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How Thor Went to Jotunheim, in Myths and Legends Around the World, Collection 18, from The
Heroes of Asgard, Tales from Scandinavian Mythology. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. How Thor Went to Jotunheim, by
A. and E. Keary. From Asgard to Utgard. Once upon a time, Asa Thor and Loki set out on a
journey from Asgard to Jotunheim.

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They traveled in Thor's chariot, drawn by two milk-white goats. It was a somewhat cumbrous
iron chariot, and the wheels made a rumbling noise as it moved, which sometimes startled the
ladies of Asgard and made them tremble. But Thor liked it, thought the noise sweeter than any
music, and was never so happy as when he was journeying in it from one place to another.

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They traveled all day, and in the evening they came to a countryman's house. It was a poor,
lonely place, but Thor descended from his chariot and determined to pass the night there. The
countryman, however, had no food in his house to give these travelers, and Thor, who liked to
feast himself and make everyone feast with him, was obliged to kill his own two goats and
serve them up for supper.

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He invited the countryman and his wife and children to sup with him, but before they began to
eat, he made one request of them. Do not, on any account, he said, break or throw away any of
the bones of the goats you are going to eat for supper. I wonder why," said the peasant's son
Thialfi to his sister Rosca.

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Rosca could not think of any reason, and by-the-by Thialfi happened to have a very nice little
bone given him, with some marrow in it. Certainly there could be no harm in my breaking just
this one," he said to himself. It would be such a pity to lose the marrow.

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And as Asa Thor's head was turned the other way, he slyly broke the bone in two, sucked the
marrow, and then threw the pieces into the goats' skins, where Thor had desired that all the
bones might be placed. I do not know whether Thialfi was uneasy during that night about what
he had done, but in the morning he found out the reason of Asa Thor's command, and received
a lesson on wondering why, which he never forgot all his life after. As soon as Asa Thor rose in
the morning, he took his hammer, Mjolnir, in his hand, and held it over the goats' skins as they
lay on the floor, whispering runes the while.

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There were dead skins with dry bones on them when he began to speak. But as he said the last
word, Thialfi, who was looking curiously on, saw two live goats spring up and walk towards the
chariot, as fresh and as well as when they brought the chariot up to the door, Thialfi hoped. But
no, one of the goats limped a little with its hind leg, and Asa Thor saw it.

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His brow grew dark as he looked, and for a minute Thialfi thought he would run far, far into the
forest and never come back again. But one more look at Asa Thor's face, angry as it was, made
him change his mind. He thought of a better thing to do than running away.

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He came forward, threw himself at the Asa's feet, and, confessing what he had done, begged
pardon for his disobedience. Thor listened, and the displeased look passed away from his face.
You have done wrong, Thialfi, he said, raising him up.

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But as you have confessed your fault so bravely, instead of punishing you, I will take you with
me on my journey, and teach you myself the lesson of obedience to the Isir which is, I see,
wanted. Raska chose to go with her brother, and from that day Thor had two faithful servants
who followed him wherever he went. The chariot and goats were now left behind, but, with Loki
and his two new followers, Thor journeyed on to the end of Mannheim, over the sea, and then
on, on, on, in the strange, barren, misty land of Jotunheim.

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Sometimes they crossed great mountains, sometimes they had to make their way among torn
and ragged rocks, which often, through the mist, appeared to them to wear the forms of men,
and once, for a whole day, they traversed a thick and tangled forest. In the evening of that day,
being very much tired, they saw with pleasure that they had come upon a spacious hall, of
which the door, as broad as the house itself, stood wide open. "'Here we may very comfortably
lodge for the night,' said Thor, and they went in and looked about them.

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The house appeared to be perfectly empty. There was a wide hall, and five smaller rooms
opening into it. They were, however, too tired to examine it carefully, and as no inhabitants
made their appearance, they ate their supper in the hall and lay down to sleep.

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But they had not rested long before they were disturbed by strange noises, groanings,
mutterings, and snortings, louder than any animal that they had ever seen in their lives could
make. By and by the house began to shake from side to side, and it seemed as if the very earth
trembled. Thor sprang up in haste and ran to the door.

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But, though he looked earnestly into the starlit forest, there was no enemy to be seen
anywhere. Loki and Fjalfi, after groping about for some time, found a sheltered chamber to the
right, where they thought they could finish their night's rest safely. But Thor, with Mjolnir in his
hand, watched at the door of the house all night.

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As soon as the day dawned, he went out into the forest, and there, stretched on the ground
close by the house, he saw a strange, uncouth, gigantic shape of a man, out of whose nostrils
came a breath which swayed the trees to their very tops. There was no need to wonder any
longer what the disturbing noises had been. Thor fearlessly walked up to the strange monster
to have a better look at him.

