Ásmegin: Thor's Might
and the Belt of Strength
© William P. Reaves 2013
[HOME]  
 
Thor's strength, is legendary. In Gylfaginning 21, he is said to be "the strongest of all the gods and men." According to Snorri Sturluson, author of the Prose Edda, his mighty strength manifested itself early, and appears to be an inate part of his being. Speaking of Thor as the son of a Trojan king, in a historicized account of Thor's childhood in the Prologue to Gylfaginning, Snorri says:
Svá var hann fagr álitum, er hann kom með öðrum mönnum, sem þá er fílsbein er grafit í eik. Hár hans er fegra en gull. Þá er hann var tólf vetra, þá hafði hann fullt afl. Þá lyfti hann af jörðu tíu bjarnarstökkum öllum senn, ok þá drap hann Lóríkúm hertoga, fóstra sinn, ok konu hans, Lórá eða Glórá, ok eignaði sér ríkit Trakíá. Þat köllum vér Þrúðheim. Þá fór hann víða um lönd ok kannaði allar heimshálfur ok sigraði einn saman alla berserki ok alla risa ok einn inn mesta dreka ok mörg dýr. "When he was twelve winters old, he had reached his full strength. Then he lifted from the ground, ten bearskins all at once. and then he killed his foster father and Loricus’ wife, Lóra or Gloria, and thus he acquired Thrace. We call this Thrudheim. Thereafter, he traveled far and explored all parts of the world and alone conquered all berserkers and all giants, as well as one of the greatest dragons and many wild animals."

The name of Thor's foster father, Loricus, is freely formed from his wife’s name, Lóra. His actual name is found in Skáldskaparmál 4, which says that Thor was fóstri Vingnis ok Hlóru, “fostered by Vingnir and Hlóra.” That Vingnir was originally a giant is confirmed by the þula of giant-names added to Skáldskaparmál. Although some translators attempt to explain Vingnir as an alternate name of Odin here, and in other passages such as  Vafþrúðnismál 53, as an alternate name of Thor, the context of the passage in the Prologue to Gylfaginning, shows that Thor, while yet young, was strong enough to kill giants. In his duel with Hrungnir, Thor has proven that he can conquer even the mightiest of the giants. His physical might is unmatched.

From Gylfaginning, we learn that Thor's great strength is augmented by magical implements. The mythology is replete with such magical objects, often described as the product of dwarf-smiths. In a famous contest,  a group of dwarves or dark-elves known as the Sons of Ivaldi, forged three wondrous works for the gods: from gold, they spun a flow of fine hair, which grew like natural when placed upon the head of Thor's wife, Sif, after Loki had maliciously cut her beautiful tresses; for Odin, the Sons of Ivaldi created the spear Gungnir, which never misses its mark; and for Frey, they crafted a magnificent sailing ship, Skidbladnir, which can hold all of the gods and their war-gear, yet which can still be folded up like a napkin and placed in a pocket. At sail, the ship always finds a favorable wind. As part of the competition, the dwarf-smith Sindri, assisted by his brother Brokk, also forged three precious objects: for Thor, they made the hammer Mjöllnir, which can crush anything and will always return to Thor's hand once thrown; for Odin, they crafted the wealth-producing ring, Draupnir, which drops eight identical rings every ninth night; and for Frey, they forged the boar Gullinbursti (also called Slidrugtanni) from an empty pigskin. Its bristles radiate a golden glow that provides a light to Frey's path. Nor are these the only magical implements found in the lore. 

   


We find more among the gods, dwarves and even the giants. Frigg and Freyja both possess a falcon-dress, allowing them to fly. Odin owns an eagle-guise. From his throne Hlidskjalf, he can see out over all the worlds. The Vana-god  Frey once owned a sword that "fights of itself against the giants", until he gave to the giant Gymir as a bride-price for his daughter (Lokasenna 42). Loki possesses a pair of shoes, which allow him to fly over land and sea. Freyja wears the necklace Brisingamen, the best ornament under heaven and the product of a dwarven-smithy. Idunn holds a basket of golden apples, which serve as "the Æsir's remedy against old age." The dwarves and giants too possess enchanted items: Sindri owns an awl that comes to its master when called. The giant Thjazi has a bar that cannot be let go, and Hymir owns a cup that will not break. 		 
 

