45. "But tell me," he (Gangler) continued, "did it ever happen to
Thor in his expeditions to be overcome either by spells or by
downright force?"
"Few can take upon them to affirm this," replied Har, "and yet it has
often fared hard enough with him; but had he in reality been worsted
in any rencounter there would be no need to make mention of it, since
all are bound to believe that nothing can resist his power."
"It would, therefore, appear," said Gangler, "that I have asked of you
things that none of you are able to tell me of."
"There are, indeed, some such rumours current among us," answered
Jafnhar, "but they are hardly credible; however, there is one sitting
here can impart them to thee, and thou shouldst the rather believe
him, for never having yet uttered an untruth, he will not now begin to
deceive thee with false stories."
"Here then will I stand," said Gangler, "and listen to what ye have to
say, but if ye cannot answer my question satisfactorily I shall look
upon you as vanquished."
Then spake Thridi and said, "We can easily conceive that thou art
desirous of knowing these tidings, but it behooves thee to guard a
becoming silence respecting them. The story I have to relate is
this:--
46. "One day the God Thor set out in his car drawn by two he-goats,
and accompanied by Loki, on a journey. Night coming on, they put up at
a peasant's cottage, where Thor killed his goats, and after flaying
them, put them in the kettle. When the flesh was sodden, he sat down
with his fellow-traveller to supper, and invited the peasant and his
family to partake of his repast. The peasant's son was named Thjalfi,
and his daughter Roska. Thor bade them throw all the bones into the
goats' skins which were spread out near the fire-place, but young
Thjalfi broke one of the shank bones with his knife to come to the
marrow. Thor having passed the night in the cottage, rose at the dawn
of day, and when he was dressed took his mallet Mjolnir, and lifting
it up, consecrated the goats' skins, which he had no sooner done than
the two goats re-assumed their wonted form, only that one of them now
limped on one of its hind legs. Thor perceiving this, said that the
peasant, or one of his family, had handled the shank bone of this goat
too roughly, for he saw clearly that it was broken. It may readily be
imagined how frightened the peasant was when he saw Thor knit his
brows, and grasp the handle of his mallet with such force that the
joints of his fingers became white from the exertion. Fearing to be
struck down by the very looks of the god, the peasant and his family
made joint suit for pardon, offering whatever they possessed as an
atonement for the offence committed. Thor, seeing their fear, desisted
from his wrath, and became more placable, and finally contented
himself by requiring the peasant's children, Thjalfi and Roska, who
became his bond-servants, and have followed him ever since.
'Leaving his goats with the peasant, Thor proceeded eastward on the
road to Jotunheim, until he came to the shores of a vast and deep sea,
which having passed over he penetrated into a strange country along
with his companions, Loki, Thjalfi, and Roska. They had not gone far
before they saw before them an immense forest, through which they
wandered all day. Thjalfi was of all men the swiftest of foot. He bore
Thor's wallet, but the forest was a bad place for finding anything
eatable to stow in it. When it became dark, they searched on all sides
for a place where they might pass the night, and at last came to a
very large hall with an entrance that took up the whole breadth of one
of the ends of the building. Here they chose them a place to sleep in;
but towards midnight were alarmed by an earthquake which shook the
whole edifice. Thor, rising up, called on his companions to seek with
him a place of safety. On the right they found an adjoining chamber,
into which they entered, but while the others, trembling with fear,
crept into the furthest corner of this retreat, Thor remained at the
doorway with his mallet in his hand, prepared to defend himself,
whatever might happen. A terrible groaning was heard during the night,
and at dawn of day, Thor went out and observed lying near him a man of
enormous bulk, who slept and snored pretty loudly. Thor could now
account for the noise they had heard over night, and girding on his
Belt of Prowess, increased that divine strength which he now stood in
need of. The giant awakening, rose up, and it is said that for once in
his life Thor was afraid to make use of his mallet, and contented
himself by simply asking the giant his name.
