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The loss of the goddess Idunn and her recovery
One day, three of the Æsir set out on a journey. These were Odin, Loki and Haenir. They crossed the mountains and the wild places and soon they were running short of food. At last, they made their way down into a valley where they found a herd of oxen grazing. They killed one of the oxen and prepared to cook it. They built an earth-oven to do this and placed the ox inside; but when they opened the door they found that the ox was not cooked. They tried a second time and again it was not cooked. They could not understand this and discussed among themselves why the ox would not cook. As they talked they heard a voice from the oak tree under which they were sitting. Looking up, they saw a huge eagle perching on the branches of the tree. The eagle told them that he was the reason why the ox was not being cooked and that, if they would but grant him his fill of the meat, he would cause the ox to cook for them. The three gods agreed, and so the eagle flew down and began to tear away huge chunks from the ox.
At this, Loki became very angry and seized a piece of wood with which he struck the eagle. The eagle flew upwards and the piece of wood was stuck at one end to the eagle and at the other end to Loki. Up and up the eagle flew and Loki thought that his arms would be torn from his shoulders. He shouted to the eagle, begging it to release him. But the eagle was in no mood to do so and would only free Loki if Loki would find a way of enticing the goddess Idunn out of Asgard and get her to bring her magical apples with her. It was these apples that kept the gods young. Loki agreed and the eagle freed him.
Nothing much else happened on that journey but, when the three gods finally made their way back to Asgard, Loki put his plan into action. He persuaded Idunn to leave Asgard with him and come out to a forest. In order to achieve this, Loki told her that he had found fine apples growing there and suggested that she bring her own apples with her to compare with the ones that he had found.
When Loki and Idunn reached the forest, the eagle swooped down. Now, that ‘eagle’ was really a giant by the name of Thiazi, who had taken on the form of an eagle. He seized Idunn in his talons and flew away with her. He carried her to his home in Thrymheim.
The loss of Idunn affected the Æsir very badly. Without her apples they began to grow old. So, they gathered together to ascertain what had happened to her. The last time she had been seen, they agreed, was when she had left Asgard in the company of Loki. So they compelled Loki to appear before them and threatened him with torture and death if he did not resolve the situation. At this, Loki was terrified and offered to go to Giantland to search for Idunn. He asked Freyia to change him into the form of a falcon (for this was one of her attributes) and, in this form, he flew to Giantland, to the home of Thiazi.
Now, the giant was out at sea, fishing, and Idunn was alone in his hall. Realising his chance, Loki changed her into the form of a nut, clutched her in his claws and flew off with her. When Thiazi returned he found that Idunn was gone. At once, he took on his eagle-form and flew after Loki. The wingbeats of the eagle were so strong that they caused a storm to form around him.
From Asgard, the Æsir saw the falcon (which was Loki) approaching, with the eagle in close pursuit. To save the falcon they brought huge piles of wood-shavings and threw them at the base of the wall of Asgard. When the falcon reached the spot it dropped down to the foot of the wall with the eagle close behind. But as the falcon dropped, the eagle missed it as it struck after the bird. At the same time, the Æsir set fire to the wood-shavings so that a great sheet of flames leapt up. The eagle plunged into the fire, its feathers burst into flame and it crashed to the ground. As it did so, the Æsir seized their chance: they leapt forward and killed the eagle. And this was how they killed Thiazi, a tremendous deed that is still spoken of.
This would have been the end of the matter but Thiazi had a daughter, named Skadi, and she was determined to avenge the death of her father. She dressed for war and marched towards Asgard. When she approached the walls of that fortress, the Æsir offered her compensation to buy her off; and the first thing they offered was that she would be allowed to choose a husband from among the Æsir. But she would choose him from his feet alone and would not be allowed to see any more of him. She agreed and when she saw one of the Æsir, whose feet were beautiful, she was sure that it must be Baldr and so she claimed him for her own. But the feet were those of Niord of Noatun, the Vanir god of the sea. In time, though, they parted because she did not want to live beside the sea with its busy seafarers; and he did not want to live in the grim and cold mountains.
