14
The conflict at the ferry place
AGAIN FOUND IN the collection known as the Poetic Edda is this account known as Harbard’s Song. In it, Odin is disguised as ‘Harbard’ (‘Grey Beard’). In this guise he engages in a battle of insults with Thor, who despite his strength is bested by Odin’s cunning. In the story, Thor never guesses the real identity of the one mocking him. But the by-name ‘Grey Beard’ alerts the hearer/reader to what is going on. In this way, the original composer of the story further stressed the weakness of the apparently mighty Thor in the confrontation. This is a psychologically brutal poem, which includes Odin telling Thor his mother is dead. It is hard to understand Odin’s motivation for the confrontation, and nothing explains it in the story as it has come down to us.
This is a type of poem known as a flyting. The term is derived from the Old Norse word flyta, meaning ‘to provoke’. This is a common type of poem in Germanic literature and consists of two opponents exchanging insults. The winner is usually able to demonstrate his own superior strength and manliness, while demonstrating the inferiority and effeminacy of the other. Effeminacy was one of the greatest insults within the warrior-based Norse society of the Viking Age and later. The poem is much less structured than most Eddic poems and is written in a number of different metres – some of which are unrecognisable – and even sections of pure prose.
Stanza 24 of the poem refers to Odin as having followers who are warriors who die in battle, while Thor has peasants. This may express the class divisions in terms of the cults of the two gods. This is reflected in evidence from Anglo-Saxon England, where Woden (the Old English equivalent of Odin) appears in every royal genealogy but one, whereas Thunor (the Old English equivalent of Thor) appears in none. The same noble association with the cult of Odin clearly influenced Viking Age society too. In contrast, Thor’s name is derived from the Germanic word for ‘thunder’ and, as a weather god, he may have had particular appeal to farming communities. However, while ‘Thor’s hammer’ pendants are frequently found in female graves in Scandinavia, the discovery of a silver one in a warrior grave from Repton in Derbyshire, England, shows that the cult could include elite males too, probably through Thor’s association with warfare and defeating giants. Gold filigree decoration on a pendant from Great Witchingham in Norfolk, England, underscores this elite association with the cult of Thor.
Although many of the episodes referred to are unknown from the other existing source material, there are several references that will be familiar, including the night Thor spends in a glove during his trip to Utgarda-Loki. In a similar way to Loki’s Quarrel (see Chapter 15), the poem refers to the unfaithfulness of Thor’s wife Sif; although there are no stories outlining the specifics of her unfaithfulness in the surviving corpus of Norse mythology, other than a reference to Loki being involved.
* * *
Thor was travelling from the east. He was often in the east because that was where trolls were found and Thor was often engaged in battling them. On this particular day, as he travelled, he came to an inlet of the sea. As he looked across the water he could see that on the other side of the inlet was the ferryman with his ship.
When he saw this, Thor called out: ‘Who is that weakling who is on the other side of the water?’
To this insulting question the ferryman called back: ‘And who is that peasant who is shouting across the water?’
And so there started an exchange of shouts. Some of them were boasts and some of them were insults. Either way, their words rang across that inlet of the sea. Back and forth they called to each other.
Thor offered a great reward if the ferryman would only take him across. The payment that Thor offered was an abundance of food. On his back was a basket full of herrings and oatmeal. And just as he had eaten his fill of these for his breakfast, so now he offered the same to the ferryman – if only he would put out from the opposite shore.
The ferryman was unimpressed with what Thor offered and in reply mocked the pride that Thor showed concerning his ability to offer copious amounts of food. Then, to shock him further, the ferryman declared that while Thor was away from home his mother had died. Furthermore, the ferryman mocked Thor’s wealth, doubting he owned as much as three farms of any worth. More to the point, the ferryman pointed out that since Thor stood bare-legged by the shore, he was clearly little more than a beggar who owned no trousers!
Thor ignored this studied insult and instead asked, ‘Who owns this ferryboat?’ He then went on to say that if the ferryman would but put out across the water, then he, Thor, would direct him to the best place to tie up on the other side of the inlet.