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But at the sound of his footsteps the giant shape rose slowly, stood up an immense height, and
looked down upon Thor with two great misty eyes like blue mountain lakes. "'Who are you?'
said Thor, standing on tiptoe and stretching his neck to look up. "'And why do you make such a
noise to prevent your neighbors from sleeping?' "'My name is Skrymir,' said the giant sternly.

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"'I need not ask yours. "'You're the little Asa Thor of Asgard. "'But pray now, what have you
done with my glove?' As he spoke he stooped down and picked up the hall where Thor and his
companions had passed the night, and which, in truth, was nothing more than his glove, the
room where Loki and Thialfi had slept being the thumb.

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Thor rubbed his eyes and felt as if he must be dreaming. Rousing himself, however, he raised
Mjolnir in his hand, and trying to keep his eyes fixed on the giant's face, which seemed to be
always changing, he said, "'It is time that you should know, Skrymir, that I am come to
Jotunheim to fight and conquer such evil giants as you are. "'And, little as you think me, I am
ready to try my strength against yours.' "'Try it, then,' said the giant.
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And Thor, without another word, threw Mjolnir at his head. "'Ah, ah!' said the giant. "'Did a leaf
touch me?' Again Thor seized Mjolnir, which always returned to his hand however far he cast it
from him, and threw it with all his force.

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The giant put up his hand to his forehead. "'I think,' he said, "'that an acorn must have fallen on
my head.' A third time Thor struck a blow, the heaviest that ever fell from the hand of an assa.
But this time the giant laughed out loud.

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"'There is surely a bird on that tree,' he said, 'who has let a feather fall on my face.' Then,
without taking any further notice of Thor, he swung an immense wallet over his shoulder, and,
turning his back upon him, struck into a path that led from the forest. When he had gone a little
way, he looked round, his immense face appearing less like a human countenance than some
strange, uncouthly-shaped stone toppling on a mountain precipice. "'Ving, Thor!' he said.

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"'Let me give you a piece of good advice before I go. "'When you get to Utgard, don't make
much of yourself. "'You think me a tall man, but you have taller still to see, and you yourself are
a very little mankin.

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"'Turn back whence you came, and be satisfied that you have learned something of yourself by
your journey to Jotunheim.'" "'Mankin or not, that I will never do!' shouted Assa Thor after the
giant. "'We will meet again, and something more we will learn or teach each other.'" The giant,
however, did not turn back to answer, and Thor and his companions, after looking for some
time after him, resumed their journey. Before the sun was quite high in the heavens they came
out of the forest, and at noon they found themselves on a vast barren plain where stood a
great city whose walls of dark rough stone were so high that Thor had to bend his head quite
far back to see the top of them.

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When they approached the entrance to this city, they found that the gates were closed and
barred. But the space between the bars was so large that Thor passed through easily, and his
companions followed him. The streets of the city were gloomy and still.

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They walked on for some time without meeting anyone, but at length they came upon a very
high building of which the gates stood open. "'Let us go in and see what is going on here,' said
Thor, and they went. After crossing the threshold they found themselves in an immense
banqueting hall.

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A table stretched from one end to the other of it. Stone thrones stood round the table, and on
every throne sat a giant, each one, as Thor glanced round, appearing more grim and cold and
stony than the rest. One among them sat on a raised seat and appeared to be the chief, so to
him Thor approached and paid his greetings.

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The giant chief just glanced at him, and without raising, said in a somewhat careless manner,
"'It is, I think, a foolish custom to tease tired travellers with questions about their journey. I
know without asking that you, little fellow, are Asa Thor. Perhaps, however, you may be in
reality taller than you appear, as it is a rule here that no one shall sit down to table until he has
performed some wonderful feat.

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Let us hear what you and your followers are famed for, and in what way you choose to prove
yourselves worthy to sit down in the company of giants." At this speech Loki, who had entered
the hall cautiously behind Thor, pushed himself forward. "'The feat for which I am most famed,'
he said, "'is eating, and it is one which I am just now inclined to perform with right good will.
Put food before me, and let me see if any of your followers can dispatch it as quickly as I can.'"
"'The feat you speak of is by no means despised,' said the king, "'and there is one here who
would be glad to try his powers against yours.

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Let Logi,' he said to one of his followers, "'be summoned to the hall.'" At this a tall, thin, yellow-
faced man approached, and a large trough of meat having been placed in the middle of the
hall, Loki sat at one end and Logi at the other, and they began to eat. I hope I shall never see
anyone eat as they ate, but the giants all turned their slow-moving eyes to watch them, and in a
few minutes they met in the middle of the trough. It seemed at first as if both had eaten exactly
the same quantity, but when the thing came to be examined into, it was found that Loki had
indeed eaten up all the meat, but that Logi had also eaten the bones and the trough.

