Who Is Hyrrokkin
Hyrrokkin is a fearsome giantess who appears at one of the most dramatic moments in Norse myth: the funeral of Baldr. When the gods are unable to move Baldr’s enormous ship Hringhorni from the shore, they summon Hyrrokkin from the land of the giants to help.
She arrives riding a gigantic wolf and using venomous serpents as reins, a sign of her wild and terrifying nature. With a single shove she sends the massive ship crashing into the water so violently that the earth shakes and the rollers beneath the hull burst into flame.
Though she appears only briefly, Hyrrokkin leaves a strong impression as a being whose strength and presence rival that of the gods themselves.
Character and Nature
Giantess of Great Strength
Hyrrokkin moves a ship that even the strongest gods cannot shift, showing raw power far beyond ordinary giants.
Wild and Untamed
She rides a wolf and uses snakes as reins, a striking image of untamed, dangerous force arriving among the gods.
Bringer of Shock and Fire
Her push sends Hringhorni into the sea so hard that the ground quakes and the rollers catch fire beneath the keel.
Hyrrokkin and the Launch of Hringhorni
After Baldr’s death, the gods prepare a magnificent funeral on his great ship Hringhorni. They mean to launch the vessel as a burning funeral ship, but despite all their effort they cannot move it from the shore. Even Thor’s strength is not enough.
They send for Hyrrokkin from Jotunheim. When she arrives on her wolf, Odin’s men are so unsettled that they must restrain her mount, and the animal thrashes so fiercely that some of Odin’s companions are killed. Hyrrokkin walks to the prow and gives a single tremendous shove. The ship surges forward into the sea, grinding the rollers to splinters and shaking the earth.
Thor is angered by the violence of the launch and wants to strike Hyrrokkin down with his hammer, but the other gods restrain him. Even in their grief they recognise that they needed her strength to complete Baldr’s funeral rites.
Quick Facts
Associated Figures and Tales
Symbolism
Hyrrokkin symbolises overwhelming, dangerous force that even the gods cannot easily control. She is called in only when all gentler efforts fail, and her presence turns a solemn ritual into a moment of raw power and shock. Her role shows how, in Norse myth, giants embody both threat and necessary strength when the worlds reach their hardest moments.