To Thor’s question about ownership, the ferryman replied that the boat’s owner was named Hildolf. And Hildolf was a respected warrior who possessed great wisdom since he had instructed the ferryman to never take on board bandits or horse-thieves! The only men who should be transported were good men who were recognised by the ferryman. To this end, he called on Thor to identify himself. Only then would the ferryman consider carrying him across the water.
Then Thor declared his identity to the ferryman, proclaiming that he was ‘Odin’s son, brother of Meili and the father of Magni’. Furthermore, he assured the ferryman that he was the powerful leader of the Æsir. In short, he declared, ‘You are talking to Thor!’ Then Thor, in turn, challenged the ferryman to state his own name.
To this the ferryman replied that he was named Harbard (which means ‘Grey Beard’) and he explained that he rarely concealed who he was. Then he defiantly stated that he would defend himself against Thor. It was clear that he did not fear the powerful member of the Æsir one little bit.
This defiance nettled Thor. ‘I’ve no intention of wetting my balls,’ he shouted, ‘by wading across to get you! But if I cross this water and get my hands on you then you’ll regret your challenging of me!’
Harbard was unmoved and said he would wait where he was. And he reminded Thor of when the hammer-wielding god had battled the giant Hrungnir. (That was the giant whose whetstone fragment was still lodged in Thor’s head.)
At this, Thor recounted how he had indeed triumphed over Hrungnir (the whetstone aside). For although that mighty giant had possessed a head of stone, still Thor had laid him low and destroyed him. Then he taunted Harbard, asking where he had been when Hrungnir was falling to Thor?
To this, Harbard replied that for five years he had been in the company of a giant by the name of Fiolvar. And in that time they had triumphed in many battles, had many adventures and had their pick of women.
To this, Thor, who was curious, asked how it was that Harbard had succeeded so well with the women and made them so inclined towards him.
To this, Harbard replied in a riddling style that had the women been loyal, then he would have had lively companions; and had they been faithful, then he would have had wise companions. In similarly obscure style, he recounted how the women had made ropes from sand and dug out the deep valleys. And yet he had succeeded in overcoming them with his stratagems and had slept with no fewer than seven sisters. From them he took their hearts and he took his own pleasure. ‘And what were you doing, Thor,’ he asked, ‘while I was doing this?’
Thor was not to be outdone and told how he had killed the giant named Thiazi, the son of Olvaldi, and had thrown his eyes into the sky to form a constellation of stars. ‘And what were you doing, Harbard,’ he asked, ‘while I was doing this?’
To which question Harbard answered that he was using spells to win over female workers of magic and to seduce them from their husband’s sides. And these love-spells were not the only signs of his magical powers for he had been given a magic staff by a giant named Hlebard and had used it against the giant himself.
Now, Thor was unimpressed by this last boast and chided Harbard that he had taken a gift and used it against the one who had generously given it to him.
‘Cut down one oak and another springs up,’ was how Harbard answered this! And added that
at such times one looked out for one’s own interests.
Thor then recounted how he, in contrast, had been fighting eastern giants while Harbard was repaying Hlebard’s generosity with betrayal. In the same place as his giant-fighting exploits, he had also killed trolls that roamed the wild mountains. And had he not been so engaged, then the race of giants would be huge in number and men and women would be wiped off the face of the earth. Thor was clearly pleased at his achievement in this respect and challenged Harbard with it.
Harbard was not to be outdone and replied with tales of battles in Valland, among the Celtic peoples. For there he had incited the nobles to engage in constant warfare, so that Odin could take his harvest of noble warriors who fell in battle. For, he chided Thor, ‘Odin takes the warriors, while Thor takes the peasants!’
To this Thor retorted that if Harbard ruled among the Æsir, then the spoils of war would be unfairly shared.