"'My name is Skrymir, said the other, 'but I need not ask thy name,
for I know thou art the God Thor. But what hast thou done with my
glove?' And stretching out his hand Skrymir picked up his glove, which
Thor then perceived was what they had taken over night for a hall, the
chamber where they had sought refuge being the thumb. Skrymir then
asked whether they would have his fellowship, and Thor consenting, the
giant opened his wallet and began to eat his breakfast. Thor and his
companions having also taken their morning repast, though in another
place, Skrymir proposed that they should lay their provisions
together, which Thor also assented to. The giant then put all the meat
into one wallet, which he slung on his back and went before them,
taking tremendous strides, the whole day, and at dusk sought out for
them a place where they might pass the night under a large oak tree.
Skrymir then told them that he would lie down to sleep. 'But take ye
the wallet,' he added, 'and prepare your supper.'
"Skrymir soon fell asleep, and began to snore strongly, but incredible
though it may appear, it must nevertheless be told, that when Thor
came to open the wallet he could not untie a single knot, nor render a
single string looser than it was before. Seeing that his labour was in
vain, Thor became wroth, and grasping his mallet with both hands while
he advanced a step forward, launched it at the giant's head. Skrymir,
awakening, merely asked whether a leaf had not fallen on his head, and
whether they had supped and were ready to go to sleep. Thor answered
that they were just going to sleep, and so saying, went and laid
himself down under another oak tree. But sleep came not that night to
Thor, and when he remarked that Skrymir snored again so loud that the
forest re-echoed with the noise, he arose, and grasping his mallet,
launched it with such force that it sunk into the giant's skull up to
the handle. Skrymir awakening, cried out--
"'What's the matter? did an acorn fall on my head? How fares it with
thee, Thor?'
"But Thor went away hastily, saying that he had just then awoke, and
that as it was only midnight there was still time for sleep. He
however resolved that if he had an opportunity of striking a third
blow, it should settle all matters between them. A little before
daybreak he perceived that Skrymir was again fast asleep, and again
grasping his mallet, dashed it with such violence that it forced its
way into the giant's cheek up to the handle. But Skrymir sat up, and
stroking his cheek, said--
"'Are there any birds perched on this tree? Methought when I awoke
some moss from the branches fell on my head. What! Art thou awake,
Thor? Methinks it is time for us to get up and dress ourselves; but
you have not now a long way before you to the city called Utgard. I
have heard you whispering to one another that I am not a man of small
dimensions; but if you come into Utgard you will see there many men
much taller than myself. Wherefore I advise you, when you come there,
not to make too much of yourselves, for the followers of Utgard-Loki
will not brook the boasting of such mannikins as ye are. The best
thing you could do would probably be to turn back again, but if you
persist in going on, take the road that leads eastward, for mine now
lies northward to those rocks which you may see in the distance.'
"Hereupon, he threw his wallet over his shoulders and turned away from
them, into the forest, and I could never hear that Thor wished to meet
with him a second time.
47. "Thor and his companions proceeded on their way, and towards
noon descried a city standing in the middle of a plain. It was so
lofty that they were obliged to bend their necks quite back on their
shoulders ere they could see to the top of it. On arriving at the
walls they found the gateway closed with a gate of bars strongly
locked and bolted. Thor, after trying in vain to open it, crept with
his companions through the bars, and thus succeeded in gaining
admission into the city. Seeing a large palace before them, with the
door wide open, they went in and found a number of men of prodigious
stature sitting on benches in the hall. Going further, they came
before the king, Utgard-Loki, whom they saluted with great respect.
Their salutations were however returned by a contemptuous look from
the king, who, after regarding them for some time, said with a
scornful smile--
"'It is tedious to ask for tidings of a long journey, yet if I do not
mistake me, that stripling there must be Aku-Thor. Perhaps,' he added,
addressing himself to Thor, 'thou mayst be taller than thou appearest
to be. But what are the feats that thou and thy fellows deem
yourselves skilled in, for no one is permitted to remain here who does
not, in some feat or other, excel all other men.'
"'The feat I know,' replied Loki, 'is to eat quicker than any one
else, and in this I am ready to give a proof against any one here who
may choose to compete with me.'
"'That will indeed be a feat,' said Utgard-Loki, 'if thou performest
what thou promisest, and it shall be tried forthwith.'
