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Norse mythology stronghold of the giants
In
Norse mythology
,
Utgarðar
(literally: "Outyards", the plural of
Utgarðr
. The word can, according to
Old Norse orthography
be anglicized as
Utgard
,
Utgardar
and in other ways.) surrounded a stronghold of the
jotnar
. They are associated with
Utgarða-Loki
, a great and devious
jotunn
featured in one of the myths concerning
Thor
and the other
Loki
who competed in rigged competitions held in the Outyards. These outdoor arenas contrasted with the putrid, indoor cave where Utgarða-Loki is said to have dwelt, when chained, in the
Gesta Danorum
(12th century).
In another version of Norse mythology, Utgard is thought to be the last of the three worlds connected to
Yggdrasil
being the home of the external cosmic forces. Utgard needs to be compared with the
Midgard
, the world of human affairs, and
Asgard
, variously attested at the crux of the matter, the centre of the world, as identified with
Troy
by
Snorri Sturluson
.
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