A Wager That Led to War
The trouble began with a boast. Odin rode his eight-legged steed Sleipnir into Jötunheim and fell to arguing with the giant Hrungnir over whose horse was the finer. Hrungnir, mounted on his great stallion Gullfaxi, gave chase in his fury and galloped so hard that he found himself inside the gates of Asgard.
The gods offered him drink, but Hrungnir grew drunk and wild, threatening to sink Asgard, kill all the gods, and carry off the goddesses Freyja and Sif. His boasting could be answered by only one of the Æsir, and the gods called for Thor.
Thor arrived with murder in his eyes, but Hrungnir was unarmed and it was no honorable thing to slay a defenseless guest. Instead the giant challenged Thor to a formal duel at the border of the giants' land, at a place called Griotunagardar.
Key Events of the Tale
The Clay Giant
Fearing for their champion, the giants build a huge man of clay, Mökkurkálfi, to stand beside Hrungnir. But they can find no heart great enough for him except that of a mare, and so he trembles with fear.
The Trick of the Shield
Thor's servant Thjálfi runs ahead and warns Hrungnir that Thor will attack from below through the earth. The giant lays his stone shield beneath his feet and stands upon it, leaving himself exposed.
Hammer Meets Whetstone
Thor hurls Mjölnir as Hrungnir throws his weapon, a great whetstone. The two meet in the air. The whetstone shatters, and a shard lodges deep in Thor's head, but the hammer flies on and smashes the giant's skull.
Pinned Beneath the Giant
Hrungnir falls dead, and his massive leg pins Thor to the ground. None of the gathered gods can lift it free, and the thunder god lies trapped beneath his fallen foe.
The Child Who Lifts the Leg
Thor's son Magni, only three nights old, strides up and lifts the giant's leg with ease, saving his father and hinting at the strength of the next generation of gods.
The Stone in Thor's Head
The witch Gróa began to chant spells to loosen the whetstone shard from Thor's skull. To thank her, Thor told her that he had carried her husband Aurvandil out of the frozen north, and that one of his frozen toes, tossed into the sky, had become a star. Overjoyed, Gróa forgot her charm, and so the shard remained lodged in Thor's head forever after.
Sources and Related Tales
The duel is told in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, in the Skáldskaparmál, drawing on the older skaldic poem Haustlöng by Þjóðólfr of Hvinir.
Quick Facts
Key Participants
Thor
Champion of the gods, wounded even in victory.
Hrungnir
The strongest of the giants, with a heart and skull of stone.
Magni
Thor's infant son, already strong enough to save his father.
Weapons of the Duel
Mjölnir
Thor's hammer, which always returns to his hand.
The Whetstone
Hrungnir's hone, whose splinters still lie in stones today.
Mökkurkálfi
The clay giant with a mare's heart, felled by Thjálfi.
Themes & Symbolism
Honor in Combat: Thor refuses to kill an unarmed foe and instead meets him in a fair duel.
Courage and Cowardice: The clay giant's mare-heart contrasts sharply with the reckless boldness of the gods.
A New Generation: The infant Magni foreshadows the gods who will survive Ragnarök.