Although the hammer Mjöllnir is the most famous object that Thor owns, it is not the only magical device that the thunder god possesses. Gylfaginning 21 states:

Hann á ok þrjá kostgripi. Einn þeira er hamarrinn Mjöllnir, er hrímþursar ok bergrisar kenna, þá er hann kemr á loft, ok er þat eigi undarligt. Hann hefir lamit margan haus á feðrum eða frændum þeira. Annan grip á hann beztan, megingjarðar, ok er hann spennir þeim um sik, þá vex honum ásmegin hálfu. Inn þriðja hlut á hann, þann er mikill gripr er í. Þat eru járnglófar. Þeira má hann eigi missa við hamarskaftit. En engi er svá fróðr, at telja kunni öll stórvirki hans, en segja kann ek þér svá mörg tíðendi frá honum, at dveljast munu stundirnar, áðr en sagt er allt, þat er ek veit."

He has three things of great price: one is the hammer Mjöllnir, which the frost-thurses and the mountain-giants know, when it is raised on high; and that is no wonder, it has smashed many a skull of their fathers and kinsmen. He has a second precious thing, best of all: the belt of strength; and when he buckles it about him, then his divine strength is doubled. Yet a third thing he has, in which there is much virtue: his iron gloves; he must not be without them when he grips the hammer-shaft."

 
  Here, Snorri tells us that Thor must wear a pair of special gloves to wield his lightning-hammer. Although it often goes unsaid, this seems reasonable considering what we know of that mighty weapon. This passage also says that  when Thor buckles on his megingjarðar, "belt of strength", that his ásmegin, "divine strength" is doubled. Since Thor is already the mightiest of the Æsir, and capable of killing giants since childhood, this seems like an odd thing for him to have. So odd, in fact, that few popular books on mythology mention it, and when they do, place little emphasis on it. If Thor is already the mightiest being in the nine worlds, capable of holding his own against even "old age" (Elli in Utgard-Loki's court), what use is a belt that doubles his already superior strength? At best, it seems redundant. In practical terms, what would such a device do for Thor, the strongest of the gods? The myths provide us some clue about the nature of this belt.

   

Thor's strength is specifically refered to as his ásmegin ('divine strength'). The term appears several times in the lore, where it is frequently associated with his belt megingjarðar. In the Prose Edda, Thor's use of his ásmegin is mentioned in his fishing expedition with Hymir, and again in his encounter with the giant Skyrmir, also known as Utgard-Loki. In Gylfaginning, 48 (Faulkes' tr.), Snorri says:		  
 

Hafði þá Hymir út skotit nökkvanum. Þórr gekk á skipit ok settist í austrrúm, tók tvær árar ok reri, ok þótti Hymi skriðr verða af róðri hans. Hymir reri í hálsinum fram, ok sóttist skjótt róðrinn. Sagði þá Hymir, at þeir váru komnir á þær vastir, er hann var vanr at sitja ok draga flata fiska, en Þórr kveðst vilja róa miklu lengra, ok tóku þeir enn snertiróðr. Sagði Hymir þá, at þeir váru komnir svá langt út, at hætt var at sitja útar fyrir Miðgarðsormi, en Þórr kveðst myndu róa enn um hríð, ok svá gerði hann, en Hymir var þá allókátr.

En þá er Þórr lagði upp árarnar, greiddi hann til vað heldr sterkjan, ok eigi var öngullinn minni eða óramligri. Þar lét Þórr koma á öngulinn uxahöfuðit ok kastaði fyrir borð, ok fór öngullinn til grunns, ok er þér þat satt at segja, at engu ginnti þá Þórr miðr Miðgarðsorm en Útgarða-Loki hafði spottat Þór, þá er hann hóf orminn upp á hendi sér.

