants. The two had become sworn enemies for a long time. Because of Ragnarok (triggered off by the giants), Norse Pantheon collapsed. That's why we assume that the giants were one-hundred-percent evil. Yet, that is not always true.
This blog post is to illustrate the giants who befriended the gods.
Aegir the Giant of the Ocean
Aegir was considered to be among the best friends of the Norse gods. Norse mythology had it that Aegir often invited the gods to his house for party.
If we don't mention Aegir as the giant of the ocean, we will remember him as the giant of the party. He loved to hold parties and fun for people around him. That's why his house was always full of guests, especially the gods. Inside Aegir's house, there was a giant cauldron from which he would brew the most amazing mead. His mead was famous and Norse gods loved it.
Aegir the giant of the ocean in Norse mythology
Ran the Giantess of the Ocean
Ran the giantess was actually the wife of Aegir mentioned above. Ran was somewhat hot-tempered. And she was described to be somewhat rude when treating the human. Ran had a magical net which she used to catch the drowning men.
The Vikings believed in Ran and Aegir so that they often made a sacrifice to the ocean and the lake. That's how they believed to make friend with these giants. By sacrificing some treasure into the ocean, the Vikings believed that this ocean couple would protect them.
Ran the wife of Aegir and the giantess of the ocean. She was the fear for the Vikings
Ran and Aegir had a very good relationship with the gods. The nine daughters of Aegir got married to Odin the Allfather and gave birth to Heimdall the only Asgard guardsman in Norse mythology.
Skadi the Giantess of Ice and Winter
Originally, Skadi regarded the Norse gods as her enemy. Long ago, father of Skadi, Thjazi, who was killed by the Norse gods for kidnapping Idunn. Skadi then stormed into Asgard to seek revenge for her father who was burnt to ash.
Up in Asgard, Skadi was persuaded by the gods to settle down this revenge with marriage and some offerings from the gods. Then Skadi got married to the god of seafaring, Njord, who was also the father of Freyr and Freya. Although the pair quickly broke up as none of them could tolerate each other, this also marked a relationship between Skadi and the gods.
In the punishment of Loki who murdered Baldur the son of Odin, Skadi appeared. After the gods managed to tie down Loki with the magical chain, Skadi placed a snake above the head of Loki. Every time the snake dropped a venom on the face of Loki, he would suffer in tons of pain.