To which Harbard replied that it was a shame that Thor’s courage did not match his great strength. And he recounted how Thor had once cowered in a giant’s glove that he had chanced upon, not knowing what it was in the darkness of the night. And in that hiding place, Harbard declared: ‘You, Thor, were too afraid to as much as sneeze! You were afraid to as much as fart!’
At this Thor lost his temper and hurled insults at Harbard and declared that if only he, Thor, could cross the water, then he would smash his tormentor.
‘But we have no quarrel!’ was how Harbard replied. Which only angered Thor the more.
With his courage being mocked, Thor once again recounted his mighty deeds of valour. How in the east he had held the river-crossing against the sons of Svarang. Though they had hurled rocks at him, still he had stood against them to defend the river. And so determined was his resistance that they had been forced to sue for peace. ‘And what were you doing, Harbard, while I was triumphing in battle?’
‘While you withstood stones, I seduced a white-skinned noblewoman. That too was in the east.’ Once more Harbard paraded his sexual prowess. ‘She was bright with golden jewellery and I made her happy and she gave me pleasure.’ Then, when he saw how the story interested Thor, he went on to say how he might have been willing to accept Thor’s assistance in dealing with the girl.
‘And I’d have helped you,’ Thor replied.
But Harbard retorted enigmatically that Thor had not been called on because he had betrayed Harbard’s trust.
This Thor dismissed and told how, while Harbard was engaged with the white-skinned woman, he, Thor, had been in conflict with berserker women. And when Harbard mocked him for fighting women, Thor said how these were she-wolves who had bewitched men, assaulted his ship and threatened him with clubs made from iron.
Then Harbard declared that, in contrast, he led armies with blood-reddened spears and fluttering banners.
To which Thor accused him of threatening war on the Æsir.
Ignoring the suggestion, Harbard taunted him further, declaring that he would offer Thor some recompense for the threat and that would involve Thor’s backside.
Offended and insulted at the suggestion, Thor declared that he had never heard such shameful words.
To which Harbard mysteriously replied that he had gained these words from the ancient ones who reside in the burial mounds in the woods back home.
Thor lifted his hammer and promised that Harbard would regret such words if only Thor should manage to wade across the water between them. In such an event, the hammer blows would make Harbard howl like a wolf.
Harbard was unmoved and goaded Thor further with claims that Sif, his wife, had a lover while he was away. And that Thor would be better to enter into a trial of strength with his rival than with Harbard.
This truly upset Thor. ‘It’s easy for you to talk so lightly of something that you know distresses me,’ he said. And he accused Harbard of telling outright lies.
But Harbard just mocked him and said it was the truth that Thor was hearing and that he would be in a better position to check it out if he had only managed to get into Harbard’s ferryboat to continue his journey.
Thor exploded with rage. He called Harbard perverted and an obstruction to his journey. But still, of course, he could do nothing about his rage. For without access to the ferryboat he could neither punish the ferryman nor continue his journey. And Harbard delighted to point this out to him as he mocked the mighty Thor who was impotent in the face of a ferryman’s mockery.
This was all too much for Thor who demanded that the boat be rowed across the inlet and that Harbard should meet him, Thor the father of Magni, Thor of the Æsir, face-to-face.
To which Harbard merely replied: ‘Walk around the bay! I’ll not transport you!’
Stuck as he was, Thor had no choice but to ask the way – the way to walk home.
So Harbard shouted him directions: ‘It’s not far . . . a short distance to the stone marker . . . take the left-hand road . . . carry on until you reach Verland . . . your mother will meet you there . . . she will point out the way back to the land of Odin . . . if you put in some effort, you should be there before the sun rises, for the land is warming and the snow is melting.’
So Thor set off, shouting back threats to Harbard that if he ever met the ferryman then the grey-bearded one would suffer the wrath of Thor.
And Harbard yelled back: ‘Go to hell!’
So ended the confrontation of Thor with Harbard at the ferry place. For all his great strength, Thor of the Æsir could not compel the grey-bearded ferryman to transport him and neither could he punish Harbard for his insults and his mockery. He had been bested in the confrontation and so had to walk the long way home. Furthermore, he did not know that it was Odin who had mocked him.
