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S U M M A R Y
A Problem of Giant Proportions: Distinguishing Rísar and Jötnar in Old Icelandic
saga material
Keywords: risi, jötunn, giant, sagas, mythology
In this article, it is argued that the English noun “giant” is unfit as an analytical
term in scholarship on Old Norse literature. It is demonstrated that a significant
semantic distinction exists between the words risi and jötunn, which are most often
rendered as “giant” in English. A basis for this distinction between risi and jötunn is
established by looking at the etymologies of the words, their presence or absence in
mythological literature, and their use in early Old Norse translations of continental
literature. On these grounds, it is argued that these terms were distinct by the time
that saga authors inherited them. The continuation of this distinction in the sagas
A PROBLEM OF GIANT PROPORTIONS