Miðgarðsormr gein yfir uxahöfuðit, en öngullinn vá í góminn orminum. En er ormrinn kenndi þess, brá hann við svá hart, at báðir hnefar Þórs skullu út at borðinu. Þá varð Þórr reiðr ok færðist í ásmegin, spyrnði við fast, svá at hann hljóp báðum fótum gegnum skipit ok spyrnði við grunni, dró þá orminn upp at borði.

"Thor went aboard the skiff and sat down in the stern-seat, took two oars and rowed; and it seemed to Hymir that swift progress came of his rowing. Hymir rowed forward in the bow, and the rowing proceeded rapidly; then Hymir said that they had arrived at those fishing-banks where he was wont to anchor and angle for flat-fish. But Thor said that he desired to row much further, and took a sharp pull; then Hymir said that they had come so far that it would be perilous to go farther because of the Midgard Serpent. Thor replied that he would row a while yet, and so he did; but Hymir was then deathly afraid.

As soon as Thor had put up the oars, he made ready a very strong fishing-line, and the hook was no less large and strong. Then Thor put the ox-head on the hook and cast it overboard, and the hook sank to the bottom; and it is telling the truth to say that Thor then beguiled the Midgard Serpent no less than Útgarda-Loki had mocked Thor, at the time when he lifted the Serpent (in the guise of a cat) up in his hand.
"The Midgard Serpent snapped at the ox-head, and the hook caught in its jaw; but when the Serpent was aware of this, it bolted away so fiercely that both of Thor's fists crashed against the gunwale. Then Thor got angry, and summoned up his divine strength, braced his feet so strongly that he plunged through the ship with both feet, and pushed his feet against the ground.
 
 
     
 		  
Here, Thor's might is referred to as his ásmegin. It is something that he "summons up" (færðist í ásmegin), although the passage does not say how. Once activated, however, Thor is so strong that when he pushes against the bottom of the boat, his feet break through the floorboards. That this was a widespread motif is evident from its appearance on two Viking Age runestones. The Altuna Stone, dated to the early 11th century, and the Hørdum stone, dated from the 8th to the 11th century, both show Thor with his feet protruding from the bottom of Hymir's boat. 
The Altuna
Runestone		   The Hørdum
Runestone

That Thor is strong enough to break through the bottom of a boat is not surprising. But Snorri adds another detail that often goes unnoticed. He specifically says that Thor's feet spyrnði við grunni, "pushed with his feet against the ground". The operative words here are spyrnði, which means "to push or kick with the feet"; and grunni, which means the "bottom (of the sea)", according to Faulkes [Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning,  Glossary]. In other words, Thor's feet touched the sea-floor, while he still sat in Hymir's boat. This cannot be explained by mere strength. The same source says that Thor and Hymir had rowed far out to sea, into the territory of the Midgard serpent, which rings the entire world. Considering the depths of the ocean at this distance, Thor would have had to grow in physical size so that he would be tall enough to stand on the ocean floor. This happens when he færðist í ásmegin, "summons up his divine strength" [A. Faulkes, Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning, Glossary p. 98, s.v. færa]. Snorri says Thor grew in "divine strength" so that he could touch the bottom.

   

  That this is a recurring motif is made more explicit in verse 7 of the skaldic poem Þórsdrápa, which places an emphasis on the belt at the point Thor displays his mighty "megin" as he crosses a raging river. Snorri may have even gotten his idea for the "belt of strength" as a misunderstanding of this verse. at least one scholar has suggested it.

 Harðvaxnar lét herðir
halllands of sik falla;
gatat maðr, njótr, hin neytri,
njarð-, ráð fyrir sér, -gjarðar.
Þverrir lét, nema þyrri
þorns, barna sér mörnar,
snerriblóð, til, svíra,
salþaks megin vaxa.

The promoter of the whetstone-land [warrior] let the mightily-swollen ones [waves] fall over him. The man, who benefited from the girdle of might [Thjalfi], knew no better course of action. The diminisher of Mörn's children [Thor] threatened that his power would grow unto the hall's roof [heaven], unless the gushing-blood of Þorn's neck [ocean] would diminish.


