JACK FROST

Real Name: Iokul Frosti

Occupation: God of ice and frost

Legal Status: Citizen of Jotunheim within the Nine Realms of Asgard

Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of Jack Frost except as a fictional character in folklore.

Other Aliases: Morozkho (possible Slavic name), Snow Miser

Place of Birth: possibly Jotunheim

Marital Status: possibly Widowed

Known Relatives: Kari (father), mother (name, unrevealed), Aegir, Logi (uncles), Ran (aunt), Alta, Angeyja, Grolp, Greip, Eistla, Eyrsjafa, Iarnsaxa, Imda, Ulfrun (cousins), Heimdall (nephew), Sif (niece), Snaer (son), Fornjotur (grandfather),

Group Affiliations: The Gods of Asgard, The Council Of Legends

Base of Operations: Jotunheim

First Appearance: "The Life And Times Of Santa Claus" by Frank L. Baum

Origin: "Jack Frost" TV Special, Rankin/Bass (1979)

History: Jokul Frosti is a member of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Jotuns, an extra-dimensional race of beings who preside in the dimension of Jotunheim. There are two races of Jotuns in Jotunheim, the Hrimthursar or Frost Giants, who for millennia have been the enemies of the gods of Asgard, and the Bergrimsar or Rime Giants, who live in peace with the Asgardians. According to myth, the Giants are descended from Ymir, a primeval being who appeared in Jotunheim from Ginnungagap, the region of sea that existed between Niffleheim and Muspelheim. Ymir was nourished to health by the milk from the enchanted cow Audhumla and grew to great size. He sired the first Giants, but they were visited by the god, Buri, whose descendants were often at war with the Giants. Buri's sons finally slew Ymir. According to Norse legend, when Ymir was killed, Buri's grandsons, Odin, Ve and Vili, created the Earth and sky from his remains and the melting ice from Niffleheim drowned all the remaining Giants except for one, Bergelmir, who survived in a boat, and afterward sired a new generation of Giants. Just how many of these incidents are true or apocryphal is uncertain. It is uncertain if the Giants of Asgard are of any relation to the Giants of Olympus.

Iokul Frosti was one of the few Jotuns who were worshipped as gods by the Ancient German tribes of Western Europe, particularly the Saxons, along with Aegir, the god of the sea, and Logi, the god of fire. Stories of their existence were passed down into folklore in the form of fairy tales by the authors Jacob and William Grimm, who renamed him Jack Frost. Jack was considered a mischievous god who caused cold and frost and was constantly at odds with his cousins, the sons of Logi, the god of fire and heat.

According to one legend, Jack fell in love with a mortal girl and sought to become mortal to marry her. His father begrudgingly allowed him to become mortal, but only on the condition that he do without his immortal powers and learn to live as a mortal. When his love became threatened, he had to take back his powers over ice to save her life. He learned to live without emotion as a result and became a cold and distant deity. In recent years, he supposedly became jealous of a friendly man of snow who had befriended children. Jack stole the magician's top hat that had animated the snow man and gave him life, but realizing the sorrow he had caused forced him to surrender the hat.

Jack Frost became a member of a loose group of modern entities which represent modern holidays. These beings, consisting of former pagan gods from rival pantheons, called themselves the Council of Legends and took appearances familiar with their roles in their perspective holidays or ceremonies. This group includes a number of Olympian and Asgardian gods representing figures in modern mythology, such as Gaea as Mother Earth, Hypnos as the Sandman and Thanatos, the Grim Reaper as the spirit of Halloween. (The group also included a figure who called himself Father Time, but it is unknown if this was actually Cronus, the Olympian god responsible for this icon or perhaps another as yet unidentified former deity continuing the role.) Among the members, the council also accepted Santa Claus, the icon of the Christian holiday of Christmas, into the group. At first, Jack seemed to accept Santa as his peer and often stole rides dressed as a hobo on Santa's Polar Express, a train which could enter and exit his home at the North Pole through the spirit realm. However, Santa began to slowly usurp Jack's role as the spirit of winter, Jack became jealous and competitive with the spirit of Saint Nick and tried to replace Scott Calvin, the recent mortal to take the role by rewriting history, but Calvin altered the timeline back to what it was. Calvin's niece further warmed Jack's frosty heart with the spirit of Christmas, seemingly burning off his ancient pagan powers as a result.

Jack's later activities are unrevealed.

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: White

Strength Level: Jack Frost possesses extraordinary but not superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) around 800 pounds under optimal conditions. 

Known Superhuman Powers: Jack Frost possesses the superhuman physical attributes of the Jotuns, but he is not nearly as powerful as he was in pagan times. He possesses extra-ordinary but not superhuman strength, resistance to conventional injury and and a long-life enchantment, but he is not immortal like the Olympian Gods. His flesh and bone are far denser than similar human tissue; contributing to his strength and weight. His attributes are more akin to the Asgardian gods.

Jack Frost has the ability to mystically conjure great cold. His touch and his breath can cause water molecules to freeze into ice. His body also seems to radiate cold temperatures, creating snow and frost to occur naturally in his presence. He can cause solid objects to freeze and conjure snow, but his powers are limited in that he cannot created snow storms. He can manipulate and control naturally creating snowstorms, focusing them on a target or magnifying their intensity. He can induce a state resembling frostbite in individuals where a person can seem frozen and trapped in suspended animation. Although his victims can be revived with heat, there seems to be a time restraint before his victims cannot be returned to life. He can freeze a person for a few hours and restore them to life with no ill effects, but he cannot restore a person who has been frozen for a period of time which they have reached a point of cellular damage.   

It seems as recent Jack Frost has lost all of his godly powers, but it is unrevealed if he has permanently lost all of his powers.

Limitations: Like all the giants of Jotunheim, Jack Frost needs cold temperatures to maintain his existence. This seems to be a mystical dependency to the environment of Jotunheim than a physical trait; several Asgardians with Jotun ancestors seem to have lost this trait. Great heat will cause the Frost Giants to "melt," thereby shrinking in size to human size or smaller. Continued exposure to such heat supposedly would cause a Frost Giant to liquefy completely as it occurred to Ymir, eventually turning the Frost Giants into water. It is uncertain if this trait is shared by the Rime Giants, also known as Storm Giants.

Comments: This bio involves Jack Frost as he was seen in the movies/TV specials, "Jack Frost" and "Frosty's Winter Wonderland," (both by Rankin/Bass) and "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" (2005), where he was played by actor Martin Short. 

Clarifications: Jack Frost is not to be confused with:

Last updated: 09/30/11

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