Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Thor's Visit to Jotunheim, the Giant's Country explained
Thor, accompanied by his servant Thialfi and Loki, journeys to the land of giants.
What happens
Thor, accompanied by his servant Thialfi and Loki, journeys to the land of giants. They encounter Skrymir, a giant whose glove they mistake for a hall. After traveling together, Thor attempts to strike Skrymir with his mallet but fails due to illusions. They arrive at Utgard-Loki's palace, where Loki, Thialfi, and Thor compete in eating, running, drinking, lifting, and wrestling contests, all of which they lose. Utgard-Loki later reveals that the contests were illusions: Logi was fire, Hugi was thought, the horn was connected to the sea, the cat was the Midgard serpent, and Elli was old age. Thor, enraged, finds the city vanished.
Themes in this chapter
Hubris and Divine Retribution
Thor's overconfidence in his strength is humbled by Utgard-Loki's illusions, showing that even gods can be deceived and reminded of their limitations.
Mortality and Immortality
Thor's wrestling match with Elli (Old Age) underscores the inevitability of aging and decline, a force that even a god cannot overcome.
Characters to notice
- Thor
The god Thor journeys to Jotunheim with his companions, attempts to strike Skrymir with his mallet, and competes in drinking, lifting, and wrestling contests at Utgard-Loki's palace.
- Loki
Accompanies Thor and Thialfi; competes in an eating contest against Logi but loses because Logi (fire) consumes bone and trough as well.
- Odin
Not directly present; no mention in the excerpts.
Key passages
“Thor then perceived that what they had taken overnight for a hall was the giant's glove, and the chamber where his two companions had sought refuge was the thumb.”
Thor realized that the building they had slept in was actually the giant Skrymir's glove, and the room where his friends stayed was the thumb.
Highlights the immense size of the giants and the theme of illusion.
“For one end of that horn reached the sea, which thou wast not aware of, but when thou comest to the shore thou wilt perceive how much the sea has sunk by thy draughts.”
The drinking horn was magically connected to the ocean, so Thor's drinking actually lowered the sea level.
Reveals the true nature of the drinking contest and Thor's hidden achievement.