"He then ordered one of his men, who was sitting at the further end of
the bench, and whose name was Logi,[134] to come forward and try his
skill with Loki. A trough filled with flesh meat having been set on
the hall floor, Loki placed himself at one end, and Logi at the other,
and each of them, began to eat as fast as he could, until they met in
the middle of the trough. But it was found that Loki had only eaten
the flesh, whereas his adversary had devoured both flesh and bone, and
the trough to boot. All the company therefore adjudged that Loki was
vanquished.
"Utgard-Loki then asked what feat the young man who accompanied Thor
could perform. Thjalfi answered that he would run a race with any one
who might be matched against him. The king observed that skill in
running was something to boast of, but that if the youth would win the
match he must display great agility. He then arose and went with all
who were present to a plain where there was a good ground for running
on, and calling a young man named Hugi,[135] bade him run a match with
Thjalfi. In the first course Hugi so much outstripped his competitor
that he turned back and met him not far from the starting-place.
"'Thou must ply thy legs better, Thjalfi,' said Utgard-Loki, 'if thou
wilt win the match, though I must needs say that there never came a
man here swifter of foot than thou art.'
"In the second course, Thjalfi was a full bow-shot from the goal when
Hugi arrived at it.
"'Most bravely dost thou run, Thjalfi,' said Utgard-Loki, 'though thou
wilt not, methinks, win the match. But the third, course must decide.'
"They accordingly ran a third time, but Hugi had already reached the
goal before Thjalfi had got half way. All who were present then cried
out that there had been a sufficient trial of skill in this kind of
exercise.
50. "Utgard-Loki then asked Thor in what feats he would choose to
give proofs of that dexterity for which he was so famous. Thor
replied, that he would begin a drinking match with any one.
Utgard-Loki consented, and entering the palace, bade his cupbearer
bring the large horn which his followers were obliged to drink out of
when they had trespassed in any way against established usage. The
cupbearer having presented it to Thor, Utgard-Loki said--
"'Whoever is a good drinker will empty that horn at a single draught,
though some men make two of it, but the most puny drinker of all can
do it at three.'
"Thor looked at the horn, which seemed of no extraordinary size,
though somewhat long; however, as he was very thirsty, he set it to
his lips, and without drawing breath pulled as long and as deeply as
he could, that he might not be obliged to make a second draught of it;
but when he set the horn down and looked in, he could scarcely
perceive that the liquor was diminished.
"''Tis well drunken,' exclaimed Utgard-Loki, 'though nothing much to
boast of; and I would not have believed had it been told me that
Asa-Thor could not have taken a greater draught, but thou no doubt
meanest to make amends at the second pull.'
"Thor, without answering, went to it again with all his might, but
when he took the horn from his mouth it seemed to him as if he had
drunk rather less than before, although the horn could now be carried
without spilling.
"'How now, Thor,' said Utgard-Loki; 'thou must not spare thyself more
in performing a feat than befits thy skill; but if thou meanest to
drain the horn at the third draught thou must pull deeply; and I must
needs say that thou wilt not be called so mighty a man here as thou
art among the Æsir, if thou showest no greater prowess in other feats
than, methinks, will be shown in this.'
"Thor, full of wrath, again set the horn to his lips, and exerted
himself to the utmost to empty it entirely, but on looking in found
that the liquor was only a little lower, upon which he resolved to
make no further attempt, but gave back the horn to the cupbearer.
51. "'I now see plainly,' said Utgard-Loki, 'that thou are not quite
so stout as we thought thee, but wilt thou try any other feat, though,
methinks, thou art not likely to bear any prize away with thee hence.'
"'I will try another feat,' replied Thor, 'and I am sure such draughts
as I have been drinking would not have been reckoned small among the
Æsir; but what new trial hast thou to propose?'
"'We have a very, trifling game here,' answered Ut-gard-Loki, 'in
which we exercise none but children. It consists in merely lifting my
cat from the ground, nor should I have dared to mention such a feat to
Asa-Thor if I had not already observed that thou art by no means what
we took thee for.'
"As he finished speaking, a large grey cat sprung on the hall floor.
Thor advancing put his hand under the cat's belly, and did his utmost
to raise him from the floor, but the cat bending his back had,
notwithstanding all Thor's efforts, only one of his feet lifted up,
seeing which, Thor made no further attempt.
"'This trial has turned out,' said Utgard-Loki, 'just as I imagined it
would; the cat is large, but Thor is little in comparison to our men.'
