* * *
One day Thor awoke to discover that he could not find Miollnir, his hammer. He reached out for it and it was not where he had left it. His anger welled up inside him and his hair stood on end and his beard bristled with fury. He searched for it but could not find it anywhere.
He called out to Loki for help; for the hammer of the mighty Thor of the Æsir had been stolen. It was a secret that only he, and Loki, and the thief were aware of – and Thor was keen to recover it before anyone else could learn of its loss. But there was just one other person who needed to be let in on the secret, and that was Freyia.
Thor and Loki went to the hall of Freyia; it was a place of great beauty that was renowned among all who knew the halls and courts of the gods and goddesses of the Æsir. There they found Freyia, and Thor asked her a favour: ‘Please lend me,’ he asked, ‘your cloak made of feathers. For I have lost my hammer and we need to fly fast, to find out who has it and where.’
At this, Freyia responded generously and said that it was theirs to borrow and, even if it had been made of gold or silver, she would share it gladly with them for such an urgent task.
So Loki took the cloak from her and put it on. With it on he could fly like a bird and so he soared up into the sky and away from the courts of the Æsir, and far off towards Giantland. For of all beings, it was the giants who were most likely to have stolen the weapon of Thor, their old adversary.
Loki flies to the hall of the giant, Thrym
Flying like a bird, with the aid of Freyia’s feathered cloak, Loki soon found that he was soaring over Giantland and looking down on the halls of the giants, those enemies of the gods. Down there, far below, Loki could see a giant by the name of Thrym. He was a giant-lord and well known to the Æsir.
He was sitting on a grassed-over burial mound and making collars for his dogs from gold thread and weaving plaits in the manes of his horses. As he did so, he was talking to himself:
‘The Æsir are in a panic and so are the elves. And Loki has come alone into Giantland. For what is bad news to them is a joy to me. For I have taken the hammer from mighty Thor and buried it deep beneath the ground. Indeed, it is so deep that no god, man or elf will ever find it. And I shall only return it to him if the gods agree to give me Freyia as my wife . . .’
High above him the circling Loki caught the words and knew that he had found the one guilty of the theft of Thor’s hammer. He wheeled and flew straight back to Asgard and the courts of the Æsir.
Swooping down he saw that Thor was waiting for him and any news that he might have of the missing hammer.
As Loki made as if to land, Thor cried out: ‘Before you land tell me what you saw. For often when a man relaxes he forgets the detail of his message!’
So, circling above him, Loki called down what he had seen. How he had come upon the giant, Thrym, sitting on the burial mound and how he had overheard that giant boasting of how he had taken possession of the hammer of Thor and hidden it deep underground. And, furthermore, how he would only return it in exchange for Freyia, most beautiful of all the goddesses of the Æsir.
Thor and Loki put Thrym’s proposition to Freyia
In haste, Thor and Loki went to find Freyia, for it seemed that she alone could solve the problem that they faced. Before she could say a word, they instructed her to put on her bridal clothes to be driven to the land of the giants.
Freyia was having none of it. In fact, her anger was so great that all the halls of the gods and goddesses in Asgard shook as she exclaimed in fury: ‘If I go to Giantland with you and marry this giant, you’ll think me the most sex-mad of any woman!’ As her fury mounted, the great necklace – known as Brisingamen, the necklace of the Brisings – slipped from around her neck and crashed to the floor.
It was at that point, alerted by the commotion, that all the Æsir assembled to debate the proposition that had been laid before Freyia. Seeing how Freyia felt about it, they discussed what other strategies Thor and Loki could employ in order to regain possession of the hammer.
Finally, Heimdall spoke. Although of the divine race of the Æsir, he had the ability to see into the future in the manner of the divine race of the Vanir. He looked at Thor . . . he looked at where the necklace of the Brisings lay on the ground and he put the two together in his mind. To the amazement of those present he declared that Thor should go . . . dressed as Freyia!
As the others listened, he explained how the deceit would work: ‘He will wear a bridal veil; we will take the necklace of the Brisings and place it around his neck; he can carry latch-lifter keys hanging from his belt as a woman does; a dress will cover him down to the knees; jewellery will adorn him; and he’ll wear a bride’s veil to cover his face!’
Now it was Thor’s turn to snort with anger. ‘I will be the laughing stock of the Æsir,’ he cried, ‘for all will think me a pervert!’
But Loki was not impressed by Thor’s outrage and reminded him that if they did not act quickly, then the giants would soon be evicting the gods and goddesses from Asgard. And without his skull-crushing hammer, Thor would be unable to stop them.
Thor is dressed as a woman for his wedding to Thrym
So Thor reluctantly consented. The other gods dressed him as a woman. They adorned his hair with a bridal headdress. They put the necklace of the Brisings around his neck and hung latch-lifter keys on his belt as if he was mistress of the hall and its treasures. They draped a woman’s dress over him and pinned jewellery on his chest. When they had finished, Thor looked like a woman.
Finally, Loki dressed himself as a maid and said that in this guise – mistress and maid – they should ride on Thor’s cart to Giantland.