As the waves rose, Thor threatened to grow unto heaven itself if need be. Thjalfi, who would otherwise drown, thus is njótr njarðgjarðar, "he who benefits from the mighty belt." 
     

The picture painted by the poet is clear: Thor, the mighty god, to whom the ocean is no more than a river, allows its icy waves to wash over him. His servant Thjalfi clings to his master's belt in order not to be swept away by the swollen waves.  Thor's ability to grow (vaxa) to heaven itself, is stated explicitly and seems to be connected to the belt that "doubles" his strength.  This ability, as strange as it may seem, is not unknown in the ancient lore.  Book 1 of Saxo's Danish History, based on Icelandic documents and written in Denmark a generation before the Prose Edda,  says:

1 Quo corporis eius magnitudinem humanis inhabilem amplexibus referente, cuius naturae contextum dubium non esset giganteo germini respondere: 2 'Non te moveat', inquit, 'insolitus meae granditatis aspectus. 3 Nunc enim contractioris, nunc capacioris, nunc exilis, nunc affluentis substantiae, modo corrugati, modo explicati corporis situm arbitraria mutatione transformo; nunc proceritate caelis invehor, nunc in hominem angustioris habitus condicione componor.' 4 Adhuc haesitante eo fidemque dictis habere cunctante, tale carmen adiecit:

5 Ne paveas nostri, iuvenis, commercia lecti.
6 Corpoream gemina vario ratione figuram
et duplicem nervis legem praescribere suevi.
 7 Nam sequor alternas diverso schemate formas
arbitrio variata meo; nunc sidera cervix
aequat et excelso rapitur vicina Tonanti,
rursus in humanum ruit inclinata vigorem
contiguumque polo caput in tellure refigit.
 8 Sic levis in varios transmuto corpora flexus		 When [Hadding] answered that the size of her body was unwieldy for the embraces of a mortal, since doubtless her nature was framed in conformity to her giant stock, [Hardgrep] said: "Be not moved by my unwonted look of size. For my substance is sometimes thinner, sometimes ampler; now meagre, now abundant; and I alter and change at my pleasure the condition of my body, which is at one time shrivelled up and at another time expanded: now my tallness rises to the heavens, and now I settle down into a human being, under a more bounded shape." As he still faltered, and was slow to believe her words, she added the following song:

 Youth, fear not the converse of my bed.
I change my bodily outline in twofold wise,
and am wont to enjoin a double law upon my sinews.
For I conform to shapes of different figure in turn,
and am altered at my own sweet will:
now my neck is star-high,
and soars near to the lofty Thunderer;
then it falls and declines to human strength,
 and plants again on earth that head which was near the firmament.
Thus I lightly shift my body into diverse phases.

(Oliver Elton tr. 1898)

 
 
Comic Book Characters Who Can Grow To Extraordinary Size:
Colossal Boy of the
Legion of Super-Heroes		 Giant-Man of the
Avengers		 Giganta of the
Legion of Doom
 
 
This ability —the power to grow in height to meet any threat no matter the size—appears again in Thor's journey to the giant Geirröd. Captured by Geirröd, Loki promises to lure Thor into Jötunheim without his hammer, gloves or his magic belt. He accomplishes this plot, but along the way, Thor borrows like items from a friendly giantess named Grid:

Þá læsti Geirröðr Loka í kistu ok svelti hann þar þrjá mánuðr. En þá er Geirröðr tók hann upp ok beiddi hann orða, þá sagði Loki, hverr hann var, ok til fjörlausnar vann hann Geirröði þess eiða, at hann skyldi koma Þór í Geirröðargarða, svá at hann hefði hvárki hamarinn né megingjarðar.

