The Giant's Daughters
_This is the tale the Northmen tell of how
the Giant's Daughters tried to kill Thor._
Ugliest and wickedest of all the giants was Geirrod, who lived in a
great gloomy castle away in a dark corner of Giantland, with his two
giant daughters, Gialp and Greip.
Hideous, indeed, were they, for, besides being of huge misshapen
figure and clumsy of feature, the one had red eyes and the other had
perfectly black teeth.
Now, when Geirrod heard of the death of Thrym, his brother, he waxed
very wroth, and swore with a great oath that he would never rest till
he had wreaked vengeance on Thor.
Loudly he described the terrible things he would do to him if only he
could catch him without his hammer, his belt of power, and his gloves
of might; and one ugly daughter blinked her red eyes, and the other
gnashed her black teeth, and both clamoured to have what might be left
of the Asa when their father had finished with him.
Meantime Thor was not even aware of the existence of these folk, and
it did not seem at all likely that he would put himself in their way.
About the time that Geirrod was thus breathing out threats against the
Thunderer, Loki grew restless within the walls of Asgard, and,
recalling the fun he had had when he visited Giantland in the guise of
a bird, he went to Freya once more with intent to borrow her falcon
dress. But Freya would not lend it again, for she had no liking for
Red Loki. So the mischievous fellow waited for a moment when she was
busy watering the blades of young corn, and stole the dress.
Only a few moments passed ere Loki was on the wing. To and fro he
flitted for awhile, and then directed his flight towards Giantland,
until at length, as luck would have it, he found himself hovering
above the towers of Geirrod's castle.
The giant and his family were sitting at their great table as Loki
arrived upon the scene. Peering through the open window he could see
the ugly trio snatching at the joints from the smoking dishes, and
half choking themselves in their efforts each to eat faster than the
rest.
Perching on the window-sill, Loki could not resist a croaking chuckle
of amusement, and at the same time his great wings shut out much of
the light, so that the giant's attention was attracted, and he looked
quickly up.
"Ho! Catch me yon bird!" he cried to one of his servants, for there
was that about the appearance of the falcon that revealed the truth to
Geirrod at a glance.
The servant leapt at once to the window-sill; but the ledge was too
high for him, and Loki croaked and chuckled at his vain attempts,
keeping all but within reach in order to increase the fun.
But suddenly the servant, giving an extra high spring, managed to get
a grip of the sill, and as Loki spread his wings in flight he found
his feet firmly caught in some ivy. In vain he struggled to get free,
the servant seized him fast and carried him off in triumph to Geirrod.
"Who are you?" asked the giant; but Loki only blinked and made no
reply.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded again; but still he got only a
blink for answer.
"Who sent you to spy upon us?" roared Geirrod; Loki gave only another
blink.
Then the giant arose in wrath, and, declaring that hunger and thirst
were the best things in the world to teach a bird to talk, he locked
the unfortunate Asa in a strong cage, with neither food nor drink.
For three whole months he languished, and then at last, being at the
point of death, he croaked out feebly that he was Asa Loki, and
promised anything in his power if Geirrod would only set him free.
This was the chance which the giant had been waiting for.
"Bring me here," said he, "yon Thor of whom I hear so much, and see
that he comes without his hammer or his belt of strength or his gloves
of might."
And this Loki promised to do.
As soon as he was able, Loki flew back to Asgard, with a fine story
composed upon the way. He told Thor that during his three months'
absence he had been a welcome guest at the hall of a friendly giant,
Geirrod by name; and that, when he had reluctantly torn himself away,
the giant had expressed the strongest wish that he would revisit him,
along with Thor the Thunderer, of whose brave deeds he had often heard
tell.
Flattered by these honeyed words, Thor readily fell into the trap and
agreed to accompany Loki to Geirrod's hall. He even laid aside his
hammer, girdle, and gloves, when Loki pointed out that to wear such
things would not be courteous to their friendly host.
Then the two set forth together.
