Þrymskviða
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Þrymskviða'' (Þrym's Poem; the name can be
anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
as ''Thrymskviða'', ''Thrymskvitha'', ''Thrymskvidha'' or ''Thrymskvida'') is one of the best known poems from the ''
Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...
''. The Norse myth had enduring popularity in Scandinavia and continued to be told and sung in several forms until the 19th century.


Synopsis

In the poem ''Þrymskviða'',
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
wakes and finds that his powerful hammer, Mjöllnir, is missing. Thor turns to
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
first, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. The two then go to the court of the goddess
Freyja In Norse mythology, 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 char ...
, and Thor asks her if he may borrow her feather cloak so that he may attempt to find Mjöllnir. Freyja agrees, saying she would lend it even if it were made of silver and gold, and Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling. In
Jötunheimr The terms Jötunheimr (in Old Norse orthography: Jǫtunheimr ; often Old Norse orthography#Anglicized spelling, anglicised as Jotunheim) or Jötunheimar refer to either a land or multiple lands respectively in Nordic mythology inhabited by the j ...
, the ''
jötunn A (also jotun; plural ; in the normalised scholarly spelling of Old Norse, ; or, in Old English, , plural ) is a type of being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, are often contrasted with gods (the Æsir and Vanir) and with other no ...
'' lord Þrymr sits on a
burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
, plaiting golden collars for his female dogs, and trimming the manes of his horses. Þrymr sees Loki, and asks what could be amiss among the
Æsir Æsir (Old Norse; singular: ) or ēse (Old English; singular: ) are deities, gods in Germanic paganism. In Old Nordic religion and Nordic mythology, mythology, the precise meaning of the term "" is debated, as it can refer either to the gods i ...
and the
Elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...
; why is Loki alone in the Jötunheimr? Loki responds that he has bad news for both the elves and the Æsir: that Thor's hammer, Mjöllnir, was gone. Þrymr says that he has hidden Mjöllnir eight leagues beneath the earth, from which it will be retrieved if Freyja is brought to marry him. Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from Jötunheimr and back to the court of the gods. Thor asks Loki if his efforts were successful, and that Loki should tell him while he is still in the air as "tales often escape a sitting man, and the man lying down often barks out lies". Loki states that it was indeed an effort, and also a success, for he has discovered that Þrymr has the hammer, but that it cannot be retrieved unless Freyja is brought to marry Þrymr. The two return to Freyja, and tell her to dress herself in a bridal head dress, as they will drive her to Jötunheimr. Freyja, indignant and angry, goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger, and her necklace, the famed
Brísingamen In Norse mythology, ''Brísingamen'' (or ''Brísinga men'') is the torc or necklace of the goddess Freyja, of which little else is known for certain., st. 13, "necklace of the Brisings"; endnote: "..frequently mentioned in connection with Freyja, ...
, flies off of her. Freyja flatly refuses, saying that if she did (allow herself to mate a ''jötunn'') that would make her the most man-crazed wench around. As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a Thing (Assembly) to discuss and debate the matter. At the Thing, the god
Heimdallr In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old Norse Heimdallr; modern Icelandic language, Icelandic Heimdallur) is a Æsir, god. He is the son of Odin and nine mothers. Heimdall keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himi ...
puts forth the suggestion that, in place of Freyja, Thor should be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, women's clothing down to his knees, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace (or neck-ring) Brísingamen (and, arguably, another lower necklace covering the breast, though this is contested). Thor comments he would be ridiculed as a sissy) if he submits to the idea, but Loki (here described as "son of
Laufey Laufey may refer to: Mythology and fictional characters * Laufey (mythology) Laufey or Nál is a figure in Norse mythology and the mother of Loki. The latter is frequently mentioned by the matronymic ''Loki Laufeyjarson'' (Old Norse 'Loki Laufey' ...
") dissuades him saying that this will be the only way to get back Mjöllnir, and without Mjöllnir, the ''jötnar'' will overtake
Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr''; "Garden of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be refe ...
. The gods dress Thor as a bride, and Loki states that he will go with Thor as his handmaiden (or bridesmaid), and that the two shall drive to Jötunheimr together. After riding together in Thor's goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. Þrymr commands the ''jötnar'' in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for Freyja has arrived to marry him. Þrymr recounts his treasured animals and treasures including many necklaces, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth. Early in the evening, the disguised Loki and Thor meet with Þrymr and the assembled ''jötnar''. Thor eats and drinks ferociously, consuming entire animals and three casks of
mead Mead (), also called honey wine, and hydromel (particularly when low in alcohol content), is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alco ...
. Þrymr finds the behaviour at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki sitting there like a "very shrewd maid", invents the excuse that "Freyja's" behaviour is due to her having not consumed anything for eight entire days before arriving due to her eagerness to arrive. Þrymr then lifts "Freyja's" veil and wants to kiss "her" until catching the terrifying eyes staring back at him, seemingly burning with fire. Loki states that this is because "Freyja" had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness. The "wretched sister" of the ''jötnar'' appears, asks for gold rm-ings as bridal gifts from "Freyja", and the ''jötnar'' bring out Mjöllnir to "sanctify the bride", to lay it on her lap, and marry the two by "the hand" of the goddess
Vár In Norse mythology, Vár or Vór (Old Norse, meaning either "pledge"Orchard (1997:173). or "beloved"Byock (2005:178) and Simek (2007:353).) is a Áss, goddess associated with oaths and agreements. Vár is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled ...
. Thor laughs internally when he sees the hammer, takes hold of it, strikes Þrymr, beats all of the jötnar, and kills the "older sister" of the ''jötnar''. In 32 st. In 39 st.


