by Peter Archer
Finally, Magni came up to them. He was Thor’s son by Jarnsaxa the giantess, and he was only three years old, but he cast aside the leg easily and told his father, “Alas I wasn’t here or I would have defeated the giant by hitting him a blow with my fist.”
Thor sat up and greeted his son warmly and as a reward gave him Hrungnir’s steed Gullfaxi, though Odin said it was wrong to give the horse to the son of a giantess.
The whetstone remained in Thor’s head. Once a prophetess named Groa made a magic to loosen it. When the whetstone began to move, Thor was happy, for he believed it would soon be out of his head. So he told Groa a story about how he had rescued her husband, Aurvandil the Bold, from Giant Land when Aurvandil was a baby. And Thor added that Aurvandil would soon return to her. At this, Groa became so happy that she forgot her magic, and the whetstone remained lodged in Thor’s head. It is said that if anyone throws a whetstone across the floor, the stone in Thor’s head moves, and the god groans with pain.
Sources for the Story
This tale is told by Snorri Sturluson in the section of the Prose Edda called the Skáldskaparmál. Among the tales contained in the Skáldskaparmál is the story of Sigurd the Volsung, which we’ll take up in a later chapter.
The story reminds us that fighting and conflict are at the heart of Viking mythology. In the account of Valhalla, recall, the heroes gathered there spend all their time dueling, so it’s easy to see why Thor jumps at the chance for a duel with Hrungnir. The story also brings to mind the Æsir’s back-and-forth relationship with the giants; in this instance, Hrungnir is initially welcomed to Asgard as Odin’s guest and, as he tells Thor, he is under Odin’s protection.
The Golem
The giant clay man fashioned by the giants to be Hrungnir’s companion during the duel with Thor reminds us of the golem in Jewish mythology. The golem is a being created of mud or clay and magically brought to life. In the Talmud’s version of the creation of man, Adam was created as a golem and brought to life by God.
The Rígsthula
The god Ríg was traveling along the shore of Midgard, gazing at the waters that stretched to the horizon and listening to the sounds of wind and wave. As night approached, he came to the farm of a couple named Ái and Edda. He knocked on the door of their cottage and asked for a meal and a bed. Grudgingly, they agreed and served him a scanty meal, poorly cooked. That night he slept between them. Nine months later, Edda gave birth to a son. The boy’s skin was dark, and he was strong but ugly to look upon. Ái and Edda named him Thrael, which means “servant.” He grew up and married a woman named Thír, which means “slave girl.” The two had twelve sons and nine daughters, who became the race of thralls, serving others in Midgard.
The Second Night
On the second night of his journey, Ríg came to another farm where dwelt Afi and Amma. Again he requested food and shelter. This time the meal they gave him was good, and they were cheerful. The fire was warm and the bed was soft. Ríg slept between the husband and wife and in the morning went on his way. In nine months Amma gave birth to a boy whom they named Karl, or “freeman.” When Karl grew up, he married a girl named Snör, which means “daughter-in-law.” Karl and Snör had twelve sons and ten daughters, who were the ancestors of free farmers, craftsmen, and laborers.
The Third Night
On the third day of his journey, as Ríg continued along the shores of Midgard he came to a great house, a mansion. There he asked for food and shelter. The inhabitants of the mansion, Fadir and Módir, served him a splendid meal. The wine glowed ruby red, and the meat was savory and well cooked on the fire. Nine months later, Módir gave birth to a boy named Jarl, or “lord,” whose hair was blond and whose face was beautiful. When Jarl was old enough to learn manly arts, Ríg reappeared at the mansion gates.
“The boy is my son,” he declared, and he took Jarl away with him. Ríg taught Jarl many things, including how to read runes and how to fight. Jarl married Erna, daughter of Hersir. They had twelve sons but no daughters. The sons became the ancestors of noble warriors.
Chapter Ten
The Treachery of Loki
Tom Hiddleston notwithstanding, Loki is probably the most dislikable of the Viking gods. He is mercurial, violent, untrustworthy, a practical joker with a very cruel side to his humor, and, as we shall see in this chapter, someone whose jokes occasionally go very wrong indeed.