Geirrödr shut Loki into a chest and starved him there three months. And now when Geirrödr took him out and commanded him to speak, Loki told who he was; and by way of ransom for his life he swore to Geirrödr with oaths that he would get Thor to come into Geirrödr's dwelling in such a fashion that he should have neither hammer nor Girdle of Might with him.
Þórr kom til gistingar til gýgjar þeirar, er Gríðr er kölluð. Hon var móðir Víðars ins þögla. Hon sagði Þór satt frá Geirröði, at hann var jötunn hundvíss ok illr viðreignar. Hon léði honum megingjarða ok járngreipr, er hon átti, ok staf sinn, er heitir Gríðarvölr. Þá fór Þórr til ár þeirar, er Vimur heitir, allra á mest. Þá spennti hann sik megingjörðum ok studdi forstreymis Gríðarvöl, en Loki helt undir megingjarðar. Ok þá er Þórr kom á miðja ána, þá óx svá mjök áin, at uppi braut á öxl honum. Þá kvað Þórr þetta: "Thor came to spend the night with that giantess who was called Grídr, mother of Vídar the Silent. She told Thor the truth concerning Geirrödr, that he was a crafty giant and ill to deal with; and she lent him the Girdle of Might and iron gloves which she possessed, and her staff also, which was called Grídr's Rod. Then Thor proceeded to the river named Vimur, greatest of all rivers. There he girded himself with the Girdle of Might and braced firmly downstream with Grídr's Rod, and Loki held on behind by the Girdle of Might. When Thor came to mid-current, the river grew so great that it broke high upon his shoulders. Then Thor sang this (to the river):

65. Vax-at-tu nú, Vimur,
alls mik þik vaða tíðir
jötna garða í;
veiztu, ef þú, vex,
at þá vex mér ásmegin
jafnhátt upp sem himinn.

 "Do not rise now, Vimur,
For I desire to wade
into the giants' gard:
Know that if you rise,
Then  divine-strength will grow in me
As high up as the heaven!"
 

The fact that Thor can reach great heights is clearly expressed in Gylfaginning 46-47, when as part of the games in Utgard-Loki's hall, he is asked to lift the giant's cat:

Þá mælti Útgarða-Loki: "Þat gera hér ungir sveinar, er lítit mark mun at þykkja, at hefja upp af jörðu kött minn, en eigi myndak kunna at mæla þvílíkt við Ása-Þór, ef ek hefða eigi sét fyrr, at þú er miklu minni fyrir þér en ek hugða."
Því næst hljóp fram köttr einn grár á hallargólfit ok heldr mikill, en Þórr gekk til ok tók hendi sinni niðr undir miðjan kviðinn ok lyfti upp, en kötttrinn beygði kenginn, svá sem Þórr rétti upp höndina. En er Þórr seildist svá langt upp sem hann mátti lengst, þá létti kötturinn einum fæti, ok fekk Þórr eigi framit þenna leik meir.
Þá mælti Útgarða-Loki: "Svá fór þessi leikr sem mik varði. Köttrinn er heldr mikill, en Þórr er lágr ok lítill hjá stórmenni því, sem hér er með oss."
 Then said Útgarda-Loki: 'Young boys here are wont to do this (which is thought of small consequence): lift my cat up from the ground; but I would not have been able to speak of such a thing to Ása-Thor if I had not seen for myself that you have far less in you than I had thought.' With that, a gray cat and a very big one at that, leaped forth onto the hall-floor; Thor went to it and grappled it with his hand under the middle of its belly and lifted it up. But the cat arched its back as high as Thor  could hold his hands up. When Thor reached up the utmost he could muster, the cat lifted up one foot, and Thor advanced no further in this game. Then Útgarda-Loki said: 'This game went as I had foreseen; the cat is very great, whereas Thor is small and puny beside the huge men who are here with us.'
Utgard-Loki  accomplished this feat by means of an illusion. All was not as it seemed.  The grey cat was none other than the Midgard serpent:

"Eigi þótti mér hitt minna vera vert, er þú lyftir upp kettinum, ok þér satt at segja, þá hræddust allir þeir, er sá, er þú lyftir af jörðu einum fætinum. En sá köttr var eigi sem þér sýndist. Þat var Miðgarðsormr, er liggr um öll lönd, ok vannst honum varliga lengð til, at jörðina tæki sporðr ok höfuð, svá langt seildist þú upp, at skammt var þá til himins.

