Hrungnir (
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
: , 'brawler') is a
jötunn
A (also jotun; in the normalised scholarly spelling of Old Norse, ; ; plural / ) or, in Old English, (plural ) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, they are often contrasted with gods ( Æsir and Vani ...
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 per ...
. He is described as made of stone and is ultimately killed in a duel with 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, ...
.
Prior to his demise, Hrungnir engaged in a wager with
Odin
Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, ...
in which Odin stakes his head on his horse,
Sleipnir
In Norse mythology, Sleipnir (Old Norse: ; "slippy"Orchard (1997:151). or "the slipper"Kermode (1904:6).) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the '' Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier tradition ...
, being faster than Hrungnir's steed
Gullfaxi. During the race, which Sleipnir wins, Hrungnir enters
Ásgard, and there becomes drunk and abusive. After they grow weary of him, the gods call on the 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, ...
to battle Hrungnir. He is slain by Thor's hammer
Mjölnir
Mjölnir (from Old Norse Mjǫllnir) is the hammer of the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology, used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. The hammer is attested in numerous sources, including the 11th cen ...
.
Hrungnir is comparable to the
Hurrian
The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Norther ...
Ullikummi, a stone-giant who grew so quickly that he reached the heavens. He was slain by the thunder-god
Teshub
Teshub (also written Teshup, Teššup, or Tešup; cuneiform ; hieroglyphic Luwian , read as ''Tarhunzas'';Annick Payne (2014), ''Hieroglyphic Luwian: An Introduction with Original Texts'', 3rd revised edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, p. ...
who is equivalent also to the
Luwian Tarḫunz and
Hittite Tarḫunna.
Name
The Old Norse name Hrungnir has been translated as 'brawler', or as 'big person, strong man', 'noise-maker'.
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), written in the 13th century CE 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 ...
, the god Odin is portrayed as riding his horse
Sleipnir
In Norse mythology, Sleipnir (Old Norse: ; "slippy"Orchard (1997:151). or "the slipper"Kermode (1904:6).) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the '' Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier tradition ...
into
Jötunheim when he meets the jötunn Hrungnir, mounted on his horse
Gullfaxi (Gold-mane). They have a short verbal exchange about the quality of their respective horse, during which Odin states his willingness to bet his head (his life) on the result. Hrungnir declares that he has "a horse that must be much longe-paced, it
scalled Gullfaxi." Then Hrungnir gets angry, leaps upon his horse and follows Odin in a race towards
Ásgard, "intending to pay him back for his boasting". Although
Sleipnir
In Norse mythology, Sleipnir (Old Norse: ; "slippy"Orchard (1997:151). or "the slipper"Kermode (1904:6).) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the '' Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier tradition ...
turns out to be the fastest horse, the race is very close and Odin is not able to keep Hrungnir out of the place of gods, Ásgard. There, the Æsir (gods) invites Hrungnir for a drink.
Hrungnir becomes so intoxicated that he threatens to remove "Val-hall and take it to Giantland" and to "bury Asgard and kill all the gods", besides the beautiful goddesses
Freyja
In Norse paganism, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chario ...
and
Sif whom he intends to keep for himself. The gods then call the thunder-god Thor to expel the unwanted guest, and the two of them agree to a duel. Thor arrives at the appointment with his servant
Þjálfi, and Hrungnir is escorted by Mokkurkálfi ('Mist-calf'), a mighty creature made of clay, and with the heart of a mare. But the giant Mokkurkálfi is said to be "quite terrified" and he "wets himself" at the sight of Thor, whereas Hrungnir, whose heart, head and shield appear to be made of stone, is "standing unguardedly". After the fight is over and Hrungnir eventually defeated, Thor turns out to be stuck under the
jötunn
A (also jotun; in the normalised scholarly spelling of Old Norse, ; ; plural / ) or, in Old English, (plural ) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, they are often contrasted with gods ( Æsir and Vani ...
's leg. Thor's three-year-old son Magni is the only one able to lift up the gigantic leg among all the present Æsir (gods). As a reward, Thor offers him Hrungnir's horse
Gullfaxi.
Skaldic poetry
''
Haustlöng'' (Autumn-long,
14–20), a poem written by the early 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 poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditional ...
Þjóðólfr of Hvinir and from which Snorri claims to derive his own account, depicts Thor's journey to the duel while the cosmological elements are reacting: the "ground all low" (earth) is "battered with hail" and "all the hawk's sanctuaries" (the skies) are in flame; "Svolnir’s widow" (Odin's consort,
Jörð arth practically split apart". Then Hrungnir and Thor fight by hurling their weapons at each other (the jötunn's whetstone and
Thor's hammer
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, and ...
), and the poem alludes to the removal of the piece of whetstone from Thor's head.
Compared to Snorri's account,
Þjóðólfr emphasizes more on Thor's journey to the battle, escorted by noise and flames, while Snorri makes relatively little of it and also describes Hrungnir's journey. Thor's servant
Þjálfi and Hrungnir's clay-made giant Mokkurkálfi are absent from
Þjóðólfr’s 10th-century version.
In ''
Ragnarsdrápa'', the 9th-century skald
Bragi Boddason mentions "Hrungnir's skull-splitter".
Bragi also refers to the shield as "Hrungnir's sole-blade" and refers to Hrungnir as the "thief of
Þrúðr", the daughter of Thor.
Theories
According to scholar
John Lindow
John Frederick Lindow (born July 23, 1946) is an American philologist who is Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore at University of California, Berkeley. He is a well known authority on Old Norse religion and literature.
Biography
John ...
, the reaction of cosmological elements (the earth is cracking, the sky burning) during Thor's journey to the battle, as told in ''
Haustlöng'', "suggests the cosmic nature of Thor’s duel with Hrungnir". The motivation for the duel, which is not mentioned by 10th-century skald
Þjóðólfr in ''Haustlöng'', could have originally been the abduction of Thor's daughter
Þrúðr by the stone-made giant Hrungnir, as suggested by an earlier kenning by 9th-century skald
Bragi: 'leaf of the soles of the thief of Þrúðr
HIELD
Hield Bros , or simply Hield, is an English textile manufacturer and retailer of men's clothing and luxury goods. The company was established in 1922. In addition to manufacturing cloth for its own suits, Hield produces cloth for many labels a ...
(''blað ilja Þrúðar þjófs'').
Georges Dumézil
Georges Edmond Raoul Dumézil (4 March 189811 October 1986) was a French philologist, linguist, and religious studies scholar who specialized in comparative linguistics and mythology. He was a professor at Istanbul University, École pratique d ...
argues that the story involves the initiation of
Þjálfi by Thor in the killing of the clay-made monster.
See also
*
Conchobar mac Nessa, an Irish king from the
Ulster Cycle, who is wounded in a very similar manner by
Cet mac Magach
CET or cet may refer to:
Places
* Cet, Albania
* Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus
* Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Comcast En ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
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{{Norse mythology
Jötnar