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Then the giants nodded their huge heads and determined that Loki was conquered. The king
now turned to Thealfi and asked what he could do. "'I was thought swift of foot among the
youth of my own country,' answered Thealfi, "'and I will, if you please, try to run a race with
anyone here.'" "'You have chosen a noble sport indeed,' said the king, "'but you must be a good
runner if you could beat him with whom I shall match you.'" Then he called a slender lad,
Hughuy by name, and the whole company left the hall, and, going out by an opposite gate to
that by which Thor had entered, they came out to an open space, which made a noble race
ground.

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There the goal was fixed, and Thealfi and Hughuy started off together. Thealfi ran fast, fast as
the reindeer which hears the wolves howling behind, but Hughuy ran so much faster that,
passing the goal, he turned round and met Thealfi halfway in the course. "'Try again, Thealfi,'
cried the king.

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And Thealfi, once more taking his place, flew along the course, with feet scarcely touching the
ground, swiftly as an eagle when, from his mountain crag, he swoops on his prey in the valley.
But with all his running, he was still a good bow-shot from the goal when Hughuy reached it.
"'You are certainly a good runner,' said the king.

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But if you mean to win, you must do a little better still than this. But perhaps you wish to
surprise us all the more this third time.' The third time, however, Thealfi was wearied, and
though he did his best, Hughuy having reached the goal, turned and met him not far from the
starting point. The giants again looked at each other, and declared that there was no need for
further trial, for that Thealfi was conquered.

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It was now Ossa Thor's turn, and all the company looked eagerly at him while the Utgard king
asked by what wonderful feat he chose to distinguish himself. "'I will try a drinking-match with
any of you,' Thor said shortly, for, to tell the truth, he cared not to perform anything very
worthy in the company in which he found himself. King Utgard appeared pleased with this
choice, and when the giants had resumed their seats in the hall, he ordered one of his servants
to bring in his drinking-cup, called the Cup of Penance, which it was his custom to make his
guests drain at a drow if they had broken any of the ancient rules of the society.

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"'There,' he said, handing it to Thor, "'we call it well drunk if a person empties it at a single drow.
"'Some, indeed, take it two, "'but the very puniest can manage it in three.' "'Thor looked into the
cup. "'It appeared to him long, but not so very large after all, "'and being thirsty, he put his lips
to it "'and thought to make short work of it and empty it in one good, hearty pull.

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"'He drank and put the cup down again, "'but, instead of being empty, it was now just so full
"'that it could be moved without danger of spilling.' "'Ha, ha! You are keeping all of your
strength for a second pull, I see,' said Utgard, looking in. "'Without answering, Thor lifted the
cup again "'and drank with all his might till his breath failed. "'But when he put down the cup,
"'the liquor had only sunk down a little from the brim.' "'If you mean to take three drows to it,'
said Utgard, "'you are really leaving yourself a very unfair share for the last time.

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"'Look to yourself, Ving Thor, "'for if you do not acquit yourself better in other feats, "'we shall
not think so much of you here "'as they say the Isir do in Asgard.' "'At this speech Thor felt
angry, "'and seizing the cup again, he drank a third time, "'deeper and longer than he had yet
done. "'But when he looked into the cup, "'he saw that a very small part only of its contents had
disappeared. "'Wearied and disappointed, he put the cup down, "'and he said he would try no
more to empty it.

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"'It is pretty plain,' said the King, looking round on the company, "'that Ossethor is by no means
the kind of man we always supposed him to be.' "'Nay,' said Thor, "'I am willing to try another
feat, "'and you yourselves shall choose what it shall be.' "'Well,' said the King, "'there is a game
at which our children are used to play. "'A short time ago I dare not have named it to Ossethor,
"'but now I am curious to see how he will acquit himself. "'It is merely to lift my cat from the
ground.

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"'A childish amusement, truly.' "'As he spoke, a large grey cat sprang into the hall, "'and Thor,
stooping forward, put his hand under it to lift. "'He tried gently at first, "'but by degrees he put
forth all his strength, "'tugging and straining as he had never done before. "'But the utmost he
could do "'was to raise one of the cat's paws a little way from the ground.' "'It is just as I
thought,' said King Utgard, looking round with a smile.

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"'But we are all willing to allow that the cat is large, "'and Thor but a little fallow.' "'Little as you
think me!' cried Thor. "'Who is there who will dare to wrestle with me in my anger?' "'In truth,'
said the King, "'I don't think there is anyone here who would choose to wrestle with you. "'But if
wrestle you must, I will call in that old crone Ellie.