Dating

There is no agreement among scholars on the age of ''Þrymskviða''. Some have seen it as thoroughly heathen and among the oldest of the Eddaic poems, dating it to 900 AD. but this view is now in the minority. A number of scholars, on the other hand, dates the poem to the first half of the 13th century, and collectively they have advanced four main reasons for the younger dating. Jan de Vries characterized the work to be a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
-era parody of the heathen gods. One basis of the older dating is the archaic language, in particular, the heavy use of the ''of''/''af'' particle, which is not addressed by some supporters of later dating, such as the Swedish scholar .
Finnur Jónsson Finnur Jónsson (May 29, 1858 – March 30, 1934) was an Icelandic philologist and Professor of Nordic Philology at the University of Copenhagen. He made extensive contributions to the study of Old Norse literature. Finnur Jónsson was born a ...
also argued there were some died-out pagan customs preserved in the poem, for example, the necklaces of the type hanging to the chest were no longer in style by the Christian era.


Analysis

The storyline is a prime example of the folktale motif ATU 1148b "The Theft of the Thunder-Instrument" (or "Thunder's Instrument"), and also incorporates ATU 403c "The Substituted Bride". In other tales, Loki's explanations for Thor's behavior has its clearest analogies in the tale ''
Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...
'', where the wolf provides equally odd explanations for its differences from the grandmother than Little Red Riding Hood was expecting.


Balladry

There are versions of the story in ballad-form, composed during the medieval (or post-medieval) periods, in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic. These are catalogued as TSB type E 126: i.e., the Danish ''Tord af Havsgaard'' ( DgF 1), Swedish ''Tors hammarhämmtning'' ( SMB 212), Norwegian ''Torekall'' ( NMB 188), and the Icelandic ''
rímur In Icelandic literature, a ''ríma'' (, literally "a rhyme", pl. ''rímur'', ) is an epic poetry, epic poem written in any of the so-called ''rímnahættir'' (, "rímur meters"). They are rhymed, they alliterative verse, alliterate and consist of ...
'' cycle '' Þrymlur'' (c. 1350–1450).


