Skrymir

Who Is Skrymir

Skrymir is the name taken by a huge giant who meets Thor and his companions on the way to Utgard. He is so vast that Thor and his friends mistake his glove for a house and sleep inside it. Calm self assured and strangely polite Skrymir seems at first to be just another giant of great size.

As they travel together Skrymir ties up their food bag with a knot that Thor cannot open no matter how hard he pulls. At night Thor grows angry and strikes Skrymir on the head three times with his hammer. Each blow should be deadly but the giant only wakes slightly and asks if perhaps a leaf or acorn has fallen on him.

Later in Utgard the giant king reveals that the Skrymir they met was part of a grand illusion and that Thor's hammer blows carved deep craters into nearby mountains instead of the giant's skull. Skrymir is therefore closely tied to Utgarda Loki and the theme of trickery that runs through the whole tale.

Character and Nature

Skrymir on the Road to Utgard

Thor Loki and their companions are traveling to the stronghold of the giants in Jotunheim when they encounter a sleeping giant in the forest. When he wakes and gives his name as Skrymir he offers to travel with them and carry their provisions in his own food bag.

That night Thor tries to open the bag but cannot loosen the knot. In frustration he strikes Skrymir on the head with his hammer three times each blow stronger than the last. Skrymir barely reacts and in the morning calmly suggests they part ways before they reach Utgard.

Inside Utgard the giant king later reveals that he himself was behind the illusion. Skrymir's form was used to test Thor and the hammer blows that seemed harmless actually caused huge dents in the landscape. Skrymir thus belongs to the network of illusions that prove even Thor can be deceived.