aesir & jotunn biology v. human biology
as i envisage them, anyway. feel free to reblog (with commentary or without) or join the conversation with me - this is something i’m really interested in, and it’s something i include whenever i’ve got loki or another aesir/jotunn muse alongside a midgardian. unless they’re marked with an *, all of the aesir points also apply to the jotnar
i really don’t like the idea of aesir being basically humans but longer living and in space because THEY’RE ALIENS, JAN
asgardian and jotunn flesh is a LOT denser than human flesh. i mean “bullets won’t pierce if they’re not at point-blank range” kind of dense. asgardians aren’t just super strong for no reason - their muscle, their fat, even their skin is a lot more densely packed than human flesh, and this was one of the main things that changed about thor when he was sent down to earth in Thor (2011).
this means asgardians weigh a LOT more than a human of a similar approximate size. if a normal human’s trying to lift them, it’s not going to be easy.
aesir will probably require a different sort of needle if they’re in a midgardian hospital, because it’s just not going to be easy to stick a needle through their skin without trying to force it - it’s not gonna be as hard as say, putting a needle in luke cage, but it will need more time and a much sharper needle.
aesir and jotunn hearts are bigger than human hearts by about 50%, and they pump a good deal slower - there’s a lot more blood in their systems, and their resting heart rate is going to be much, much lower than that of an average human’s.
the aesir and jotnar have bigger stomachs and require more calorific content to feed their bodies than midgardians do - much of the food of asgard and jotunheimr is heavier and richer than the stuff of earth, and particularly the fruit of idunn’s orchard has more nutrients and energy than a similar set of fruit to be found on earth.
the aesir and jotnar do not have appendixes.
due to the aesir and jotnar having a really huge lung capacity, they can hold their breath for longer & deal comfortably with lower amounts of oxygen in the air.
the aesir and jotnar have much bigger, hardier livers than humans; they can withstand a lot of stuff that would be poisonous to the average human, and they also have an OBSCENE capacity for imbibing alcohol. the sort of stuff it would take to get an asgardian or jotunn tipsy would probably kill a human.
the aesir and jotnar alike have much wider corneas and more reflective cells within their eyes than humans, meaning that they find it easier to see in darkness.
the aesir perceive colour in FIVE CONES, each of which are colour sensitive, meaning that they see a lot of colour differences imperceptible to the human eye, and that colours a good deal more vibrant. *
the jotnar perceive colour in three cones: red-sensitive, violet-sensitive and green-sensitive. this means they have difficulty perceiving the subtleties and differences between blue, yellow and green. the reasons for this are two-fold.
the jotnar have a protective lens over their eyes that is coloured red: this protective lens protects them from the bright glare of sun reflecting off the snow or the ice, meaning that they can look through such bright light without damaging their eyes or feeling discomfort.
the jotnar have no real requirement to perceive yellow or green, as these colours are not common upon jotunheimr: there are virtually no trees, shrubs or other plants that are coloured green, and yellow is also very uncommon upon the planet.
the jotnar have a great deal of taste buds, and are very sensitive to bitterness, savouriness, saltiness and sourness. they, however, have very few tastebuds set aside for sweetness, and are frequently overwhelmed and even disgusted by sweet tastes.
the jotnar’s homeostasis functions at an extremely low temperature, meaning that they are extremely comfortable even in temperatures far below sub-zero, and their thick skin, which is layered with fat and muscle-like tissue that tenses and untenses beneath the skin, purely for insulatory purposes, doesn’t allow any heat to escape.
even in cooler weather upon asgard, the jotnar would likely be relatively uncomfortable, but the jotnar are naturally heavily inclined toward the use of magic, and they take to spell-casting and enchantment very easily. it is very rare that individual jotnar struggle with magic.
the jotnar do not grow body hair of any kind. their extra layer of muscle does enough for their insulation, and their smooth skin allows them to better blend in with rock formations: the hair upon their heads is a vestigial consideration, a leftover of quick evolution, but jotnar use their hair to show status.
individuals may use pins, clips and ribbons, but the act of braiding or otherwise interweaving hair is seen as going away from the natural “flow” of the silken, liquid like tresses the jotnar have. they associate it with the aesir and vanir, and do not braid their hair themselves.
the jotnar do not sweat. shedding valuable moisture would only leave them vulnerable to letting sweat freeze on their skin in the sub-zero temperatures; their mouths also tend toward being dryer than aesir or human mouths, and in general they very carefully conserve liquid.
the indentations and skin-deep markings on the flesh of the jotnar are upon their bodies when they are born, and are part of the way jotnar appeal to one another as attractive mates. experienced elders of the jotnar can trace a jotunn’s family tree by examining the markings they have, which are distinct to each jotunn but bear family resemblances.
the concept of sexual binary does not apply to the jotnar. 95% of the jotnar have the ability to both sire and bear children, and while there is of course a great deal of diversity in the appearance and development of individual sexual characteristics, it would be ridiculous to attempt to sort the jotunn people into “male” or “female” boxes.
there are no gendered pronouns in the tongue of the jotnar.
there are words for “sire” and “bearer”, but the jotnar do not differentiate between those who sire or bear children, or both.
roughly 95% of the jotnar have the ability to lactate, although only 50%, roughly, develop fattier breast tissue in the way that humans or aesir do.