Danish

The various known redactions of the Danish ballad ''Tord af Havsgård'' ( DgF 1) are subdivided into variant types 1A B Ca–c. Version A has been translated as "Thor of Asgard" by
Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...
(1860), and as "Thord of Hafsgaard" by E. M. Smith-Dampier (1914). In Ballad 1A, "Tord af Havsgård" (tr. "Thord of Hafsgaard") the title hero is riding over the green meadow, having lost his gold hammer for a long while, and the ballad proclaims (in the emended reading) "so a man shall win a shrew (wildwoman)", explained by commentators as a jocular hint of Tord himself (or his "old father") later having to dress up as a bride. Tord tells his brother Lokke Leymand (or "Jester") to go to Nørrefjeld (tr. "Norrefield", "Northland") to seek the hammer, and Lokke wears the ("feather-skin") to fly there to the ""(, tr. "Giant-King"). The Giant-King reveals he has hidden the hammer 55 fathoms (15 and 40 fathoms) deep in the earth and will not return it, unless Tord and Lokke relinquish their sister (Fredens-borgh ic. normalized as Freiensborg, tr. "Fredensborg") to become the giant's wife. When Lokke brings home this proposition, his proud sister springs up from the bench and replies, "Give me away to a Christian man, not some loathely troll", and she suggests they brush up the hair of "our old father" and pass him off as a maiden to send to Nørrefjeld. Although one should expect her to say "our brother", it is clarified by commentators that "Old Father" is a commonplace nickname for a thunder deity, hence, Tord is really meant here as the person being dressed up as bride. There is a banquet, and as in the Eddic version, the cross-dressed bride shows enormous appetite devouring a whole ox and other foods. The appetite raises the giant's suspicion and Lokke delivers an excuse (quite similar to the one in the Eddic poem). Now 8 champions bring the hammer borne on a tree, and places it on the bride's knee; Tord wields the hammer as if it were a wand, and slays the "" (Giant-King).


Swedish

The Swedish ballad was recorded in the 17th century. In the Swedish ballad (version Ab, normalized spelling), Thor is called ''Torkar'', Loki is called ''Locke Lewe'', Freyja is called ''Frojenborg'' and Þrymr is called ''Trolletram''. While in the Danish Ballad the three god figures are presented as siblings, in the Swedish version, this relationship is removed or obfuscated. Torkar addresses Locke as "" (st. 2), meaning my "hired servant". And the "maiden Frojenborg" ("", st. 6) is demanded (see below), instead of "your sister" (, C ver., st. 7). Trolletram has buried Torkar's hammer "fifteen fathoms and forty" in the ground, and tells Locke to take the answer back to Torkar that "His hammer he ne'er will see, / Until he sends
may May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...
Fröyenborg.. to me", i.e., the "maiden Frojenborg".


Norwegian

The Norwegian version ''Torekall'' has been translated into English under the title "Thorekarl of Asgarth". According to a legend recorded in 18th and 19th centuries by Magnus Brostrup Landstad, Engelbret Michaelsen, J. M. Lund, E. M. Resen Mandt, W. M. Carpelan and A. Faye, events similar to Trymskvida happened in Urdbø on the western end of Lake Totak in
Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...
, where Thor slew a troll with his hammer, and in the same area the ballad about Torekall was attested too.


Opera

The first full-length Icelandic opera, Jón Ásgeirsson's ''Þrymskviða'', was premiered at Iceland's National Theater in 1974. The libretto is based on the text of the poem ''Þrymskviða'', but also incorporates material from several other Eddic poems.


Icelandic statue

A seated bronze statue of Thor (about 6.4 cm) known as the Eyrarland statue from about AD 1000 was recovered at a farm near
Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...
, Iceland and is a featured display at the
National Museum of Iceland The National Museum of Iceland ( Icelandic: ''Þjóðminjasafn Íslands'' ) was established on 24 February 1863, with Jón Árnason the first curator of the Icelandic collection, previously kept in Danish museums. Collections The second curat ...
. Thor is holding Mjöllnir, sculpted in the typically Icelandic cross-like shape. It has been suggested that the statue is related to a scene from ''Þrymskviða'' where Thor recovers his hammer while seated by grasping it with both hands during the wedding ceremony.


Explanatory notes


References

;Citions ;Bibliography ;(Primary sources) * * * * * * ;(Secondary sources) * * * * * * * *


External links


''Þrymskviða'' in Old Norse from heimskringla.no

The Scandinavian Thor songs and Þrymlur from heimskringla.no



Text of ''Þrymskviða'' with an English marginal glossary


Illustrations from manuscripts and early print books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thrymskvida Eddic poetry