Now on their way they passed the house of Grid, a kindly old giantess,
who had long been a friend of Thor's. Sitting in her doorway, she saw
them pass by, and beckoned to Thor to come to her, while Loki,
unsuspecting, went on his way.
"Whence goest thou, Asa Thor?" asked the old giantess.
"To Geirrod's hall, good mother," he cheerfully replied. "Do you know
him?"
"Know him!" said Grid, with a hoarse chuckle. "Is there anyone who
does not know Geirrod? But why, my son Thor, do you go unarmed to the
hall of the strongest and wickedest of all the giants?"
Then Thor ground his teeth, exclaiming: "This is another trick of that
rascal Loki! And now, what is to be done, for if I return to fetch
Miölnir, and my girdle of strength and my gloves of might, they will
say that Thor is afraid."
Now Grid was possessed of a girdle of strength, a staff of power, and
gloves of might, and these she produced and gave to Thor, bidding him
say not a word about them.
And when Thor had thanked her he resumed his way after Loki.
Presently the two Asas came to the brink of a river which is the
largest in all the world, and the waves were dashing far above their
heads. Then Thor buckled on the belt of strength and, taking the staff
firmly in his grasp, he stepped boldly into the water, while Loki
clung to his belt, for he was afraid. Higher and higher rose the
waves, and if Thor had not kept a firm grip on the staff of power he
must have been washed away. But Loki, overcome with fear, let go of
the belt and was carried by the waves back whence he came; and from
thence he hastened back to Asgard as fast as he could run.
When Thor had reached midstream he saw Gialp, the red-eyed daughter of
the giant, stirring up the water at its source with intent to
overwhelm him. So, stooping quickly, he took up out of the river an
enormous rock and threw it at her. He was not wont to miss his mark,
and the giantess fled, howling. At once the waters abated, and Thor,
seeing a mountain ash over-hanging the river caught at it and pulled
himself safely ashore.
This is why the mountain ash from that time has been called "Thor's
Salvation."
Wearied with his journey, Thor gladly turned his steps towards
Geirrod's hall, which loomed out of the darkness near by. He was
received with much honour by the giant's servants, though Geirrod
himself had not yet returned home.
A banquet had been prepared within the hall, and thither Thor was
conducted. But, somewhat to his surprise, he could see only one chair.
This, however, was large and roomy, draped round the legs and
comfortably cushioned, so the Asa was glad to throw his tired limbs
upon it.
But scarcely had he done so, when the chair began to rise beneath him,
and it ascended towards the rafters with such force and speed that in
another moment Thor would have been crushed to death, had he not
retained his hold of the staff of power. This he now pushed against
the rafters, and at the same time he pressed down on the seat with
such force that he descended again with a loud crash, which was
mingled with shrieks and screams. For Gialp and Greip, the giant's
daughters, had hidden themselves under the chair, intending to kill
Thor, and had now met the fate which they had prepared for him.
After this, Thor proceeded to eat a good supper, and scarcely had he
finished when the Giant Geirrod came striding into the hall.
He gnashed his teeth horribly when he saw Thor sitting quite at home,
but he pretended that he was pleased at his visit, and at once invited
him into another hall, where a number of large fires were burning.
Here he proceeded to challenge Thor to a contest of skill in throwing.
The Thunderer, nothing loth, bade Geirrod give the signal.
But Geirrod, thinking to catch Thor off his guard, snatched up a
red-hot wedge of iron from the fire and flung it at him.
Quick as lightning, Thor caught the wedge in his glove of might, and
so forcibly did he throw it back that it passed through the giant,
through the pillar in front of which he stood, through the wall of his
castle, and at last buried itself fathoms deep in the rock without.
Nor was this all, for at the touch of the red-hot iron the body of
Geirrod was turned into stone; this Thor now took and set up on top of
a high mountain in Giantland; and it was long before any of the folk
of that country dared try conclusions with the Thunderer again.
And this is the end of the tale of How the Giant's Daughters tried to
kill Thor.