Jotunheim

## Planar Traits

* Great Wheel
* World Tree

**Jotunheim** (meaning **Gianthome** in the Giant language) was the Neutral Outer Plane of the World Tree cosmology that served as the final resting place of giants and the location of the realms of the giant pantheon.

In the Great Wheel cosmology it was the divine realm only of the gods of the frost and fire giants, Thrym and Surtr, respectively. It was located on Ysgard's first layer.

## Description

### Cosmography

Usually, Jotunheim bordered the realms of Asgard and Vanaheim. The Iving River, the largest river in all of Asgard, served as the border between it and Jotunheim. The realm of Muspelheim was situated behind a barrier of continually active volcanoes.

### Geography

This plane consisted of a glaciers, snow-capped mountains, volcanoes, and desolate plains. Much of the landscape was dotted with menhirs and forests of towering pine and oak trees. Some described the vegetation on this plain as sickly, such as yellowing mistletoe and scraggly weeds.

## Notable Locations

* **Gudheim****,** the crystal palace of Annam All-Father before he departed to the Hidden Realm in the Outlands in his exile.
* **Fimbulwinter**, sometimes known as Jotunheim, was the domain of the giant god Thrym in the World Tree cosmology. Some claimed he maintained no permanent palace in the realm, while others believed he had a massive palace of ice.
* **Florallium**, the domain of the giant goddess Iallanis. It was large, peaceful palace full of gardens and crystal springs. It was an unspoken rule that the domain was a neutral territory for Jotunheim's deities and petitioners, a place where peaces could be negotiated.
* **Meerrauk**, an enormous underground city. In the Great Wheel cosmology, Surtur was said to reside within it.
* **Okalnir**  a beer-hall ran by a frost giant named Brimir. It was typically very active in the summer time, but quite deserted during winter.
* **River Iving**, a river that connected the planes of Jotunheim with Asgard. A clan of mountain giants ran a ferry that transported travelers along it.
* **Shatterstone**, the domain of the ogre god Vaprak. It was a pitiful cave at the base of a great cliff.
* **The Steading**, the domain of the giant god Grolantor. A large wooden house that stood on the foothills of one of Jotunheim's many mountains.
* **Stormhold**, the domain of the giant god Stronmaus. A massive white cloud, atop which stood a palace made of various precious metals and gems, that roamed across Jotunheim bringing rain and light storms.
* **Thraotor**, the domain of the giant god Memnor. A massive thunderhead cloud, atop which stood a palace of adamantine, that roamed across Jotunheim spreading violent storms in its wake.
* **Utgard**, a major city and fortress that was guarded by various illusions and camouflage. It was ruled by a giant king named Utgard-Loki.
* Well of Mimir, a legendary magical well that was situated close to one of Yggdrasil's roots.
* **Woodhaven**, the domain of the giant goddess Hiatea. It was a large collection of great longhouses within the heart of a massive oak forest.

## Inhabitants

The giants who inhabited Jotunheim were noted as being somewhat smarter than their relatives on the Material Plane and they were said to possess giant-sized magical items with the power to affect a deity. Some considered them to be a low form of quasi-deity.

One could also find fensir, Ysgardian dwarves, and gnomes within this realm. Though the latter two were detested by the resident giants. The dwarves often brought wares from their home layer of Nidavellir and charged double what they normally would.

Notable animals within this realm included rocs and winter wolves that were the size of elephants.

## Appendix

### Appearances

Card Games
*Blood Wars*
### References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). *Player's Guide to Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 160–161. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). *Giantcraft*. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. *Planes of Chaos* (TSR, Inc), pp. 115–116. ISBN 1560768746.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). *Player's Guide to Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 140. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Jeff Grubb (July 1987). *Manual of the Planes 1st edition*. (TSR), pp. 95–96. ISBN 0880383992.
6. ↑ Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. *Planes of Chaos* (TSR, Inc), p. 112. ISBN 1560768746.
7. ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). *Giantcraft*. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 44. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
8. ↑ Wolfgang Baur, James Jacobs, George Strayton (September 2004). *Frostburn*. Edited by Greg Collins. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-2896-4.
9. ↑ Skip Williams, Rich Redman, James Wyatt (April 2002). *Deities and Demigods*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 200. ISBN 0-7869-2654-6.

### Connections

The Heroic Domains of Ysgard
Layers and their Realms

**Wandering:** Seelie Court

Cosmologies of the Realms

The Great Wheel

Prime Material plane • Feywild • Shadowfell • Fugue Plane
**Transitive Planes:** Astral Plane • Ethereal plane
**Inner Planes:** Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Water • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Chaos
**Para-Elemental Planes:** Frostfell • Swamp of Oblivion • Fountains of Creation • Great Conflagration
**Quasi-Elemental Planes:** Lightning • Radiance • Minerals • Steam • Vacuum • Ash • Dust • Salt
**Outlands:** Sigil
**Outer Planes:** Arcadia • Mount Celestia • Bytopia • Elysium • Beastlands • Arborea • Ysgard • Limbo •
Pandemonium • Abyss (Layers) • Carceri • Hades • Gehenna • Nine Hells • Acheron • Mechanus
**Energy planes:** Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
**Planar Pathways:** Infinite Staircase • Oceanus • Mount Olympus • Styx • Yggdrasil
**Far Realm**

The World Tree

Prime Material plane • Cynosure • Fugue Plane
**Transitive Planes:** Astral Plane • Ethereal plane • Plane of Shadow • Spirit World
**Celestial Outer Planes:** Arvandor • Brightwater • Dwarfhome • Dweomerheart • Gates of the Moon • Golden Hills • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • House of the Triad
**Fiendish Outer Planes:** Abyss (Layers) • Barrens of Doom and Despair • Blood Rift • Clangor • Deep Caverns • Demonweb Pits • Fated Depths • Fury's Heart • Hammergrim • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne
**Neutral Outer Planes:** Dragon Eyrie • Heliopolis • House of Nature • **Jotunheim** • Warrior's Rest
**Inner Planes:** Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Plane of Water • Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
**Planar Pathways:** Infinite Staircase • River of Blood • World Tree
**Far Realm**

The World Axis

Prime Material plane
**Fundamental planes:** Astral Sea • Elemental Chaos
**Astral dominions:** Arvandor • Banehold • Celestia • Cynosure • Deep Wilds • Demonweb Pits • Dismal Caverns • Dwarfhome • Eternal Sun • Fugue Plane • Gates of the Moon • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne • Towers of Night • Tu'narath • Warrior's Rest
**Elemental realms:** Abyss (Layers) • City of Brass • Cresting Spires • Fimbulwinter • Hidden Realm • Muspelheim • Root Hold • Sky Home • Steading • Thraotor • Undying Pyre • Zerthadlun
**Parallel planes:** Feywild • Shadowfell
**Anomalous planes:** Far Realm