15
Thor and Tyr fetch a giant cauldron from Giantland, and Loki insults the gods and goddesses in the hall of Aegir
THIS STORY IS found in the collection known as the Poetic Edda, in a section known as Hymir’s Poem. When the gods decide to hold a great feast, they force the giant Aegir to prepare the beer. He, in turn, demands a giant cauldron in which to brew the beer. This belongs to the giant Hymir and so the gods Thor and Tyr set off into Giantland to get it. In this great trial of strength, Thor is helped at crucial moments by a giant-woman. The adventure contains a version of the fishing trip for the Midgard serpent that is also found in The Tricking of Gylfi, that is preserved in the Prose Edda (for a shorter version, see Chapter 7). It also contains a version of the laming of Thor’s goat (also see Chapter 7) but in Hymir’s Poem this, rather confusingly, is placed at the end of the story and is not fully explained. It is probable that it originally was placed earlier in the poem (as in the version in the Prose Edda). To better make sense of this story, that is where it is placed here and it is expanded on (using information from the Prose Edda) in order to make better sense of the story than survives in the manuscript of the Poetic Edda.
The journey into Giantland is followed by a story called Loki’s Quarrel. In this poem, the troublemaking trickster-god, Loki, forces his way into the hall of the gods and insults every god and goddess in turn. His insults are only halted when Thor returns from journeying into Giantland and threatens the troublemaker with his great hammer. The story is complex in the original, for the poem suggests that Loki was never invited to the feast and gate-crashed it; whereas a prose introduction (also in the original manuscripts) explains that Loki was expelled for killing a servant but later returned to disrupt the event. It is likely that either there were two traditional stories (that became awkwardly combined) or that the writer of the prose introduction did not fully understand the emphasis in the (possibly earlier) poetic tradition. Here, we reconcile the two accounts.
The quarrelling includes references to many other stories that are found elsewhere in this book.
* * *
Aegir is forced to brew beer for the Æsir
The gods once returned from hunting to eat what they had caught. But before they did so they decided to
drink together. But who would provide the great cauldron in which the beer would be mixed and from which the drink would be served? They cast the rune-sticks and looked at what they indicated. They read them to understand that it would be the giant Aegir who would brew their beer for he had many suitable cauldrons.
They went to the hall of Aegir and there he sat unperturbed by their coming. Thor stared at him in defiance of the calm of that mountain-giant and demanded that he should prepare the meal for the Æsir.
This attitude irritated Aegir and so he pondered how he could punish the gods for their overbearing attitude. At last, he came up with a plan. He called on Thor to fetch him a great cauldron; one that was large enough to brew beer for such a great feast.
At this, the Æsir discussed among themselves just where they might look for such a cauldron. Eventually it was Tyr, god of war, who came up with an answer. He explained the plan to Thor. They would travel to the east, into Giantland. There, a long way off, lived Tyr’s father, a giant by the name of Hymir. He owned a cauldron that was so large that it was said that it was a league deep.
Thor considered the plan put forward by Tyr and wondered if indeed it was possible to succeed in this adventure. To which Tyr replied that they could succeed if they relied on their wits. For with trickery they could get hold of the cauldron that Aegir required to brew his vast quantity of beer.
Thor and Tyr set out to fetch the giant cauldron from Giantland
With this encouragement, Thor led the way towards the east, accompanied by Tyr. They travelled far from Asgard until they came to the home of Egill. Egill was the father of Thialfi and Roskva. It was Thialfi who had once split the bone of one of Thor’s magical goats. These were the ones that could be cooked and eaten and yet would be found to be whole the next morning. When Thor’s restored goat was found to be lame, Thialfi was punished by being forced to become Thor’s servant, along with Roskva his sister. From Egill’s home, Thor and Tyr travelled on to Hymir’s hall in the east.
Tales of Valhalla Page 12