Loki is the foil to the gods’ sense of self-importance. He is constantly tormenting them, bringing them to a better understanding of their own limitations. While most of the gods’ actions in other myths rest on a firm understanding of their character and motives, Loki is often perverse. When he steals the hair of Freyja, it is not with any thought of gain but merely because he wants to do it. There is something childlike is many of his actions. In the myths recounted in this chapter we shall see his malice in both its innocent—and often comic—form and with the most tragic consequences.
The Theft of Thor’s Hammer
One day Thor awoke and, as was his custom, reached for his hammer, Mjollnir. But the hammer was not there. The Thunderer shrieked and swore, but his hammer was gone.
Thor turned for assistance to Loki, for who should better know of sly conduct and thievery than he? Loki turned to Freyja. “Will you lend me your falcon skin to search for Thor’s hammer?” he asked.
“Were it made from gold,” cried the goddess, “I would lend it to you.” For she, and all the other Æsir and Vanir, knew that Thor’s hammer protected them from the incursion of the giants.
Loki donned the guise of a falcon and he flew swiftly until he came to the land of the giants. He swooped down upon the court of Thrym, a king among the giants. “Have you stolen Mjollnir?” he asked, assuming his own shape.
Thrym laughed. “Truly things have gone badly among the gods,” he sneered. “Yes, I have your precious Mjollnir! Eight miles underground I have buried it. And you will never get it back unless you pay my price.”
“What is that price?” asked Loki steadily. Even then he was thinking how he could trick the giant into returning the precious hammer.
“My price is Freyja,” replied the giant ruler. “If she will consent to be my bride, I will return Mjollnir to Thor.”
Loki bowed his head. “This word will I return to Asgard,” he said. And he became a falcon once more and leaped on the back of the wind. Swiftly he rode until he had returned to the abode of the gods.
“Well?” said Thor. “Have you found Mjollnir?”
“Yes,” replied Loki. “It is in the hands of the giants. And they will only return it if Freyja consents to be the bride of Thrym.
All the gods cried out and were wroth with this news, but Loki the Trickster had an idea. “Wait!” he said. “Come, Thor.”
“What do you mean to do,” asked the Thunderer suspiciously, for he knew Loki of old.
“Freyja will not go to Thrym as his bride,” replied Loki. “You will!”
Now all the gods of Asgard shouted in laughter—except for Thor. Heimdall said, “Let us drape the necklace of Brísingamen around his neck.” And another said, “Let us array him as any bride would be, with a bunch of keys at his waist.”
So each contributed their thought, laughing, and they took the Thunderer and swaddled him in a bridal gown and clasped the necklace of the Brísings around his neck and bound a bunch of keys at his waist.
“Who will you be,” growled Thor to Loki.
“I will be your maidservant,” said Loki calmly. “Come. Let us depart.”
So Loki and Thor harnessed Thor’s goats and rode forth to Jötunheim.
Now Thrym was moved to a frenzy and cried, “She is coming. Spread straw for her. Make ready the bedchamber!”
When Thor arrived, Thrym welcomed him and ushered him to the table in the hall, where a great feast had been prepared. “Sit you here,” he said, “and all that you wish shall be placed before you.”
Now, Thor felt hungry after his long journey. “An ox!” he cried.
And so an entire ox was placed before him. Thor, in his disguise as Freyja, wolfed down the ox and Thrym looked on, astonished. “More!” cried Thor/Freyja. And so all the delicacies reserved for women were brought to him, and these too he ate. Then, to the astonishment of Thrym and the other giants gathered there, he drank down three horns of mead.
“Who has seen a bride with such hunger and thirst?” muttered Thrym to a giant sitting near him. He leaned toward his bride and lifted her veil. But Thor’s eyes were not soft and doe-gentle like those of Freyja. “Her eyes are like burning coals!” shouted Thrym, drawing back.
Loki leaned in and said softly, “Do not take it amiss. She has not slept for eight days and eight nights, so great is her desire for you, lord.”