They harnessed Thor’s two goats to the cart. Those goats were well rested from browsing on the pastures of Asgard and were ready to trot off at a fast pace.
Then they set off. And as they rode, the mountains trembled and were shaken; fire flamed from out of the earth as from a volcano: for Thor, son of Odin, was riding to the eastern lands of the giants.
When Thrym heard of their coming he was elated. He called on all the other giants to make ready for the arrival of the beautiful Freyia, the famous daughter of Niord. They took straw and scattered it on the mead benches and all was prepared for her arrival. Golden-horned cattle were assembled in the courtyard, and black oxen were driven there too in preparation for the wedding feast. Thrym brought out his finest jewels, necklaces and arm rings of gold. For, as he declared, the only treasure he was now short of was Freyia herself.
Thor and Loki arrive at the wedding feast
Early in the evening, Thor and Loki, dressed as women, arrived at Thrym’s hall. Food and drink was brought out in their honour. Thor (dressed as Freyia) took and ate an entire ox. Then he consumed eight whole salmon. He next picked up and drank three great casks of honey-sweetened mead.
The giants watched in astonishment and Thrym declared that he had never seen a woman eat and drink as much; not ever. He looked suspiciously at his new bride, for nothing from his previous knowledge of women had prepared him for such a prodigious appetite.
Loki saw the surprise on the giant’s face and sought to reassure him, explaining that Freyia had not eaten for eight nights. Then he added: ‘She could not eat, so excited was she at the thought of her journey to Giantland!’
Then Thrym bent down to kiss his bride. He lifted ‘her’ veil and stepped back in astonishment at the terrifying fire that burned in ‘her’ eyes. He exclaimed that, ‘It looks as if fire is burning in those eyes.’
To which Loki replied that this was because she had not slept for eight nights. Then he added, ‘She could not sleep, so excited was she at the thought of her journey to Giantland!’
It was then that Thrym’s sister entered the hall. Seeing her brother’s new ‘bride’, she asked that the newcomer should give up her wedding gifts to her, in order to secure her sisterly favour. For she coveted the rings of red gold that Thrym had brought out to give to Freyia.
T
he ‘wedding’ of Thrym and Thor
Then Thrym called for the hammer, Miollnir, to be brought out. He declared that it should be laid on his bride’s lap and so sanctify her and also consecrate the marriage. All this would be overseen by Var, the goddess who oversees all pledges made between man and wife.
And so the hammer was brought out. When Thor saw it, a great laugh rose from deep within him. He seized the great hammer and brought it down on the head of Thrym. Then he struck out at all the giants who were assembled there. He killed Thrym’s giantess sister too, the one who had coveted the bridal rings of red gold. Instead of coins, she received blows; instead of the red-gold rings, she received the crushing blow of Thor’s hammer.
This was how Thor and Loki retrieved the hammer from Giantland and how Freyia avoided being given in marriage to Thrym the giant.
In this way, Odin’s son got back Miollnir.
17
The ‘history’ of gods and people, The Seeress’ Prophecy
THIS STRANGE AND mysterious account charts the ‘history’ of gods, people, giants and dwarfs from the beginning of the world to its end, and even beyond. It is found in the collection known as the Poetic Edda and in a part known as The Seeress’ Prophecy. Its structure assumes that it is being spoken by a prophetess, a seeress. The traditions concerning Ragnarok are also found in Chapter 18.
The Seeress’ Prophecy is the first and probably one of the most well-known poems contained in the Poetic Edda. The poem is recited by a seeress who can look both back to the beginning of the world and forward to its eventual destruction at Ragnarok. It is one of the most important primary sources for the study of Old Norse mythology because of this wide-ranging scope and was almost certainly the basis for much of Snorri Sturluson’s work. The poem shows Odin questioning the seeress on what is to come at Ragnarok, to better equip himself for when the time comes. This is one of a number of ways in which we see Odin trying to acquire knowledge through the course of the Norse mythological corpus.
The poem is written in fornyrðislag, which is a metre traditionally associated with Eddic poetry and usually used in narrative poems such as this one. The Seeress’ Prophecy is found in the thirteenth-century Codex Regius manuscript and in the fourteenth-century Hauksbok. Many of its stanzas are also quoted or paraphrased in the Prose Edda. There are a total of sixty-six stanzas, although the order and number of the stanzas varies between the Codex Regius and the Hauksbok and each also contains stanzas that are not in the other.
Although not recorded until much later, The Seeress’ Prophecy is thought to date from the late tenth century when the Norse world was beginning to convert to Christianity. The last section of the poem in particular has been viewed as evidence of later Christian influence. The reference to the ‘great and powerful one’ who will come in judgement has been seen as a reference to Christ and possibly the final judgement. In the final verse, there is a reference to a dragon. It is unclear whether this means that evil was thought to still exist in the new world or whether we have returned to the ‘present’ with the dragon a reference to the impending doom at Ragnarok.
* * *
I was asked by Odin, the Father of the Warrior Dead, to declare the histories of people and of gods, for my memory goes back to the very beginning of all things. And so I call all to pay attention to me: the gods and all sacred beings; all the nations of people across the world. Listen and I will recount the story of all things.
