The Younger Edda (tr. Anderson)/Extracts from the Poetical Diction/Thor's Journey to Geirrod's
THOR'S JOURNEY TO GEIRROD'S.
Then said Æger: Much of a man, it seems to me, was that Hrungner. Has Thor accomplished any other great deeds in his intercourse with trolls (giants)? Then answered Brage: It is worth giving a full account of how Thor made a journey to Geirrodsgard. He had with him neither the hammer Mjolner, nor his belt of strength, Megingjard, nor his steel gloves; and that was Loke's fault,—he was with him. For it happened to Loke, when he once flew out to amuse himself in Frigg's falcon-guise, that he saw a large hall. He sat down and looked in through the window, but Geirrod discovered him, and ordered the bird to be caught and brought to him. The servant had hard work to climb up the wall of the hall, so high was it. It amused Loke that it gave the servant so much trouble to get at him, and he thought it would be time enough to fly away when he had gotten over the worst. When the latter now caught at him, Loke spread his wings and spurned with his feet, but these were fast, and so Loke was caught and brought to the giant. When the latter saw his eyes he suspected that it was a man. He put questions to him and bade him answer, but Loke refused to speak. Then Geirrod locked him down in a chest, and starved him for three months; and when Geirrod finally took him up again, and asked him to speak, Loke confessed who he was, and to save his life he swore an oath to Geirrod that he would get Thor to come to Geirrodsgard without his hammer or his belt of strength.
On his way Thor visited the giantess whose name is Grid. She was the mother of Vidar the Silent. She told Thor the truth concerning Geirrod, that he was a dog-wise and dangerous giant; and she lent him her own belt of strength and steel gloves, and her staff, which is called Gridarvol. Then went Thor to the river which is called Vimer, and which is the largest of all rivers. He buckled on the belt of strength and stemmed the wild torrent with Gridarvol, but Loke held himself fast in Megingjard. When Thor had come into the middle of the stream, the river waxed so greatly that the waves dashed over his shoulders. The quoth Thor:
Wax not Vimer,
Since I intend to wade
To the gards of giants.
Know, if you wax,
Then waxes my asa-might
As high as the heavens.
Then Thor looked up and saw in a cleft Gjalp, the daughter of Geirrod, standing on both sides of the stream, and causing its growth. Then took he up out of the river a huge stone and threw at her, saying: At its source the stream must be stemmed.[1] He was not wont to miss his mark. At the same time he reached the river bank and got hold of a shrub, and so he got out of the river. Hence comes the adage that a shrub saved Thor.[2] When Thor came to Geirrod, he and his companion were shown to the guest-room, where lodgings were given them, but there was but one seat, and on that Thor sat down. Then he became aware that the seat was raised under him toward the roof. He put the Gridarvol against the rafters, and pressed himself down against the seat. Then was heard a great crash, which was followed by a loud screaming. Under the seat were Geirrod's daughters, Gjalp and Greip, and he had broken the backs of both of them. Then quoth Thor:
Once I employed
My asa-might
In the gards of the giants.
When Gjalp and Greip,
Geirrod's daughters,
Wanted to lift me to heaven.
Then Geirrod had Thor invited into the hall to the games. Large fires burned along the whole length of the hall. When Thor came into the hall, and stood opposite Geirrod, the latter seized with a pair of tongs a red-hot iron wedge and threw it at Thor. But he caught it with his steel gloves, and lifted it up in the air. Geirrod sprang behind an iron post to guard himself. But Thor threw the wedge with so great force that it struck through the post, through Geirrod, through the wall, and then went out and into the ground. From this saga, Eilif, son of Gudrun, made the following song, called Thor's Drapa:
The Midgard-serpent's father exhorted
Thor, the victor of giants,
To set out from home.
A great liar was Loke.
Not quite confident.
The companion of the war-god
Declared green paths to lie
To the gard of Geirrod.
Thor did not long let Loke
Invite him to the arduous journey.
They were eager to crush
Thorn's descendants.
When he, who is wont to swing Megingjard,
Once set out from Odin's home
To visit Ymer's children in Gandvik,
The giantess Gjalp,
Pei^jured Geirrod's daughter,
Sooner got ready magic to use
Than the god of war and Loke.
A song I recite.
Those gods noxious to the giants
Planted their feet
In EndiFs land,
And the men wont to battle
Went forth.
The message of death
Came of the moon-devourer's women,
When the cunning and wrathful
Conqueror of Loke
Challenged to a contest
The giantess.
And the troll- woman 's disgracer
Waded across the roaring stream, —
Rolling full of drenched snow over its banks.
He who puts giants to flight
Rapidly advanced
O'er the broad watery way,
Where the noisy stream's
Venom belched forth.
Thor and his companions
Put before him the staff;
Thereon he rested
Whilst over they waded:
Nor sleep did the stones, —
The sonorous staff striking the rapid wave
Made the river-bed ring, —
The mountain- torrent rang with stones.
The wearer of Megingjard
Saw the flood fall
On his hard- waxed shoulders:
He could do no better.
The destroyer of troll-children
Let his neck- strength
Wax heaven high,
Till the mighty stream should diminish.
But the warriors,
The oath-bound protectors of Asgard, —
The experienced vikings, —
Waded fast and the stream sped on.
Thou god of the bow!
The billows
Blown by the mountain-storm
Powerfully rushed
Over Thor's shoulders.
Thjalfe and his companion,
With their heads above water,
Got over the river, —
To Thor's belt they clung.
Their strength was tested, —
Geirrod's daughters made hard the stream
For the iron rod.
Angry fared Thor with the Gridarvol.
Nor did courage fail
Those foes of the giant
In the seething vortex.
Those sworn companions
Regarded a brave heart
Better than gold.
Neither Thor's nor Thjalfe's heart
From fear did tremble.
And the war companions —
Weapons despising —
'Mong the giants made havoc,
Until, woman!
The giant destroyers
The conflict of helmets
With the warlike race
Did commence.
The giants of Iva's[3] capes
Made a rush with Geirrod;
The foes of the cold Svithiod
Took to flight.
Geirrod's giants
Had to succumb
When the hghtning wielder'sf kinsmen
Closely pursued them.
Wailing was 'mongst the cave-dwellers
When the giants,
With warlike spirit endowed,
Went forward.
There was war.
The slayer of troll-women,
By foes surrounded.
The giant's hard head hit.
With violent pressure
Were pressed the vast eyes
Of Gjalp and Greip
Against the high roof.
The fire-chariot's driver
The old backs broke
Of both these maids
For the cave- woman.
The man of the rocky way
But scanty knowledge got;
Nor able were the giants
To enjoy perfect gladness.
[4]Thou man of the bow-string!
The dwarf's kinsman
An iron beam, in the forge heated.
Threw against Odin's dear son.
But the battle-hastener,
Freyja's old friend,
With swift hands caught
In the air the beam
As it flew from the hands
Of the father of Greip, —
His breast with anger swollen
Against Thruda's[5] father.
Geirrod's hall trembled
When he struck,
With his broad head,
'Gainst the old column of the house-wall.
Uller's splendid flatterer
Swung the iron beam
Straight 'gainst the head
Of the knavish giant.
The crusher of the hall-wont troll-women
A splendid victory won
Over Glam's descendants;
With gory hammer fared Thor.
Gridarvol-staff",
Which made disaster
'Mong Geirrod's companion.
Was not used 'gainst that giant himself.
The much worshiped thunderer.
With all his might, slew
The dwellers in Alfheim
With that little willow-twig,
And no shield
Was able to resist
The strong age-diminisher
Of the mountain-king.