"'Little as ye call me,' answered Thor, 'let me see who amongst you
will come hither now I am in wrath, and wrestle with me.'
"'I see no one here,' said Utgard-Loki, looking at the men sitting on
the benches, 'who would not think it beneath him to wrestle with thee;
let somebody, however, call hither that old crone, my nurse Elli,[136]
and let Thor wrestle with her if he will. She has thrown to the
ground many a man not less strong and mighty than this Thor is.'
53. "A toothless old woman then entered the hall, and was told by
Utgard-Loki to take hold of Thor. The tale is shortly told. The more
Thor tightened his hold on the crone the firmer she stood. At length,
after a very violent struggle, Thor began to lose his footing, and was
finally brought down upon one knee. Utgard-Loki then told them to
desist, adding that Thor had now no occasion to ask any one else in
the hall to wrestle with him, and it was also getting late. He
therefore showed Thor and his companions to their seats, and they
passed the night there in good cheer.
54. "The next morning, at break of day, Thor and his companions
dressed themselves and prepared for their departure. Utgard-Loki then
came and ordered a table to be set for them, on which there was no
lack either of victuals or drink. After the repast Utgard-Loki led
them to the gate of the city, and, on parting, asked Thor how he
thought his journey had turned out, and whether he had met with any
men stronger than himself. Thor told him that he could not deny but
that he had brought great shame on himself. 'And what grieves me
most,' he added, 'is that ye will call me a man of little worth.'
55. "'Nay,' said Utgard-Loki, 'it behooves me to tell thee the truth
now thou are out of the city which so long as I live, and have my way,
thou shalt never re-enter. And by my troth, had I known beforehand
that thou hadst so much strength in thee, and wouldst have brought me
so near to a great mishap, I would not have suffered thee to enter
this time. Know then that I have all along deceived thee by my
illusions; first, in the forest, where I arrived before thee, and
there thou wert not able to untie the wallet, because I had bound it
with iron wire, in such a manner that thou couldst not discover how
the knot ought to be loosened. After this, thou gavest me three blows
with thy mallet; the first, though the least, would have ended my days
had it fallen on me, but I brought a rocky mountain before me which
thou didst not perceive, and in this mountain thou wilt find three
glens, one of them remarkably deep. These are the dints made by thy
mallet. I have made use of similar illusions in the contests ye have
had with my followers. In the first, Loki, like hunger itself,
devoured all that was set before him, but Logi was, in reality,
nothing else than ardent fire, and therefore consumed not only the
meat but the trough which held it. Hugi, with whom Thjalfi contended
in running, was Thought, and it was impossible for Thjalfi to keep
pace with that. When thou, in thy turn, didst try to empty the horn,
thou didst perform, by my troth, a deed so marvellous, that had I not
seen it myself I should never have believed it. For one end of that
horn reached the sea, which thou wast not aware of, but when thou
comest to the shore thou wilt perceive how much the sea has sunk by
thy draughts, which have caused what is now called the ebb. Thou didst
perform a feat no less wonderful by lifting up the cat, and to tell
thee the truth, when we saw that one of his paws was off the floor, we
were all of us terror-stricken, for what thou tookest for a cat was
in reality the great Midgard serpent that encompassed the whole earth,
and he was then barely long enough to inclose it between his head and
tail, so high had thy hand raised him up towards heaven. Thy wrestling
with Elli was also a most astonishing feat, for there was never yet a
man, nor ever shall be, whom Old Age, for such in fact was Elli, will
not sooner or later lay low if he abide her coming. But now as we are
going to part, let me tell thee that it will be better for both of us
if thou never come near me again, for shouldst thou do so, I shall
again defend myself by other illusions, so that thou wilt never
prevail against me.'
"On hearing these words, Thor, in a rage, laid hold of his mallet and
would have launched it at him, but Utgard-Loki had disappeared, and
when Thor would have returned to the city to-destroy it, he found
nothing around him but a verdant plain. Proceeding, therefore, on his
way, he returned without stopping to Thrudvang. But he had already
resolved to make that attack on the Midgard serpent which afterwards
took place. I trust," concluded Thridi, "that thou wilt now
acknowledge that no one can tell thee truer tidings than those thou
hast heard respecting this journey of Thor to Jotunheim."