I was born from the race of giants and I remember the beginning of time and I recall my life when I was cared for by those who were present then. At that time, I first saw the nine worlds and there were then nine giant women and the great tree that is used to measure all things grew with its roots going deep beneath the earth.
The forming of worlds
Time was new and years were few when Ymir set up his home (he from whose body was formed all things within the world). And at that time wherever one looked, there was no sea, no sand, no waves; no earth below and no sky above; there was no grass. And all was the yawning void of chaos . . . nothingness.
Then, first, came the sons of Bur (that is Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve). Their father, Bur, was himself the son of Buri who was licked out of the ice by the ancient cow, Audhumla. These sons of Bur made the earth. These are the splendid ones who created the world between them. As they did so, the southern sun shone brightly on the rocks they piled up and as they did this, the soil formed over it and grass and plants began to grow on it.
In that far distant time the heavenly lights were not in their proper places and fixed courses. The Sun was there with the Moon but did not yet know its course or where it would rest when it had accomplished its task. The Moon did not yet know the power it had to bring light at night. And none of the stars knew their combinations nor how they should move across the sky by night.
The naming of the Sun, Moon, stars and times of the day
It was then that all these ancient beings approached the throne from which destiny and fate is decided. For they needed to know how things should be ordered. And so it was that night, along with the Moon and stars, were given their names and places. Then it was that the stages of the day were established: morning was named and its place was set; midday too was named and its role fixed when the Sun is highest in the sky; the afternoon and the lengthening shadows of evening were established, when the Sun sinks to its home and the Moon and stars appear. It was then stated that, as this daily round was added to daily round, so would years be formed and reckoned over time.
The setting up of the home of the gods
Then the Æsir met together on the great plain called Idavoll. There they constructed the temples and altars of the gods. Work places too were set up: blacksmith forges, tools for making expensive things as well as common things of life. After this, they played board games and rejoiced in the large amounts of gold that they owned. This was until three giant women came to them out of Giantland. It was then that the Golden Age came to an end but we shall hear more about this as the story unfolds . . .
The forming of the dwarfs
Then again the ancient beings approached the throne from which destiny and fate is decided. For they needed to know how things should be ordered. They asked who should have lordship over the dwarfs? For these beings had been formed out of Brimir (that is Ymir); formed from his blood and body. It was then that the greatest of the dwarfs was created. This was Motsognir. Another was named Durin. Then it was that the race of the dwarfs were formed; beings that resemble human beings. They were created from the earth. Those that were formed were given many ancient names, such as Meadwolf, Loamfield, Oakenshield and Fialar. These were those who made up the ancient line of Dvalin, the folk of Lofar. In the earth they established their rocky homes.
The coming of Odin and his companions
Then three gods appeared who were loving in their nature and strong (Odin, Haenir and Lodur). They found ash and elm washed up on the shore. These trees then had no life in them until it was given them in this fashion. Odin gave them breath, Haenir gave them spirit, and Lodur put a living spark within them. The greatest of the ash trees is the one called Yggdrasil. It stands tall and the earth that coats its bark shines. From that great tree the dew drops to the earth and turns the valleys green. Beside that great ash tree stands the well of fate.
The three fates
It is now time to talk again of those three giant women who came to the land of the Æsir. For they had great knowledge and they came from the lake by that great tree. One woman is named Fated; another is named Becoming; the third is named Must-be. They carved their names on slips of wood and set down the laws that must be followed and they selected the fates that would befall all people.
The first war in history
Then it was that the seer and worker of magic, who was named Gullveig (and whose name means ‘Gold-Darkness’), was attacked and bristled with the spears that were driven into her. In the hall of Odin they also burned her three times. Yet th
ree times she was reborn and still she lives. They called her the Bright One and her name was changed from Gullveig to Heid (meaning ‘Bright’). She was a seer who could see into the future and could charm with spells. She could make magic of the kind called ‘seid’ (‘sorcery’) and with this skill could play with the minds of others (some call her Freyia of the Vanir). Wicked women love her.
The war between the Æsir and the Vanir
Then again the ancient beings approached the throne from which destiny and fate is decided. For they needed to know how things should be ordered. They asked should the Æsir give tribute (to the Vanir) or whether all the gods (Æsir and Vanir) should share in sacrifices?
It was then that war broke out between the Æsir and Vanir over this. Oden raised his spear and threw it over the army in the first war in the history of the world. Then the wall of the stronghold of the Æsir was breached for the unconquerable Vanir marched across the plain on which the Æsir lived.
War between the Æsir and the giants
Then again the ancient beings approached the throne from which destiny and fate is decided. For they needed to know how things should be ordered. They asked who had polluted the air with wicked talk and had given Freyia, wife of Od, to the giants. (For after the war with the Vanir and the establishment of peace between the Æsir and the Vanir, the broken walls of the Æsir were repaired by a giant who claimed as his price the Sun, the Moon and Freyia.)
Tales of Valhalla Page 14