Thrym’s sister insolently demanded a dowry from the bride. “Give me the red gold rings you’re wearing,” she said. “Only then will you have my love.” But Thrym paid no attention to this. Turning to his servants, he said, “Bring forth Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor. Let my bride put it between her legs”—he laughed obscenely—“and thus will we swear our marriage oath and I will take her to bed.”
The servants came back into the hall holding Mjollnir, the hammer of the Thunderer. Thor’s heart soared at the sight of his own lost property. Hurling aside the veil he rose and seized the handle of the hammer. He stood revealed before all the astonished hall as Thor the Thunderer, spitter of storms and foe of giants. He swung only once and Thrym fell, his skull smashed to pieces. Then Thor turned to the rest of the company and left not one of them alive in that hall.
The Thrymskvida
The only source for this story is theThrymskvida, one of the poems in the Poetic Edda. The story is more humorous than many of the Viking myths, since it turns on Thor’s being forced to cross-dress and his deception of Thrym and the rest of the giants. Here Loki plays a generally positive role.
It has been suggested by some scholars that the humor in the story, so uncharacteristic of Viking myth, means that this is more probably a Christian parody of the Scandinavian gods. However, others have suggested that this may, in fact, be among the earliest of the Eddic poems.
The Eyrarland Statue
Among the best-known representations of Thor is one figure known as the Eyrarland statue. It dates from roughly 1000 and shows the god, with a conical helmet, grasping Mjollnir in both hands. It has been suggested by some that this is a depiction of Thor in the moment when he has recovered Mjollnir from Thrym and is preparing to kill the giant and all the rest of the wedding party.
The Theft of Idunn’s Apples
Among the most marvelous things found in Asgard were the apples of Idunn. These apples were kept by the goddess Idunn, wife of the god Bragi, and as long as the Æsir and Vanir consumed them, they would never grow old.
The Eagle and the Theft
One day Loki, Odin, and Hoenir were traveling through Midgard. They were hungry and came upon a herd of oxen. Seizing one they butchered it and began to cook it in a cooking pit. After a time, they pulled the meat from the pit, but it was not cooked. Indeed, it might as well never have been in the fire at all.
“This is strange,” said Odin the Allfather. They returned the meat to the cooking pit and waited for a time longer. Again they drew it forth, and again it showed no signs of having been cooked. They thrust it back angrily and waited again. Again it remained unchanged.
The three heard a noise from above them and saw an eagle sitting in a tree. “If you are willing to let me eat as much as I will,” said the eagle, “I will see to it that your meat is cooked.”
The three residents of Asgard discussed this and agreed to the eagle’s terms. Then the eagle swept down. “Put the meat back in the pit,” it ordered. They did as it demanded, and this time when they took it from the fire, it was cooked to a turn. Appetizing juices ran down its sides, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.
“Now you must fulfill your bargain!” cried the eagle. It opened its beak and gulped down the two thighs and two shoulders of the beast.
“Enough!” roared Loki, springing to his feet. He struck at the bird with his staff. So far he was successful—the bird in surprise and pain dropped the meat and sprang into the air, the staff still sticking in its side. But Loki found he could not let go of the staff and was dragged into the air as well.
He shouted angrily for the bird to release him, but the eagle flapped its wings and flew off, still carrying its burden. It deliberately flew close to the ground so that Loki was smashed into boulders and dragged through the branches of trees as well as thorn bushes that scratched and tore at his body. He shrieked for mercy, but the eagle paid him no heed.
At last the bird spoke to him. “If you wish to be released,” it said, “then carry the apples of Idunn out of Asgard.” Loki was half weeping with pain, and he swiftly agreed to the eagle’s condition.
“In seven days,” said the eagle, “lead Idunn across Bifrost at midday.” Loki’s hands slipped from the staff and he fell to earth. Then he began to walk back toward his companions, planning what he would tell them.
Seven days hence Loki approached Idunn where she was walking, her basket with its magical apples over her arm. “Come with me, Idunn,” he said. “I’ll show you a marvelous tree I’ve found."