That cat was not as it appeared: it was the Midgard Serpent, which lies around all the land, and scarcely does its length encompass the earth between head and tail. So high did you stretch your arms that it was but a little way more to heaven.

   
Thor can almost reach as high as the heavens. But no matter how tall Thor grew, he could not reach higher than the length of the snake, who encircles the world, biting its own tail. Thor grew so tall that he could almost reach heaven, but that the snake was still longer is not surprising. Of its brother, the Fenris Wolf, Gylfaginning 51 says:
Fenrisúlfr ferr með gapandi munn, ok er inn neðri kjöftr við jörðu, en in efri við himin. Gapa myndi hann meira, ef rúm væri til. The Fenris-Wolf shall advance with gaping mouth, and his lower jaw shall be against the earth, but the upper against heaven,--he would gape yet more if there were room for it.

Of interest,  Hymiskviða 22 refers to Thor's opponent, the Midgard serpent, as umgjörð allra landa "the girdle of all lands". The exact kenning is also found in a poetic fragment, preserved in Skáldskaparmál 43, attributed to Ölvir hnúfa, a 9th century skald. From the 9th century poet Bragi the skald, we also find the paraphrase endiseiðr allra landa "boundary-fish of all lands" (Skáldskaparmál 48). Kennings of this type also indicate the ocean. For example, umband allra landa, "belt of all lands" (Hallvarðr Háreksblesi, 11th century, Skáldskaparmál 348). This may be a conscious play of words, referring to Thor's own megin-gjarðar, which allows him to grow in size to confront this enemy face to face. The Midgard Serpent, of course is his most frequent foe. The lore tells of three encounters between them, more than any other opponent.

That Thor grows in height to face his opposers makes sense in the context of his other adventures. In Gylfaginning 45, when Thor first meets Utgard-Loki in the guise of the giant Skrymir. He wakes to find himself sleeping in the giant's glove. Throughout the night, Thor and his companions heard a mighty rumbling which had disturbed their sleep:
En er kom at dagan, þá gekk Þórr út ok sér mann, hvar lá skammt frá honum í skóginum, ok var sá eigi lítill. Hann svaf ok hraut sterkliga. Þá þóttist Þórr skilja, hvat látum verit hafði of nóttina. Hann spennir sik megingjörðum, ok óx honum ásmegin. Ok í því bili vaknar sá maðr ok stóð skjótt upp, en þá er sagt, at Þór varð bilt einu sinni at slá hann með hamrinum ok spurði hann at nafni.
 "But when it drew near dawn, then Thor went out and saw a man lying a little way from him in the wood; and that man was not small; he slept and snored mightily. Then Thor thought he could perceive what kind of noise it was which they had heard during the night. He girded himself with his belt of strength, and his divine strength grew; and on the instant the man awoke and rose up swiftly; and then, it is said, the first time Thor's heart failed him, to strike him with the hammer.
Thor has faced many giants, including Hrungnir, the mightest of them all, without any fear. But Skyrmir's appearance upon rising makes his heart fail for the first time. Thor's moment of fear is made all the more poignant, when we realize that he had grown to his full height, and Skyrmir was still taller than him! Just as the Midgard Serpent, disguised as a cat, will be as the adventure progresses. We know this because, the passage explicitly states that Thor had "girded himself with his belt of strength, and his divine strength grew," before Skyrmir himself had risen.

The following night, Thor again attempts to kill the giant as he lies sleeping:
En at miðri nótt, þá heyrir Þórr, at Skrýmir hrýtr ok sefr fast, svá at dunar í skóginum. Þá stendr hann upp ok gengr til hans, reiðir hamarinn títt ok hart ok lýstr ofan í miðjan hvirfil honum. Hann kennir, at hamarsmuðrinn sökkr djúpt í höfuðit. At midnight Thor heard how Skrýmir snored and slept fast, so that it thundered in the woods; then he stood up and went to him, eagerly swung his hammer  and hard, and smote down upon the middle of his crown: he saw that the face of the hammer sank deep into his head.
   