The terms of the compensation agreed by Skadi the giantess included the stipulation that the Æsir would have to make her laugh. She was sure that they would be incapable of doing this. But that was before Loki got to work. He took a piece of string and tied one end around the beard of a nanny-goat and the other end he tied around his own testicles. Once that was done, the nanny-goat and Loki tugged at that cord and they pulled back and forward with both of them squealing. At this sight – and as Loki suddenly landed in her lap – Skadi laughed out loud. And so the reconciliation between her and the Æsir was achieved. Furthermore, Odin took Thiazi’s eyes and threw them up into the sky and they became two new stars in the night sky.
The father of the giant, Thiazi, and the origins of poetry
Now, Thiazi – the one killed by the Æsir – was the son of Olvaldi. This Olvaldi was rich and owned a great deal of gold. When Olvaldi died, his three sons divided up their inheritance among themselves and they did it in this way. Each took a mouthful of his gold in turn and they continued in this fashion until it was all divided up. That is why, among the many names used to describe gold, is this one used by human poets: ‘the speech of giants’. In this way secret language is used to speak of it. Another poet may call it simply ‘words’, another will call it ‘giant speech’ but they are referring to gold and hiding the reference to it within these phrases. This secret language is what is known as poetry. Now, poetry came into existence in this way . . .
Once, long ago, the gods of the Æsir and those of the Vanir were locked in bitter conflict. At last, they called a truce and talked of peace. This peace deal was sealed when all the gods spat into a cauldron and mingled their spit. Then they dispersed but this symbol of peace between the gods remained. From this mingled spit was formed a man, named Kvasir. He was wise and travelled widely, dispensing knowledge. But when he met two dwarfs – brothers named Fialar and Galar – they murdered him. His blood they poured into vessels and mixed it with honey. This became such a powerful liquid that any who drank from it became wise in poetry or other forms of knowledge. The dwarfs told the Æsir that Kvasir had suffocated under the weight of his own wisdom. In this way the dwarfs were left in possession of the powerful mead of poetry.
Now, by and by these two dwarfs invited a giant and his wife to stay with them; that giant was named Gilling. One day they went out to sea with Gilling but the boat struck a reef, overturned and the giant drowned. The dwarfs, though, managed to right the boat and made it back to shore. When they told the giant’s wife what had happened, she was grief-stricken and could not be consoled. She wept so much that the dwarfs grew tired of her lamenting and Fialar suggested that she step outside and look towards where Gilling had drowned, in order to find some consolation. When she did so, Galar (who had climbed up above the doorway) dropped a millstone on her head and silenced her crying. This was how she died.
The son of Gilling was a giant named Suttung. He heard of how his father and mother had died and he went to the home of the dwarfs and seized them as his prisoners. Taking them out to sea, he reached a rocky reef that the sea covered at high tide. As punishment he left the dwarfs on the rocks to die by drowning. At this, the two dwarfs begged him for mercy and offered to pay him compensation for the death of his father. The price they offered was the mead that they had made from the blood of Kvasir mixed with honey. Suttung accepted this compensation and took it home with him to a place known as Hnitbiorg. The
re he placed it in the safe keeping of his daughter, Gunnlod. As a result, poetry is sometimes known as ‘Kvasir’s blood’, ‘drink of dwarfs’, ‘dwarfs’ transport’ (since they were saved from drowning by trading it), ‘Suttung’s mead’ or ‘drink from Hnitbiorg’.
Now, this drink of poetry passed into the ownership of the gods – the Æsir – in this way. Odin, known as All-Father, went on a journey. He came to a hayfield where nine slaves were at work. He offered to sharpen their scythes and they were pleased at the offer. When he had completed the task the slaves were so pleased with what he had done that they offered to buy his whetstone from him. Odin agreed but said that they should offer a reasonable price, though he did not actually name what that would be. The price, though, soon became apparent. Odin threw the whetstone up into the air and the nine slaves all sprang to seize it. But they were still holding their scythes and, as they went to catch the whetstone, they cut each other’s throats with their scythes. Those slaves had belonged to a giant named Baugi.
