#jotuun

Angeltober: The Ritual but it's Auriel

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One of the famous Norse myths is the one about how Thor on a fishing trip almost caught the Midgard Serpent, a sea monster so large that it was able to surround the earth and grasp it's own tail. In the myth, it is also revealed that the one-armed war god Tyr is actually the son of a Jotuun.

But why DID Thor go fishing for the famous beast, and what is the story behind Tyr being a Jotuun who sides with the Jotuun's mortal enemies, the gods?

Peter Madsen gives us his idea of what happened in the seventh issue of his comic book series "Valhalla".

The series starts with Tyr being in a really bad mood since his barber has given him a haircut he didn't ask for, meaning that his pointy ears and the scar on his forehead is visible for all to see.

So already now, we can see that he is hiding something from everyone; His ears that are the ears of a Jotuun as well as that someone has harmed him in a way so that he has a scar on his forehead.

Anyway, Tyr gets in a petty argument with Thor, the god of thunder. The two of them are both mighty gods, but are extremely different since Tyr is a disciplined soldier with a calm and strategic mind while Thor is a hot-headed scrapper who throws his hammer first and asks questions later.

The two of them both believes themselves to be the mightiest among the gods. Tyr points out that HE was the one who gave up his left arm in order to chain the fearsome Fenris Wolf while Thor points out that HE almost caught the Midgard Serpent once, something he has taken pride in throughout the "Valhalla" comic series since issue one. Tyr laughs at this since Thor forgets to mention that when he did, the monster was only half the size it is now since it was still a hatchling. Thor claims that he can take on the full-grown one any time, and the two gods agree to go Jötunheimr and find it so Thor can prove that he is the mightiest of the two of them. Along for the trip, Thor brings his trusty servant boy Tjalfe, and Tyr makes Heimdall join them to observe the event since he has sight that can see to the end of the world and ears that can hear the grass grow, making him the perfect neutral observer.

When they arrive in Jötunheimr, the land of the Jotuuns, the must find a place where they can be allowed to spend the night. They manages to find one, but inside the house is a VERY unpleasant surprise for the mighty Tyr.

His mother.

The cat is out of the bag, and Thor and Heimdall learns the truth that the war god is actually a Jotuun. His name is not even Tyr, it's PUMPKIN!

Heimdall is disgusted and horrified to learn that this respected god who is in charge of Asgard's armed forces is of the race that is the god's enemies. Thor on the other hand just thinks it is hilarious that Tyr's real name is Pumpkin. This is important.

Tyr's mother tells them to come in and spend the night in her home and we get to learn a little about Tyr's background.

Apparently, "Pumpkin" was a trouble child according to Jotuun standards. He washed the floor because he wanted the house to be clean, he stood up early in the morning to do exercises and all in all did not act very Jotuun like. His father constantly scolded him for this and even hit him in the head with his beer mug, which explains the scar on Tyr's forehead. Eventually, the little boy had had enough and decided to run away from Jötunheimr and was eventually adopted into the god's home Asgard where he became the god of war.

Tyr feels utterly embarrassed, but the humiliation is complete when his father Hymir comes home... And Tyr realizes that he, despite being a grown man, is still scared of him.

During supper, Thor watches Tyr being quiet and sitting in a corner, only moving to cover his head when his dad threatens to hit him with his mug for apparently no good reason. See, Thor is not exactly a genius, he doesn't understand things like childhood trauma and the result of abuse. He doesn't get why the mighty Tyr is scared of a fat old Jotuun he could easily beat up if he wanted to. What he does understand is that Hymir for some reason has some power over Tyr, and that it isn't fair.

So he decides that enough is enough, and slams Hymir's mug right in his head.

By doing this, Thor is helping Tyr without making him feel powerless. He hits Hymir in the head with the mug since that's what Hymir did to Tyr. And then turn to Tyr, telling him; "See? The mug is only dangerous to little boys." That way telling Tyr that since he is the big, powerful god of war, that the mug has no power over him. Thor helps him without questioning that he is a tough son of a gun. And it means the world to Tyr.

The next day, Thor goes fishing. Heimdall argues that Thor no longer has anything to prove since Tyr is actually a Jotuun, meaning that he is not someone he should prove himself to. Thor says that he doesn't care if Tyr is a Jotuun or not, he is still Tyr, and he has a bet to win.

Hymir agrees to let Thor go fishing with him, mostly to get back on him for the mug incident as he believes that Thor is not suited for the harsh conditions out on the sea.

He is wrong. Thor actually manages to get the Midgard Serpent on his hook once more. But this time, it is a full-grown monster.

Thor fights the monster as long as the world, refusing to let go. Even after it pulls Thor, Hymir and the boat undersea. Heimdall watches and hears it on the beach with his superhuman senses, and there is no doubt in Tyr's mind: Thor is the mightiest of the Asgardian gods. Thor is facing something so much bigger than him, and he refused to step back or give up, staying true to his word despite the monster being twice the size the first time he met it. And he refuses to let it go this time. But Tyr could not stay true to who he was when HE met what he feared most. Facing his abusive father, he forgot he was the god of war and instead went back to being a scared child. Tyr never dealt with his past, he just forgot it and literally hid his shame by growing his hair to hid his pointy ears and scar.

It looked like Thor was winning as he began to reel in the Serpent... But then Hymir, scared that Thor would get them both killed, cut the rope with his knife, allowing the monster to escape.

Thor is furious, but instead of blaming it on Hymir once they got back to the beach, Thor looks Tyr right in the eyes, telling him that the serpent got away. Not that it was Hymir's fault, only that it got away. But Tyr tells him that it does not matter since he now knows that Thor is truly the mightiest of the two of them, and they go home as friends.

(Homestuck Fantroll Team)

Side A:  Gaiana Benami, Krisei Nanchi, Alanna Jotuun and Eiyrka Shixan.