"I see no man here who would not think it absurd to wrestle with you,
but let some one call here the old woman, my nurse, Elli, and let Thor
wrestle with her, if he will. She has cast to the ground many a man who
seemed to me to be as strong as Thor."
Then came into the hall a toothless old woman, and Utgard-Loki told her
to wrestle with Asu-Thor. The story is not a long one. The harder Thor
tightened his hold, the firmer the old woman stood. Then she began to
exert herself, Thor tottered, and at last, after a violent tussle, he
fell on one knee. On this Utgard-Loki told them to stop, adding that
Thor could not desire any one else to wrestle with him in the hall, and
the night had closed in. He showed Thor and his companions to seats, and
they passed the night, faring well.
At daybreak the next morning, Thor and his companions rose, dressed
themselves, and prepared to leave at once. Then Utgard-Loki came to them
and ordered a table to be set for them having on it plenty of meat and
drink. Afterwards he led them out of the city, and on parting asked Thor
how he thought his journey had prospered, and whether he had met with
any stronger than himself. Thor said he must own he had been much
shamed.
"And," said he, "I know you will call me a man of little might, and I
can badly bear that."
"Shall I tell you the truth?" said Utgard-Loki. "We are now out of the
city, and while I live and have my own way, you will never again enter
it. By my word you had never come in had I known before you had been so
strong and would bring us so near to great misfortune. I have deluded
thee with vain shows; first in the forest, where I met you, and where
you were unable to untie the wallet because I had bound it with
iron-thread so that you could not discover where the knot could be
loosened. After that you gave me three blows with your hammer. The first
blow, though the lightest, would have killed me had it fallen on me, but
I put a rock in my place which you did not see. In that rocky mountain
you will find three dales, one of which is very deep, those are the
dints made by your hammer. In the other games, I have deceived you with
illusions. The first one was the match with Loki. He was hungry and eat
fast, but Logi was Flame, and he consumed not only the flesh but the
trough with it. When Thjalfi contended with Hugi in running, Hugi was my
thought, and it was not possible for Thjalfi to excel that in swiftness.
When you drank of the horn and the liquor seemed to get lower so slowly,
you did, indeed, so well that had I not seen it, I should never have
believed it. You did not see that one end of the horn was in the sea,
but when you come to the shore you will see how much the sea has shrunk
in consequence of your draughts, which have caused what is called the
ebb. Nor did you do a less wondrous thing when you lifted up the cat,
and I can assure you all were afraid when you raised one of its paws off
the ground. The cat was the great Midgard serpent which lies stretched
round the whole earth, and when you raised it so high then did its
length barely suffice to enclose the earth between its head and tail.
Your wrestling match with Elli was, too, a great feat, for no one has
there been yet, and no one shall there be whom old age does not come and
trip up, if he but await her coming. Now we must part, and let me say
that it will be better for both of us if you never more come to seek me,
for I shall always defend my city with tricks, so that you will never
overcome me."
When Thor heard that he grasped his mace in a rage, and raised it to
hurl it at Utgard-Loki, but he had disappeared. Then Thor wanted to
return to the city, but he could see nothing but a wide fair plain. So
he turned, and went on his way till he came to Thrudvang, resolving if
he had an opportunity to attack the Midgard serpent.