Norse Mythology: The Lay of Thrym (Thor’s Wedding Day) (#102)

Thrymskviða (Thrym's Poem, or The Lay of Thrym) is one of the best-known poems from the Poetic Edda, the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous poems. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic medieval manuscript known as the Codex Regius, which is arguably the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, having a powerful influence on later Scandinavian literatures

The Norse myth had enduring popularity in Scandinavia and continued to be told and sung in several forms until the 19th century, though 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. Others have seen it as a young Christian parody of the heathen gods, and there are definitely notes of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ which we will get to in a moment.

On to the story:

Thor the Thunderer, the hallowed hammerer, the god of Thursdays, oak trees, and healing, always slept with his weapon by his side. This was Mjolnir, the hugest, hardest, hammer that ever was.

With Mjolinir, Thor could knock down mountains, squash cities and bash whole armies. He was a god after all, and gods can do things like that if they want to. Giants can too. But generally speaking, gods do things bigger and better.

One night, when Thor was snoring, a giant tip-toed by his bed and stole Mjolnir. In the morning, Thor discovered the lack of his hammer, and his tantrum shook the ground and quivered the treetops. The sun ran scared and hid behind the horizon. The clouds blackened, whizzed around the sky, smashed into one another, and turned into hard cold rain. The human priests called out: “People, hide! The sky is falling down!”

Tantrum abated, Thor first turns to Loki, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen and calles him to his aid – this mission is going to need brains, of which Loki had plenty. “This is serious,” said Loki. “Mjolnir is our main weapon against the giants… which leads me to think that it was most probably a giant who stole it. Let me prove my hunch, and then, we shall see what we can do.”

The two then go to the court of the goddess Freyja, she of the long golden hair, the goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and magic for seeing and influencing the future. Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, and possesses a cloak of falcon feathers (we will get to a couple of those details shortly).

Loki 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 for the gods always help each other, and Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling.

In Jötunheimr, the jötunn Thrym sits on a burial mound, 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 and the Elves; 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, is 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: 

“Freya take the bridal veil,” said Thor. “Set a pretty cap upon your head. Choose a long dress with flowers and precious gems embroidered into its hem. Let your necklace, the wondrous work of dwarfs, shine upon your breast. You must marry the giant king Thrym before he will return my hammer. He has hidden it eight miles under, and there is no other solution. In times of trouble we gods always help one another. Cheer up, today is your wedding day.”

But Freya, understandably indignant and angry, did not do as she was told. She goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger.

“Cheer up? Cheer up? You must have lost what's left of your tiny little mind my big brutish friend. If you think I’m going to wed a giant, then you’ve got another thing coming! You’ve lost your hammer eight miles under? Well here’s my advice to you… Start digging.”

Then she took off her mighty necklace, the wondrous work of the dwarfs who live beneath the ground and lashed the thunder god with it. 

Basically, Freyja pointedly refuses.

As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a thing to discuss and debate the matter. At the thing, the god Heimdallr, the sleepless watcher of the world who knows the future well, puts forth a suggestion:

“Thor, take the bridal veil. Set a pretty cap upon your head. Choose a long dress, with flowers and precious gems embroidered into its hem. Let Freya’s necklace, the wondrous work of dwarfs, shine upon your breast.”

“Now come on Thor my boy, why these angry scowls and growls? Cheer up, for today you shall wed Thrym the king of the giants.”

The rest of the gods and goddesses nearly wet themselves at the idea, and Thor the big man child roar his rejection to the idea, but Loki interjects:

“Thor, don’t you see, the deception will be a fine trick to play on Thrym the thief. If you agree to this, then I shall dress up as your bridesmaid and stand by your side on your big day. If you do not agree, then, my friend, the giants will soon be here in Asgard wielding the mighty hammer against us and smashing down the walls of this very palace.”

Basically, this will be the only way to get back Mjöllnir. Thor saw that he must go along with the plan, for in times of trouble the gods help one another. He took the bridal veil. The goddesses set a pretty cap upon his head. Freya chose a long dress for him with flowers and precious gems embroidered into its hem. Then she placed her necklace, the wondrous work of dwarfs around his neck so that it shone upon his breast.

“Truly, you are the loveliest bride I ever did see,” swore Loki. Then he too dressed as a maid. Together they left the land of the gods and reached the realm of the giants.

After riding together in Thor's goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. Upon seeing the bridal party’s arrival to his halls, Thrym calls out “Giants - set out the benches and the tables for a feast. I have many goats and sheep, a multitude of black-eared oxen, chests brimming with jewels and every possession that a giant could delight in. But one thing I lack, the beautiful Freya for my wife. Now they are bringing her to be my bride. Giants rejoice! This shall be our wedding day.”

The giants brought giant quantities of drink and food. Thor alone ate an entire ox, eight salmon, and all the dainty little dishes that were set out for the women. He washed down his food with three barrels of mead. 

Þrymr finds the behaviour at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki, sitting before Þrymr and appearing as a "very shrewd maid", makes 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 priest of the jötnar appears, asking for a bridal gift for "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. At last this was something that made the heart of Thor rejoice. As soon as the priest returned his hammer to his lap, he threw off the bridal veil, the pretty cap, and the long flowing dress, and around his head he wielded the weapon, killing Thrym and every giant who stood in his way.