That night Odin lodged with Baugi. Now, Baugi was the brother of Suttung who had gained the mead of poetry from the two dwarfs. Baugi was depressed because his nine slaves had killed each other and he had no other workmen. At this, Odin offered to do the work of the nine dead slaves and asked as payment one drink from the mead of poetry. Baugi said that such a decision could only be made by Suttung but he would try to persuade him. But when the matter was discussed with Suttung, he refused; he wanted to keep all the mead for himself. When this was conveyed to Odin he suggested that they try magic in order to gain access to the mead and Baugi agreed. Odin took an auger, of the type used for boring holes in wood, and told Baugi to drill through the mountain. This Baugi did, but the first time he stopped before he had drilled right through. Odin told him to do so again and this time he did indeed drill right through the mountain. Seeing this, Odin turned himself into the form of a snake and slithered into the hole that Baugi had drilled. As he did so, Baugi stabbed at him with the auger but missed.
Once through the mountain, Odin took on his usual form again and went to where Gunnlod was guarding the mead of poetry. There, he slept with her for three nights and after that she allowed him three mouthfuls of the mead. However, Odin’s drinking was of such a volume that in three great gulps he had consumed all of the mead. Then he changed himself into the form of an eagle and flew swiftly away, pursued by Suttung who also took on an eagle’s form. As Odin approached Asgard, the Æsir saw him and put out vessels into which Odin spat out the stolen mead. In this way it became the property of the Æsir. This is why poetry is sometimes called: ‘Odin’s discovery’, ‘Odin’s drink’ or ‘Odin’s gift’. It is also called the ‘gift of the Æsir’. But not all the mead made it into the containers that were put out by the Æsir. For Suttung was flying so close to Odin that in his flight to escape him, Odin let some of the mead fall behind him and this did not become the property of the Æsir. This portion of mead is available to anyone and that is why even those who are not skilled poets might find that they can compose a riddle or a rhyme. They are benefitting from the mead that Odin let fall behind him as he fled from the eagle.
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Adventures in Giantland
AS WITH MANY of the Norse myths, this account of adventures in Giantland is found in the Prose Edda. It is taken from the Language of Poetry section, which contains stories of the adventures of Odin in Giantland and of battles between Thor and the giants. In Norse mythology, giants are the traditional enemies of the gods of both the family of the Æsir and that of the Vanir. In Old Norse, they are described as the jötnar (singular jötunn) who live in one of the nine worlds of the Norse cosmos. As a result of an ancient conflict, they had been banished there by the gods and goddesses of the Æsir. According to the Norse understanding of the origins of life and the universe, they were all derived from the first great giant, Ymir. All those of the first race of giants died when Ymir was killed by Odin and his gushing blood drowned them. All, that is, except two from whom the giant race was then repopulated. This new race of giants included frost-giants, fire-giants, wind-giants, mountain-giants and sea-giants.
In the Norse myths, the giants are frequently depicted as enormously destructive and voracious. In fact, the word jötunn seems to be related to the words ‘to eat’ and probably conveyed the idea of insatiable appetites and consumers of people. Trolls – also the enemies of the gods – were regarded as related beings. Giants are, not surprisingly, described as being of huge size and often hideously ugly. Some appear humanoid, while others are described as terrifying beasts with many heads or the appearance of a ravening wolf (for example, Fenrir). Giants were often associated with rocks and mountains, which was probably due to their association with the original formation of the world in its raw and rocky state. However, the mythology is complex, for some giants are described as sexually attractive and married to or partaking in casual relationships with the gods (involving both the divine families of the Æsir and the Vanir); some of the Æsir claimed descent from unions of this kind. In some of the stories the assumption seems to be that some giants were not of great stature. What is clear, though, is that the main theme in the relationship between giants and gods/goddesses is one of competition: whether that is over possession of beautiful women or a fine horse (as in the first story), or a trial of strength (as in the second story). Mutual antagonism and the threat of mutual destruction colours much of the relationship and, in this, Thor features as the most prolific of giant-killers.
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The visit of the giant Hrungnir to Valhalla
While Thor was off attacking trolls in the east, Odin rode his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, into Giantland. There he arrived at the hall of a giant by the name of Hrungnir. When the giant saw Odin approaching, he was impressed. He asked who it was that was riding this way, with a helmet of gold and a remarkable horse. Odin replied that he would bet his own head that no horse in the whole of Giantland was as good as Sleipnir. Now, Hrungnir too had a fine horse that was named Gullfaxi, which means ‘golden mane’, that ran well with fine strides. Onto it he leapt and rode after Odin, for he was angry at Odin’s boasting and the slur it cast on the horses of Giantland. The chase went on for miles, with Odin always managing to keep ahead and Hrungnir close behind but never managing to overtake him. In fact, they raced so hard that they arrived back at Asgard and Hrungnir did not even realise that he had left Giantland far behind. Both horses galloped in through the open gates and Hrungnir found he was in the fortress of the gods who are known as the Æsir, at the hall called Valhalla.
