General Information about Item:
- Genre: Creation Myth
- Language: English
- Country where Item is from: Norway
- Informant: Stephanie Everett
- Date Collected: 11-3-17
Informant Data:
- Stephanie Everett is a female class of 2019 Dartmouth student from Silver Springs, Maryland. Stephanie is currently an intern at Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vermont and is an avid singer. She has a passion for hiking and has even worked the AT as an emergency medical responder to those participating in the Dartmouth 50 (50 miles of hiking on the Appalachian Trail).
Contextual Data:
- Social Context: While this legend is often spread orally by hikers of the Jotunheimen National Park in Norway, Stephanie informed me of various mythological researchers and hikers that have posted about similar or slightly different legends. Stephanie’s uncovering of this legend spiked her curiosity and she admitted to looking at various Internet posts regarding the legend. According to Stephanie, the variations of the legend all tended to have the same general message.
- Cultural Context: The creation myth of the “Land of the Giants” was mentioned after the informant was asked about any stories they’d come across that were associated with any of their hiking expeditions. The mythological context has been passed down for centuries, beginning with the creation of the world but is only familiar to those that have hiker the Jotunheimen National Park or are familiar with Norwegian culture.
Item:
- Legend based on how the Jotunheimen National Park, Norway – the ‘Land of the Giants’- was created and thus got its name.
- The creation of the mountain range is rumored to be based on Norse mythology.
- It is said that the footprints of giants created the mountains seen to this day in Norway
Informant’s Comments:
- “How the mountains were formed is based on mythology. The giants and giantesses in Norse mythology, otherwise referred to as Jötnar, are rumored to be the creators of the mountains. The giants roamed the Earth and it was said that their craters created the mountains that we climb at the National Park. I remember one of the numerous giants associated with this creation was named Ymir.”
Collector’s Name:
Brittany Champagne
Tags/Keywords:
- giants, mythology, legend