In the beginning, before the gods, before the world, there was Ymir. The first frost giant. His name might mean "screamer" or "twin," but what matters is this: the entire world was made from his corpse. His flesh became the earth, his blood the seas, his bones the mountains. When you name a giant, you're naming something that has the potential to BE the landscape — not just walk across it.
Giant naming is fundamentally different from human naming, elf naming, or even dragon naming. A giant's name should feel like geology. It should have the weight of mountains and the patience of glaciers. It should sound like something that takes a very, very long time to say — because the creature saying it has all the time in the world.
The Phonology of Enormity
Giant names use sound to convey scale. Heavy consonant clusters (THR, GR, KR, BR, DR) create a thunderous quality. Deep vowels (O, U, A) give a name bass and resonance. Long, multi-syllable names roll like distant thunder. The goal is a name that sounds LARGE when spoken aloud — a name that rumbles in the chest rather than sitting on the tongue.
- Frost Giants crackle with hard, icy consonants: K, SK, FR, GL. Their names sound like glaciers calving, like ice cracking under pressure. Thrym, Skadi, Hrungnir — every syllable is a frozen snap
- Fire Giants roar with harsh, heated sounds: R, GR, VR, SM. Their names burn when spoken, full of forge-heat and volcanic fury. Surtr, Sinmara — names that glow red-hot
- Storm Giants crash with deep, resonant thunder: TH, DR, ST, RM. The most majestic names of any giant type — names that roll across the sky like approaching storms
- Hill Giants thud with blunt, simple sounds: UG, GR, THUD. Hill giant names are deliberately unsophisticated — because hill giants are deliberately unsophisticated. A hill giant named "Grug" is perfect
- Cloud Giants float with airy elegance mixed with giant weight: L, M, S, N softened by FR, TH. Names that sound like noble titles spoken from above the clouds
Giants Across Mythologies
Norse Jötnar
The richest giant naming tradition in mythology. Norse jötnar aren't defined by size but by being the primordial "other" — forces of chaos older than the gods themselves. Their names are often elemental descriptions: Thrym ("uproar"), Surtr ("the black one"), Skadi (possibly "shadow" or "harm"). The compound names are particularly evocative: Angrboða ("she who brings grief"), Útgarða-Loki ("Loki of the outerlands"). Norse giant naming is the foundation that most fantasy giant naming builds upon.
Greek Titans and Gigantes
Greek mythology has two distinct giant traditions with entirely different naming approaches. The Titans are cosmic architects: Kronos (Time), Hyperion (He Who Goes Above), Prometheus (Forethought), Atlas (He Who Bears). These are abstract concepts given bodies. The Gigantes are earthier and more violent: Enceladus, Polybotes, Alcyoneus — names that belong to creatures born from blood and earth. Understanding which tradition you're drawing from determines whether your giant sounds like a cosmic force or an earthquake with legs.
Celtic Fomorians
The Fomorians of Irish mythology are among the strangest and most terrifying giants in any tradition. Balor of the Evil Eye could destroy armies with a single glance. These primordial beings have names that use Gaelic phonology — deceptively beautiful sounds for genuinely monstrous entities. This contrast between beautiful sound and terrible nature is one of the most interesting aspects of Celtic giant naming.
For related naming, try our troll name generator, dwarf name generator, orc name generator, or D&D name generator. For the Norse mythology context, see our Viking name generator or Norse name generator.
Common Questions
What is the difference between a giant, a titan, and a jötunn?
The terms overlap but have distinct origins. "Giant" is the broadest term — any massive humanoid being. "Titan" comes from Greek mythology specifically, referring to the elder gods who ruled before the Olympians (Kronos, Atlas, Prometheus). "Jötunn" (plural "jötnar") is the Old Norse term, literally meaning "devourer," referring to the primordial beings who opposed the Aesir gods. In D&D, "giant" is a creature type with six main subtypes (hill, stone, frost, fire, cloud, storm) organized by the Ordning hierarchy. In modern fantasy, these terms are often used interchangeably, but each carries its own naming tradition.
What are the different types of giants in D&D?
D&D 5th Edition has six true giant types, ranked by the Ordning from lowest to highest: Hill Giants (brutish, gluttonous), Stone Giants (artistic, reclusive), Frost Giants (warlike, survival-of-the-fittest), Fire Giants (militaristic, master smiths), Cloud Giants (aristocratic, divided between good and evil), and Storm Giants (prophetic, near-divine). Additional giant-kin include Fomorians (cursed, deformed), Firbolgs (gentle, nature-loving), Ogres (savage, dimwitted), and Ettins (two-headed). Each type has distinct naming conventions reflecting their culture and values.
Were Norse giants actually giant?
Not necessarily. The Old Norse word "jötunn" doesn't mean "big" — it likely comes from a root meaning "devourer." Many jötnar in Norse mythology were human-sized or even beautiful. Skaði was a jötunn goddess of skiing and winter. Gerðr was so beautiful that Freyr fell lovesick just seeing her from a distance. Loki himself was jötunn by birth. The jötnar were defined not by physical size but by being the primordial "other" — the chaos and wildness that existed before and alongside the gods' order. The translation "giant" is somewhat misleading.
Should giant names be hard to pronounce?
It depends on the giant type and your setting. Frost and Fire giant names in the Norse tradition often use sounds unfamiliar to English speakers (Þ, ð, compound consonants), which gives them an appropriately alien and ancient feel. But Hill Giant names should be simple — even dumb-sounding — to match the creature's nature. Cloud and Storm Giant names should be majestic but pronounceable. For RPG use, a name your players can't say is a name they won't remember. Find the balance between exotic and usable for your table.
