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Járnsaxa: the giantess mother of Magni

Járnsaxa was a Jotunn, the lover of Thor and the mother of his eldest son Magni. Spoken of only in passing as part of a sordid story, she was long dead by the time Kratos came to the Norse realms.

By Joe Garratt

Járnsaxa was a Jotunn, a giantess remembered as the lover of Thor and the mother of his eldest son, Magni. She herself was never seen and is spoken of only in passing, long since gone by the time Kratos came to the Norse realms.

A sordid story#

Járnsaxa was a giantess of the Jotnar and the situational lover of Thor, by whom she bore his eldest son, Magni. That union made Magni half Jotunn, an uncomfortable truth given that Thor spent his life hunting and killing the giants in cold blood, his own part-giant blood and his dalliance with Járnsaxa notwithstanding. She is never seen, and what little is told of her comes secondhand: when Kratos questioned Sindri about the sons of Thor, the dwarf named Járnsaxa and called her bond with the thunder god a sordid story. It was the only time she was spoken of, and given the long slaughter Thor visited upon the Jotnar, she is presumed to have died long before.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Járnsaxa in God of War?
Járnsaxa was a Jotunn, a giantess who was the lover of Thor and the mother of his eldest son Magni. She is never seen, and is mentioned only indirectly in the course of Kratos's Norse journey.
How is Járnsaxa connected to Thor and Magni?
Járnsaxa was Thor's situational lover and the biological mother of his eldest son, Magni. This made Magni half Jotunn, despite his father's hatred of the giants.
What happened to Járnsaxa?
Little is known of her fate, but she is presumed long dead. Thor spent his life ruthlessly hunting and killing the giants, and Járnsaxa, a Jotunn herself, is assumed to have died in that long slaughter.

Sources

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