Thrym (Thrymr, Thrym; "uproar") is the lord of the frost giants, the aggressive breed of giants who live in glacial and arctic lands. He is a god of cold and ice, as well as a deity of magic. The King of Ice controls winter and winter storms, sending cold, snow, and ice against the enemies of his people. As the Lord of the Frost Giants, he is held to be the protector and leader of that race, preparing them for the day their worlds will be encased in ice and they will rule.
Thrym, as the patron of frost giants, is little worshipped outside of those communities. He is occasionally propitiated in order to avert winter storms, or worshipped by other giant races, such as hill giants, verbeeg, or formorians, who live in arctic areas or icy mountain peaks.
Priests of Thrym spend much of their free time cataloging the exploits of their tribe's warriors in skaldic poetry. When they aren't composing poetry, they encourage their tribe's warriors to take on challenges and adventures, in order to prove their greatness and earn a place in Jotunheim (the afterlife). They also hold prayer vigils to help guide their people to proper challenges and adventures, or in times of crisis. Nights are often spent carousing with their fellow giants and reciting epic poems of mighty deeds or comic adventures.
Vestments
The ceremonial garb worn by the King of Ice's priesthood typically consists of a chain hauberk made of steel or iron, often plated in silver. Wealthy priests sometimes have a hauberk made entirely of silver. Priests always wear a conical helmet with elaborate decorations, such as horns, wings, or the like. Over the armor, they wear heavy furs of pure, snowy white. The holy symbol of the priesthood is a pendant of iron or silver designed to look like a stylized double-bladed battle axe.
Thrym's clergy utilize much of the same gear and attire as warriors of their tribe do when entering combat or otherwise not leading services. They are always armored, and prefer heavy cloaks of wolf or polar bear fur. Often, all that distinguishes them from any other member of their tribe is their holy symbol and the quality of their equipment.
Hierarchy
Novices in the service of Thrym are known as Freshfalls. Full priests of the King of Ice are known as Firnbrothers and Firnsisters. Specialty priests are called Rime Axes. The clergy has no formal titles; instead, priests choose self-aggrandizing titles of their own, reflecting their personal adventures and deeds. Some level of exaggeration and embellishment is expected, but outright lies are forbidden. Formal rules of challenge are in observed by the priesthood if a priest feels another has taken a title they are unfit to bear. Such challenges usually require some form of re-enactment or repeat of the event, although entirely new challenges are not uncommon. Those who fail in the challenges are known as Storlygar, a term that means "Great Fibber;" they are not allowed to use any title other than this for a period of five years.
Temples
Thrym's temples in the lands of men are hidden affairs. In lands of giants, temples dedicated to the King of Ice are almost never found in communities dominated by any other deity, while shrines can occasionally be found in any giantish lands that feature cold or harsh winters. Thrym's followers attack those of Kostchietchie on sight, and so followers of the two powers are never found in the same tribe, and fire giants never honor or worship the Glaciallord.
Temples of Thrym are most often hidden in glacial crevasses and icy caverns, although a few are massive stone fortresses located near high, snow-capped peaks. Full temples are always designed to be extremely defensible, and are as self-sufficient as possible, with sources of fresh water, storage space for food and herd animals, and armories and forges for weapons. Stone or ice blocks are generally used to build religious structures, although wooden and sod construction is not uncommon. Shrines are generally built into alcoves in glacial or rock walls, although small wood or sod huts are common on flat terrain. Temples and shrines are decorated with trophies priests and warriors of the tribe have won, either in combat, on adventures and raids, or from challenges from other giants. Temples have simple altars of stone, with the top carved into the shape of a double bladed axe.
Visitors have only moments to prove their intentions before they are slain by frost giants, who do not desire witnesses to their activities.
Rituals
The holiest day for the Thryman clergy is midwinter day, known to the priesthood as Thrymdagur. The giants spend the two days prior in celebration; feasting, drinking, skaldic poetry, feats of strength and skill, and various friendly challenges fill the halls of the settlement. Finally, on midwinter day itself, a final feast is held and the whole tribe, led by the priests, joins in a lengthy, poetic song that praises the exploits and glorifies the Glaciallord and predicts his ultimate victory at the end of the world.