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"'She has, in her time, laid low many a better man "'than Asa Thor has shown himself to be.'
"'The crone came in. "'She was old, withered, and toothless, "'and Thor shrank from the thought
of wrestling with her. "'But he had no choice.
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"'She threw her arms round him and drew him towards the ground, "'and the harder he tried to
free himself, the tighter grew her grasp. "'They struggled long. "'Thor strove bravely, "'but a
strange feeling of weakness and weariness came over him, "'and at length he tottered and fell
down on one knee before her.

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"'At this sight all of the giants laughed aloud, "'and Utgard, coming up, desired the old woman
to leave the hall, "'and proclaimed that the trials were over. "'None of his followers would now
contend with Asa Thor,' he said, "'and night was approaching.' "'He then invited Thor and his
companions to sit down at the table "'and spend the night with him as his guests. "'Thor,
though feeling somewhat perplexed and mortified, "'accepted his invitation courteously, "'and
showed by his agreeable behavior during the evening "'that he knew how to bear being
conquered with good grace.

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"'In the morning, when Thor and his companions were leaving the city, "'the king himself
accompanied them without the gates, "'and Thor, looking steadily at him when he turned to bid
him farewell, "'perceived for the first time that he was the very same giant Skrymir "'with whom
he had met in the forest. "'Come now, Asa Thor,' said the giant with a strange sort of smile on
his face, "'tell me truly, before you go, how you think your journey has turned out, "'and
whether or not I was right in saying "'that you would meet with better men than yourselves in
Jotunheim?' "'I confess freely,' answered Asa Thor, looking out without any false shame on his
face, "'that I have acquitted myself but humbly, and it grieves me, "'for I know that in Jotunheim
henceforward "'it will be said that I am a man of little worth.' "'By my truth, no!' cried the giant
heartily. "'Never should you have come into my city "'if I had known what a mighty man of valor
you really are.

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"'And now that you are safely out of it, "'I will, for once, tell the truth to you, Thor. "'All this time I
have been deceiving you by my enchantments. "'When you met Nigh in the forest, and hurled
Mjolnir at my head, "'I should have been crushed by the weight of your blows "'had I not
skillfully placed a mountain between myself and you, "'on which the strokes of your hammer
fell, "'and where you cleft three deep ravines "'which fell henceforth become verdant valleys.

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"'In the same manner I deceived you about the contests "'in which you were engaged last night.
"'Loki and Logai sat down before the trough. "'Loki did, indeed, eat like hunger itself.

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"'But Logai is fire, who, with eager consuming tongue, "'licked up both bones and trough.
"'Thialfi is the swiftest of mortal runners, "'but the slender lad Hugai was my thought, "'and
what speed can ever equal his? "'So it was in your own trials, "'when you took such deep drowse
from the horn, "'you little knew what a wonderful feat you were performing. "'The other end of
that horn reached the ocean, "'and when you come to the shore "'you will see how far its waters
have fallen, "'and how much the deep sea itself "'has been diminished by your drow.

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"'Hereafter men watching the going out of the tide "'will call it the ebb or the drow of Thor.
"'Scarcely less wonderful "'was the prowess you displayed in the second trial. "'Would appear to
you to be a cat, "'was, in reality, the Midgard serpent "'which encircles the world.

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"'When we saw you succeed in moving it, "'we trembled lest the very foundations "'of earth and
sea should be shaken by your strength. "'Nor need you be ashamed of having been overthrown
"'by the old woman Elie, for she is old age, "'and there never has and never will be "'one whom
she is not the power to lay low. "'We must now part, and you had better not come here again
"'or attempt anything further against my city, "'for I shall always defend it by fresh
enchantments, "'and you will never be able to do anything against me.' "'At these words Thor
raised Mjolnir "'and was about to challenge a giant "'to a fresh trial of strength, "'but before he
could speak "'Utgard vanished from his sight, "'and, turning round to look for the city, "'he
found that it too had disappeared "'and that he was standing alone "'on a smooth, green,
empty plain.

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"'What a fool I have been!' said Assathor aloud. "'To allow myself to be deceived by a mountain
giant!' "'Ah,' answered a voice from above, "'I told you you would learn to know yourself better
"'by your journey to Jotunheim. "'It is the great use of travelling.' "'Thor turned quickly round
again, "'thinking to see Skrymir behind him, "'but after looking on every side he could perceive
nothing "'but that a high, cloud-capped mountain, "'which he had noticed on the horizon,
"'appeared to have advanced to the edge of the plain.

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"'End of How Thor Went to Jotunheim "'in Myths and Legends Around the World, Collection 18.
"'Read by Tom Finnegal, Metairie, Louisiana, "'on April 7th, 2023.'"

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