Apples in Myth
Apples are a popular fruit in mythology. The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden is usually depicted as an apple (despite the fact that the Bible nowhere says this was the case). Snow White is poisoned by an apple given to her by her evil stepmother. And Iris, the goddess of discord, used a golden apple to pit the goddesses of the Greeks among one another, leading to the Judgment of Paris and the Trojan War.
Idunn, who was innocent and trusting, accompanied Loki through the gates of Asgard and down the bridge of Bifrost. As soon as they reached Midgard, the sky darkened. Great wings flapped, nearly blowing them over. Claws snatched up Idunn and her apples, and the eagle bore her away to Giant Land. For he was no other than the giant Thiazi in disguise. Idunn screamed and screamed but no one in Asgard could hear her, not even her husband, Bragi.
And now Thiazi gloated over his prize, for he knew that without the magical apples, the gods would grow old and weak, while he could remain young forever.
Without Idunn’s apples, the gods grew weaker as old folk do. They began to shrink and to stagger instead of striding over the nine worlds in search of the lost Idunn. Their skins wrinkled and their hands were palsied. Even their minds began to atrophy.
The Council of Odin
Odin pulled himself together as best he might and called a council of the gods. “We must search for Idunn!” he declared. “Without her apples, we are old men and women. Who was the last to see Idunn?”
Heimdall’s thrall said, “I saw Loki leading her over Bifrost.”
“Loki!” muttered Odin. “The Trickster has done this. We must capture him.”
The gods searched for Loki throughout Asgard. At last they discovered him, asleep in Idunn’s field, and they bound him and dragged him before Odin. The Allfather sat enthroned in Valaskjálf, his great silver-roofed hall. He glared at Loki. “What have you done with Idunn?” he demanded. “Without her apples, we grow old, you fool! We know you led her out of Asgard. Bring her back, or suffer death!”
“It’s true I took her from Asgard,” replied Loki. “But I had no choice in the matter.” Briefly he told the assembled gods of his encounter with the eagle and of the bargain he had been forced to strike to preserve his own life.
Odin snarled at him in rage. “You didn’t have to fulfill that bargain!” he growled. “I should draw a blood eagle on your back and rip your lungs through it.”
Loki shrank from the Allfather’s anger. “I will find Idunn and her apples and bring her back,” he said. “All I ask is that Freyja lend me her falcon shape.”
“I will lend you anything you need to bring back the apples,” cackled Freyja. Her beautiful face was now wrinkled and cracked with age.
Loki l
ooked at her and laughed. Her hair was falling out. “You are not the most beautiful; now you are bald,” he said.
Freyja said nothing but her golden tears trickled down her cheeks. Then Loki crouched and spread his arms wide. Feathers sprang from his back and arms and his nose curved into a sharp beak. As a falcon he sprang into the air and was gone.
The Rescue of Idunn
On and on Loki flew until he reached Thrymheim. Thiazi and his daughter, Skathi, had gone fishing, but Idunn was there, crouched miserably in the hall over the fire. Loki bent his magical powers upon her and changed her into a nut. Then he seized her in his beak and soared out the window.
Moments later Thiazi and his daughter stepped into the room. “Where is Idunn?” roared the giant. “Someone has taken her!” He spied the falcon flying away. “Loki!” he shouted. “Loki has done this thing!” In the blink of an eye he was transformed into his eagle form and he flew after the Trickster.
Faster and faster the two birds flew. Their wings beat against the air so quickly they could scarcely be seen. Odin, seated in his high seat, Hlidskjalf, saw them though, and he cried to the other gods, “Loki is coming!” He ordered the gods to build fires in their halls and to pile shavings against the walls.
Loki soared over the wall surrounding Asgard. Thiazi was just behind him. “Now!” cried Odin. The gods set fire to the shavings. Flames darted up, and Thiazi’s wings smoldered and caught fire. With shrieks of agony he fell to the ground, transforming to his own shape. Thor strode up to him and with all his strength brought down his hammer, smashing the giant’s skull.