Ahead of him were the great doors that led into the hall and, as he dismounted, the Æsir approached him and offered him a drink. Hrungnir was in no mood for pleasantries and demanded it in great quantities. As each of Thor’s great goblets were brought out, he drained them with ease. Not surprisingly, he was soon very drunk. Now it was his turn to boast. To the assembled gods of the Æsir he boasted that he would pick up Valhalla and carry it back to Giantland; and as for Asgard itself, he would destroy it and the gods. Looking about himself in this drunken state he declared that, after he had killed the gods, he would take Freyia (goddess of beauty and love, Od’s wife) and Sif (the golden-haired goddess of earth’s fertility and wife of Thor) back to Giantland with him. Of all the Æsir, it was only Freyia who dared to bring him his drinks. At last, the Æsir grew tired of his drinking, his boasting and his threats. So they called out the name of Thor, that killer of giants.
Immediately, Thor appeared. He stormed into the hall and was furious to see a giant there, drinking and being served by Freyia as if he was one of the Æsir. Thor raised his great hammer and made as if to crush the skull of the giant. But Hrungnir was unafraid and replied that he was in Valhalla under the protection of Odin and, furthermore, that he carried no weapons. He chided Thor that it would be dishonourable to kill an unarmed opponent. Instead, he challenged Thor to meet him on the border of the territory of the giants and the Æsir, at Griotunagardar.
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The single combat of Thor and Hrungnir and the whetstone lodged in Thor’s head
Now, nobody had ever challenged Thor to single combat before and Thor accepted the challenge that the giant had thrown down. At this, Hrungnir galloped back to Giantland. When the other giants heard about the forthcoming duel they were very worried. This was because Hrungnir was the strongest of all the giants and the other giants feared what would become of them at the hands of Thor if he succeeded in killing Hrungnir. So, they built a giant of clay, called Mokkurkalfi, who could fight alongside Hrungnir when Thor arrived. He was tall and broad and his heart was taken from a horse. Even so, he was terrified when Thor appeared. Beside him stood Hrungnir; he was very strong with a heart, head and shield made from stone. Indeed, that is why the sign used for stone-carving is still called ‘Hrungnir’s heart’. Even his weapon, a whetstone, was a weapon of stone rather than of iron. Together, Mokkurkalfi and Hrungnir prepared to face the wrath of Thor.
As Thor approached, he sent on ahead his servant, Thialfi. He was the one who, along with his sister, became Thor’s servant when Thialfi put himself in Thor’s debt by breaking the leg-bone of Thor’s chariot-pulling goat, in order to extract the marrow. When Thialfi saw Hrungnir, he tricked him by saying that Thor was tunnelling underground to reach him. At this, Hrungnir threw down his stone shield to protect his feet and relied on his whetstone alone to face Thor.
Then Thor hurled his hammer, Miollnir, at Hrungnir; and Hrungnir replied by throwing his whetstone at Thor. When the two weapons met in mid-air, the whetstone shattered into two pieces. One piece tumbled to the ground. From pieces of that broken rock are derived all the whetstones now used by men. The second piece embedded itself in Thor’s head and he fell to the ground. However, Hrungnir was the one fatally injured, for Thor’s hammer struck him on the head and shattered his skull. And so he died. As he crashed to the ground, he fell across Thor and pinned him to the ground. While this was happening, Thialfi easily dispatched the clay-giant, Mokkurkalfi. After he had done this, he went over to Thor and attempted to free him, but he was unable to shift Hrungnir. The Æsir too attempted to move the giant but, even with their combined strength, they could not lift his leg from Thor’s neck. It was only when Thor’s three-year-old son, Magni, arrived that Thor was freed. For that three-year-old lifted the giant’s leg with ease and so freed his father.
Tales of Valhalla Page 8