Mist Calf

Who Is Mist Calf

Mist Calf is a gigantic clay giant created by the jotnar to support Hrungnir in his duel with Thor. According to the story, the frost giants shape a huge figure out of clay and give it the heart of a mare hoping to terrify the thunder god before the fight even begins.

The construct is enormous, rising high above the battlefield, but its heart makes it nervous and unstable. When Mist Calf sees Thor approaching with his hammer, it is terrified and loses control, revealing that it is powerful in size but weak in spirit.

Mist Calf is quickly brought down by Thjalfi, Thor's swift human companion, who strikes its legs and sends the clay colossus crashing to the ground before the main duel with Hrungnir even begins.

Character and Nature

Mist Calf and Thor's Duel with Hrungnir

When a duel is arranged between Thor and the stone giant Hrungnir, the frost giants grow worried. To support their champion, they build Mist Calf, a massive clay giant, and place it beside Hrungnir so that Thor will face two towering opponents instead of one.

Thor arrives with his servant Thjalfi. Rather than attacking Hrungnir first, Thjalfi goes for Mist Calf, striking at its legs with an axe. The clay construct cannot withstand the blow. Its legs break, and it topples, crashing down in a heap of clay and dust while Hrungnir is left to face Thor alone.

The fall of Mist Calf clears the field for the true duel between Thor and Hrungnir and shows that the giants' attempt to rely on artificial terror fails in the face of courage and quick action.