En í því bili vaknar Skrýmir ok mælti:

"Hvat er nú? Fell akarn nökkut í höfuð mér, eða hvat er títt um þik, Þórr?"

En Þórr gekk aftr skyndiliga ok svarar, at hann var þá nývaknaðr, sagði, at þá var mið nótt ok enn væri mál at sofa.
   
 
Þá hugsaði Þórr þat, ef hann kæmi svá í færi at slá hann it þriðja högg, at aldri skyldi hann sjá sik síðan, liggr nú ok gætir, ef Skrýmir sofnaði enn fast. En litlu fyrir dagan þá heyrir hann, at Skrýmir mun sofnat hafa, stendr þá upp ok hleypr at honum, reiðir þá hamarinn af öllu afli ok lýstr á þunnvangann, þann er upp vissi. Sökkr þá hamarrinn upp at skaftinu.
En Skrýmir settist upp ok strauk of vangann ok mælti: "Hvárt munu fuglar nökkurir sitja í trénu yfir mér? Mik grunaði, er ek vaknaða, at tros nökkut af kvistunum felli í höfuð mér. Hvárt vakir þú, Þórr? Mál mun vera upp at standa ok klæðast, en ekki eiguð þér nú langa leið fram til borgarinnar, er kölluð er Útgarðr. Heyrt hefi ek, at þér hafit kvisat í milli yðvar, at ek væra ekki lítill maðr vexti, en sjá skuluð þér þar stærri menn, ef þér komit í Útgarð.		 And at that moment Skrýmir awoke and said:

'What is it now? Did some acorn fall on my head? Or what is the news with thee, Thor?' But Thor went back speedily, and replied that he was then but newly-wakened; said that it was then midnight, and there was yet time to sleep.
   

Thor meditated that if he could get to strike him a third blow, never should the giant see himself again; he lay now and watched whether Skrýmir were sleeping soundly yet. A little before day, when he perceived that Skrýmir must have fallen asleep, he stood up at once and rushed over to him, brandished his hammer with all his strength, and smote upon that one of his temples which was turned up. But Skrýmir sat up and stroked his cheek, and said: 'Some birds must be sitting in the tree above me; I imagined, when I awoke, that some dirt from the twigs fell upon my head. Art thou awake, Thor? It will be time to arise and clothe us; but now ye have no long journey forward to the castle called Útgardr. I have heard how ye have whispered among yourselves that I am no little man in stature; but ye shall see taller men, if ye come into Útgardr.
When Utgard-Loki reveals to Thor that the entire journey to his realm was riddled with deception, he explains the truth of the matter:
Þá mælti Útgarða-Loki: "En sjónhverfingar hef ek gert þér, svá at fyrsta sinn á skóginum kom ek til fundar við yðr, ok þá er þú skyldir leysa nestbaggann, þá hafðak bundit hann með grésjárni, en þú fannt eigi, hvar upp skyldi lúka. En því næst laust þú mik með hamrinum þrjú högg, ok var it fyrsta minnst ok var þó svá mikit, at mér mundi endast til bana, ef á hefði komit. En þar er þú sátt hjá höll minni setberg ok þar sáttu ofan í þrjá dali ferskeytta ok einn djúpastan, þar váru hamarspor þín Then said Útgardi-Loki: 'I made use of eye-spells (illusions) against you when I came upon you the first time in the wood. When you would have unloosed the provision-bag, I had bound it with iron, and you did not find where to undo it. But next you smote me three blows with the hammer; and the first was least, and was yet so great that it would have sufficed to slay me, if it had come upon me. Near my hall, where you saw a saddle-backed mountain, cut at the top into threesquare dales, and one the deepest, those were the marks of your hammer.
To make such deep marks in the mountains, it stands to reason that Thor himself was as large as them when he swung the hammer at Skyrmir's head.
 