Orders
The church of Thrym has no affiliated martial or monastic orders, as the Lord of Frost Giants has little interest in concerted military force or isolated contemplation. However, individual priests often lead bandit groups or seagoing raiders, using their powers to aid in the acquisition of wealth for themselves, their band, or their tribe.
After Surtr's fires burn the world, the Fimbulvetr (Fimbul Winter) will encase it in ice, and then the frost giants will rule. Heroic deeds are the mark of a great individual; boast about them truthfully so all can know of such accomplishments. The lands of snow and ice were given by the Glaciallord to his followers; defend these lands from incursions of other races.
Thrym appears as an exceptionally large frost giant with white eyes, blue hair, and a constant snarl. He wears brightly polished chain mail and a coat of white fur over it. His helmet is adorned with a pair of great dragon horns.
Thrym favors manifestations over direct appearances, unless presented with the opportunity to destroy followers of one of his foes. His favorite form of manifestation is to summon a blizzard. He typically does this as a prelude to an attack from his followers upon warmer lands. Such storms always include muffled thunder (although no lightning), and those who concentrate on the sound of the wind can hear his name being uttered.
Like Surtr and Skoraeus Stonebones, Thrym is part of the second generation of giantish deities, and a son of Annam All-Father. Although Surtr's cult is similar to Thrym's, fire and ice do not mix — since birth, the two twins have competed to be the first at everything.
Thrym is credited with creating the first minotaurs from the hill giantess Haagenti and her sons, and with creating the first icebergs during his battle with his sister Shax.
Kostchtchie hates him and hopes to take all his worshippers for his own.
Mythology
Much like his brother Surtr, Thrym spends more of his time paying attention to the affairs of the Aesir and the Vanir than to those of the Ordning as a whole. He has long lusted after the Vanir power Freya and ever seeks to make her his wife despite her rebuffs, and it is this singular goal that has led to much of his conflicts with the gods of Asgard. His first plot to win her wasn't far the most convoluted plan of all. He convinced his brother Skoraeus to lend him the portfolio of building with stone; some say the Glaciallord's subsequent misuse and corruption of this portfolio were what caused the Living Rock to isolate himself from his fellow members of the Ordning. Thrym then used powerful magic to steal the near-divine stallion Svadilfari from the herds of the Tuatha de Danaan patron of horses, Epona, and disguised himself with illusions so no one would recognize him as a giant. Taking Svadilfari with him to Asgard, he offered to build an impenetrable wall around Valhalla within three seasons in exchange for the goddess Freya and the minor deities Sol and Mani. It is said he added the other two to the bargain to disguise his ultimate goal. The Aesir, at the urging of Loki, whom Thrym had earlier bribed, accepted this bargain, with the stipulation that he could receive no help from any other man and must complete it within one season. Knowing that his own strength and the power of Svadilfari were more than enough, he set to work, and progressed much faster than the Aesir ever expected. In a panic, the gods of Asgard demanded Loki do something to stop the building progress, for it was he that convinced them to accept the construction in the first place. Loki, having taken the form of a mare in heat, intercepted Thrym and Svadilfari retrieving more stone from a quarry; the stallion, smelling the scent of the mare, broke his tether and gave chase. The King of Ice, knowing he could never complete the wall in time alone, gave pursuit, and Loki led them on a merry chase until just before the deadline was up. Sometime during this escapade, the other members of the Aesir were made aware of Thrym's deception, and upon returning, Thor confronted the King of the Frost Giants; the battle was quick and Thrym barely escaped with his life.
Thrym's second attempt included the brilliant theft of Thor's hammer Mjollnir in a manner he has never been revealed. When Loki came looking for the weapon, the Glaciallord revealed he had stolen and hidden it, and would only trade it for Freya as his bride. However, Freya refused this, and at the suggestion of Heimdall, Thor himself arrived in Thrymheim wearing a bridal gown and magically disguised as Freya. With Loki at his side, equally disguised as a bridesmaid, they tricked Thrym into handing over Mjollnir as part of the wedding ceremony, whereupon Thor revealed himself and slew many of the gathered frost giants, and once again the King of Frost Giants barely escaped with his life.
Thrym's hated for the Aesir storms inside him like an unrelenting blizzard, but he currently has not thought of a way to gain revenge and take Freya as his wife; should he come up with a plan, however, one can be assured he would implement it immediately.
