Fighting Illusions

Thor and Loki were journeying to Utgard, a city of Jötunheim. On their journey they were given lodging from a poor farmer named Egil and his family. The peasant had a son named Thialfi and a daughter named Roskva. Thor killed his two magical goats and skinned them. After supper, Thor tossed the whole bones of the goat on the goat hides, and told the family not to touch the bones. As the guests slept, Thialfi was still hungry so he took the thighbone, split it and sucked the marrow out.

In the morning, Thor woke up and cast a spell using Mjollnir, and brought both goats back to life. However one of the goats was crippled. Astonished and terrified by the event, Egil offered Thialfi and Roskva in bondage as servants to appease the angry god.

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So Thor took his new bondservants with him in their journey to Utgard. They had to take shelter for the night in the huge forest. They found what was a deserted building and found themselves a place to sleep.

At midnight, they were wakened by an earthquake that shook the whole building. They heard some more rumbling and groaning.

At dawn, Thor went out and discovered the cause of the noises. Thor found a sleeping giant, not far from where they took shelter. The giant's snoring was deafening.

Thor was about to attack the giant with Mjollnir until he woke up and stood up. For once, Thor was afraid to attack a giant, because it stood many times taller than any giant he had ever seen.

The giant was called Skrymir and he seemed to be a friendly enough giant. Thor also discovered that they were not sleeping in a building, but in Skrymir's immense glove.

Skrymir recognised Thor and told the thunder-god that he would like to travel with him and the others. Thor did not make any objection. Actually, Thor would never consider arguing over the issue with a giant as tall as Skrymir.

When they stopped for the night, Skrymir told Thor he would like to sleep. The snoring was so loud that Thor swung his mighty, but very small, hammer at Skrymir's head. Skrymir woke and asked Thor did foliage or a leaf fall on his head.

At midnight Thor and his other companions could not sleep, because Skrymir was snoring so loudly that the whole forest shook. Again, Thor irritably struck the sleeping giant, in the dead-centre of the crown of his head. Skrymir woke and asked Thor did an acorn fall on his head. Thor fearfully replied that he had only just woken up and told the giant to go back to sleep.

Thor was determined that the next time he struck the giant, Skrymir would not wake up. By morning, Thor was becoming very irritable from not getting any sleep the past night. Thor once again struck Skrymir, this time on the temple, with all his might.

Again, the Mjollnir did not harm Skrymir, who woke up and asked if some stick had fallen on his face while he was sleeping. Thor finally admitted it was futile trying to kill this enormous giant.

Skrymir decided that they should go their separate ways, and gave them directions to Utgard. Thor thought that he would be happy to never see Skrymir again.

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Thor and his companions arrived at Utgard. Utgarda-Loki was the king of the giants.

Utgarda-Loki told them he would allow them to stay at Utgard if they had any special skill. Loki declared he could out-eat any giant. Loki ate all of the meat from the bone, but his rival named Logi, ate meat, bone and even the trencher. Obviously Loki lost to Logi.

Then Thialfi challenged the giant in a foot race, but he lost all three races against the giant named Hugi, each time doing worse than the last time.

Next, Thor challenged them a drinking contest. Utgarda-Loki had a servant bring out a long drinking horn. Anyone able to empty the horn in one draught would be considered a great drinker, and a good drinker in two draughts.

Try as he might, Thor could not empty the horn in one draught. The frustrated thunder-god couldn't even finish it in two or even three draughts.

Thor was becoming quite belligerent, preferring to fight someone. Utgarda-Loki challenged Thor if he could lift a large cat. Thor struggled and tried to lift the large cat off the ground, but failed. All he succeeded was lifting one of the cat's legs.

Thor insisted on fighting someone. Utgarda-Loki, however, sent an old crone named Elli to wrestle with Thor. Thor could not even move the crone, but the old woman managed to pull him off balance.

Thor was ready to bash the giant for the embarrassment, but Utgarda-Loki placatingly offered the angry god and his companions a place to sleep.

In the morning, after Thor and his friends ate their breakfast, the king of the giants took them outside of Utgard.

Utgarda-Loki revealed the truth of the events of the last few days. Utgarda-Loki told Thor that he was Skrymir, the giant they met in the forest.

Skrymir was actually an illusion. Had Thor struck right on the mark, he would have killed Utgarda-Loki. The contestants that Thor and his companions had to compete against were also illusions.

Loki did not lose the eating contest to a giant (Logi), but to a wildfire, while Thialfi raced against Utgarda-Loki's thought, not the giant Hugi.

The other end of the drinking horn was out in the sea. What Thor was drinking was the sea. The level of the sea had actually dropped considerably from Thor's deep draughts.

As for the cat, one of the cat's legs that Thor managed to lift off the ground was actually the tail of the Midgard Serpent. And the old crone (Elli) Thor was wrestling with, was nothing but "old age" itself.

Utgarda-Loki was really quite amazed at what Thor had managed to achieve. Utgarda-Loki told Thor to leave Jötunheim. He told Thor that he would protect his domain again with deception and illusion if the thunder-god ever returned.

Thor was outraged by the deception, and would have killed Utgarda-Loki had the giant not vanished into thin air. Thor was going to storm Utgard, but the castle also vanished. Thor had no choice but to return home.