Gjálp (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: ; or Gialp) and Greipa (O.N.: ; or Greip) are two jötnar in

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern peri ...

, and the daughters of the giant

Geirröðr Geirröðr (also Geirröd) is a jötunn in Norse mythology. He is the father of the Gjálp and Greip, who are killed by the thunder-god Thor. Geirröðr is mentioned in the skaldic poem ''Þórsdrápa'', written by Eilíf Godrúnarson (lat ...

. They are killed by the thunder-god

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing ...

Names

The

name ''Gjálp'' has been variously translated as 'screamer', 'yelper'. It is related to the Icelandic ''gjálp'' ('roar; sea, wave'), and to the Old Norse ''gjalpa'' ('to brag'). ''Greipa'' is translated as ('gripper, grasper'). It derives from the Old Norse ''greip'' ('hand

ith spread thumbs The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediate ...

handle').

Attestations

Prose Edda

In ''

Skáldskaparmál ''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'The Language of Poetry'; c. 50,000 words; ; ) is the second part of the '' Prose Edda''. The section consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bragi, the god of poetry, ...

'' (The Language of Poetry), Thor meets Gjálp as he is trying to wade across the

Vimur River In Norse mythology, the Vimur is the largest of the Elivagar rivers that were formed at the beginning of the world. In Skáldskaparmál 18, part of the Norse Edda written by Snorri Sturluson, the Vimur river is mentioned in the tale of Thor and ...

; she is causing the river to swell with what appears to be her urine or menstrual fluids as she is standing "astride the river". Thor eventually reaches Geirrödargardar, the abode of the giant

. He sits on a chair that is lifted up against the roof by Gjálp and Greipa as they are trying to kill him.

Viking Age

The same myth is told in ''

Þórsdrápa ''Þórsdrápa'' (also ''Thorsdrapa''; Old Norse: 'The Lay of Thor') is a skaldic poem by Eilífr Goðrúnarson, a poet in the service of Jarl Hákon Sigurðarson. The poem is noted for its creative use of kennings and other metaphorical devices, ...

'' by

Eilífr Goðrúnarson Eilífr Goðrúnarson (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was a late 10th-century skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse p ...

(late 10th c. AD), which is cited by

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

in ''Skáldskaparmál'', although the giantesses are not named in the poem.

''Gesta Danorum''

Gesta Danorum ''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and ...

'' (Deeds of the Danes) relates a similar story as Thorkillus (Thokil) and his companions are visiting the hall of the dead Geruthus (Geirröðr) when they notice the pierced body of an old man and three dead women with their backs broken. Thokil tells them that the god Thor "has driven a burning ingot though the vitals of Geirrœth" and that the "women have been struck by the force of Thor’s thunderbolt and have paid the penalty for attacking his divinity by having their bodies broken".

Other texts

In '' Völuspá hin skamma'' (37), Gjálp and Greipa are listed among the

Nine Mothers of Heimdallr In Norse mythology, the Nine Mothers of Heimdallr are nine sisters who gave birth to the god Heimdallr. The Nine Mothers of Heimdallr are attested in the '' Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; in the poetry of skalds; an ...

. Gjálp is also mentioned in the þulur and in

kennings A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech in the type of circumlocution, a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English p ...

of skaldic poetry. Greipa on her side is not mentioned in ''

Nafnaþulur ''Nafnaþulur'' (Old Norse: ) is a subsection of the ''Prose Edda'', the last part of the ''Skáldskaparmál ''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'The Language of Poetry'; c. 50,000 words; ; ) is the second part of the '' Prose Edda''. The secti ...

'' and found only once in the skaldic kenning. In ''

Haustlöng ''Haustlǫng'' (Old Norse: 'Autumn-long'; anglicized as ''Haustlöng'') is a skaldic poem composed around the beginning of the 10th century by the Norwegian skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir. The poem has been preserved in the 13th-century '' Prose ...

'',

Þjazi In Norse mythology, Þjazi (Old Norse: ; anglicized as Thiazi, Thjazi, Tjasse or Thiassi) was a giant. He was a son of the giant Ölvaldi, brother of giants Iði and Gangr, and the father of Skaði. His most notable misdeed was the kidnapping ...

is called "the son of the suitor of Greipa". Greipa may be used there as a generic giantess name and the

kenning A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech in the type of circumlocution, a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English ...

may mean simply "giant". In a

lausavísa In Old Norse poetry and later Icelandic poetry, a ''lausavísa'' (pl. ''lausavísur'') is a single stanza composition, or a set of stanzas unconnected by narrative or thematic continuity. Lausavísur are often introduced in the text of sagas ...

composed by

Vetrliði Sumarliðason Vetrliði Sumarliðason (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was a 10th-century Icelandic skald. He was the great-grandson of Ketill hængr ("salmon"), one of the settlers of Iceland. He lived in Fljótshlíð, in the south of the island. Vetrlið ...

and quoted in Skáldskaparmál, Gjálp is mentioned as being killed by Thor.

References

Bibliography

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