  That this power is not intrinsic to Thor, but lies in a magic device, is made clear by Harbardsljóð. There Thor cannot wade across the water for fear of getting his augur (balls?) wet. Perhaps this happened as he returned home from Geirrod's without his hammer, belt or gloves. On that occassion, he borrowed comparable implements from the giantess Grid, and presumably returned them to her before heading home.
 
The same may be behind the curious phrase reis á kné in Hymiskviða 31. Preparing to smash the giant's magic goblet which will not break, against the old giant's thick skull, Thor again fills himself with ásmegin:		  
 

31. Harðr reis á kné hafra dróttinn,
færðiz allra í ásmegin.
Heill var karli hjálmstofn ofan,
en vínferill valr rifnaði.

The sturdy lord of goats rose to his feet, and filled himself with divine strength. The old man's helmet-stump remained intact, but the oval wine-path shattered.

The phrase reis á kné, literally "rose to his knees" simply means "stood up", "rose to his feet", as any part of a thing can be used poetically to designate the whole. Just as Thor wasn't frightened until he saw Skyrmir rise to his feet, the expression seems to indicate that Thor stood taller than usual— no doubt because he had filled himself with ásmegin.

This may also be the meaning behind Hymiskviða 34, which transfers the motif of Thor's feet penetrating Hymir's boat to Hymir's hall. When Thor picks up the giant's kettle, his feet penetrate the floorboards of the giant's hall:
 

34. Faðir Móða fekk á þremi
ok í gegnum steig gólf niðr í sal.
hóf sér á höfuð upp hver Sifjar verr,
en á hælum hringar skullu.

Móði's father (Thor) seized it by the rim,
and his feet sank down into the floor of the hall.
Sif's husband heaved the cauldron up on his head,
and the handles banged against his heels.

Thor wears the great cauldron as a hat, as he leaves Hymir's hall. This cauldron is the greatest of all. Although the meaning of ok í gegnum steig gólf niðr í sal is obvious to the Icelandic speaker, they have been misunderstood by almost all of the English translators. The expression stíga niðr í gegnum gólf strictly expresses vertical motion. This has been understood by the Icelandic scholars of the Poetic Edda for centuries. Of the English translators, only Benjamin Thorpe (1865) got it correct. He says: "Then Modi’s father by the brim grasped it, and trod through the dwelling’s floor." That Thor sinks into the floor when he lifts the kettle is probably not because of its great weight alone, but also because of his great size. He walks across the hall, crushing the floorboards, in this fashion.

When Thor demands that Aegir brew beer for all of the gods, the sea-giant requests a kettle large enough to do so. Among the gods, Thor's drinking goblets are the largest (Skáldskaparmál 24). When he drinks from a horn connected to the sea at Utgard-Loki's, Thor drinks so much that water level  lowers noticeably, like at ebbtide (Gylfaginning 46).  In any event, Aegir often holds large-scale drinking feasts for the gods, as in Lokasenna. Thus his brewing kettle must be large enough to brew beer for all of the gods, not just Thor the mighty imbiber, so certainly it is heavy, but it is also had to be very deep. Since the kettle is given to the sea-giant Aegir, it may be a symbol of the sea itself. As he leaves Hymir's, Thor carries the kettle over his head and its "handles bang on his heels." This implies that Thor was not only large enough to grasp it, but that both of its swinging handles (hringar) were able to strike his feet as he walked. This could only happen if he was large enough to grasp both sides of the kettle's rim.

As it would be redundant otherwise, the true purpose of Thor's magic megin-gjardar ("belt-of-strength")  seems to be to increase his physical size so that he may meet his foes face-to-face.  Thor's belt is not mentioned in any of the Eddic poems. It is unique to Snorri's text, where it is mentioned just a few times.


  
  For additional insight on Thor's wading, see
 Thor's Burden
The Trouble with Translating
—minn ögur— in Hárbarðsljóð 13
[HOME]