Hrungnir and ThorThor, enraged that Odin invited Hrungnir to Valhalla, challenges Hrungnir to a battle. Understanding that a giant has no chance against a god, the giants devise a devious plan...
There was much yelling and rage at the Palace of Jötunheimr, which housed the mighty Norse Giants.
"You are an idiot, Hrungnir!" exclaimed some of the Giants. "You've agreed to take on the great god Thor! You're insane, completely insane!"
"Thor is our most dangerous foe. He will undoubtedly kill you, Hrungnir "Other Giants wept. "Then he'll kill us all and ruin Jötunheimr. You have brought us to ruin! Even a Giant cannot withstand Thor's powerful thunder and his lethal hammer, Mjolnir!"
Hrungnir, the Giant of the Mountains, appeared embarrassed. His fellow Jötunheimr Giants were right to be unhappy with him. If only he hadn't visited Valhalla, the home of Odin, Thor, and the other Viking gods. If only he hadn't consumed so much mead when he was there.
'But I am not to blame,' Hrungnir thought as his fellow Giants yelled at him. 'I didn't try to force my way into Valhalla. Odin, the chief of the gods, invited me in... and the gods' mead was delicious!
The mead, on the other hand, had made Hrungnir very inebriated, and he began speaking very stupidly. "I like it here!" Hrungnir sobbed as he gazed around Valhalla's magnificent hall, which was lined with gleaming golden shields. "I'll bring it back to Jötunheimr with me. We Giants are massive, as tall as mountains. We could use extra living space."
Hrungnir chuckled loudly as he slammed his massive fist on the table. His stone fist fiercely shook the table. The sound reverberated across Valhalla.
"I guess I'll bring the lovely Freya and the golden-haired Sif with me," Hrungnir determined. "They can be my servants. What about the rest of you..."
The Giant examined the other gods and goddesses. "I will slay you all, and the Giants will become Viking gods instead!"
Thor, the Norse deity of thunder, was not present. He was busy causing storms over the Viking-inhabited areas of Scandinavia. The storms created a lot of noise. Nonetheless, Thor could hear a weird voice emanating from Valhalla. He dashed home to find out what was up.
He was enraged when he marched into Valhalla and spotted Hrungnir there.
"What exactly is this? What does a Giant have to do with our mead?" Thor demanded; his voice shrill. "Have you forgotten that the Giants are our most dangerous adversaries?"
Thor's eyes were red with rage. He was menacingly swinging his massive hammer Mjolnir.
"Odin invited me here," Hrungnir said, his voice shaking.
"What!" exclaimed Thor, causing the shields along the walls to clang. "Is this correct, Odin?"
"Yeah," Odin said emphatically. "I am the god's ruler. I invite whomever I want to Valhalla. Welcome Hrungnir as a guest or face my wrath!"
Thor understood Odin was all-powerful and might punish him harshly, but he was too enraged to care. "Welcome a Giant as a guest!" he exclaimed. "Never! I'll kill him right there."
"I don't have a weapon, Thor!" Hrungnir sobbed. "Killing an unarmed opponent is a big disgrace."
Despite his rage, Thor knew this to be true. "Very good, Giant," he said "Arm yourself and we shall battle in single combat. Only a squire will accompany each of us."
Thor's challenge forced Hrungnir to accept. He would be a coward if he refused. When the other Giants found out that Hrungnir was going to fight Thor, they were horrified. They realised they had to act to avert the calamity.
The Giants sat in silence in Jötunheimr's hall, thinking about it.
The brains of the Giants were fashioned of stone. But they weren't particularly bright, and it took a long time for one of them to come up with an idea.
"I have an idea," the Giant suggested. "Let us construct the biggest and tallest squire ever for Hrungnir!"
The concept was well-received by the other Giants. "Excellent! Excellent!" they said. "Thor's only squire is Thialfi, who is no bigger than a human fingernail."
The Giants immediately got to work. They drew tremendous volumes of clay and rock from the soil with their massive fists and began to construct a monstrous creature out of it. It grew larger and larger until it reached a height of nine kilometres. It had a three-mile-wide chest. The gods in Valhalla could see it rising above the mountain peaks because it was so massive.
"Have a look at that!" That's Hrungnir's squire, Thialfi told Thor. Then have a look at me! How insignificant I am! What are we going to do, great thunder god?"
Even the Mighty Thor had trouble with it.
"We need to convene a conference of the gods," Thor advised Thialfi. "We must decide what to do as a group."
The gods debated the issue for many hours before the crafty demon Loki devised a solution.
"This is how we will fight the Giants' massive beast..." Loki explained his idea.
The battle day had arrived. It was overcast. The clouds were so dense that they obscured the light. Hrungnir arrived on the battlefield with his hone, a big stone fashioned like the letter 'Y'. The minutes ticked by. The time for the war to begin has passed. So where had Thor gone? He wasn't to be found.
"He is scared to battle Hrungnir," the Giants exclaimed, delighted and aroused.
More time passed. Everything was peaceful in Valhalla. It seemed as if the gods had all fallen sleeping. And there was a terrific ruckus beneath Hrungnir's feet. The earth trembled and shuddered as the noise grew louder and louder until Hrungnir's stone ears began to hurt. The massive squire was afraid. He began to sweat because of his fear.
Loki was observing from his hiding place over the mountains. Tir, the sky deity, stood next to Loki. "It's working, Tir," Loki exclaimed joyfully. "Are you ready to contribute to our plan when the time comes?"
"Of course," Tir said quietly.
The thundering inside the earth grew louder. The ground beneath Hrungnir's feet ripped open with a tremendous tearing sound. A vast blaze of fire and lightning sprang from it, and Thor stood in the centre. Miolnir, his huge hammer, was in his grasp.
Hrungnir's squire let forth a terrifying yell at this. He was almost dissolving into the mud from sweating so much. Hrungnir was terrified as well, yet he managed to hurl his enormous dwelling at Thor. At the same time, Thor let go of Mjolnir, and the hammer flew, heading for Hrungnir.
"Now, Tir, now!" screamed Loki, who was watching.
The sky deity reached up into the sky and pushed the clouds aside. The sun shined brightly as they rolled back. The rays pounded down on Hrungnir's sweaty squire, instantly drying him out. Huge fractures emerged all over him at once, and he began to break apart. Massive chunks of rock began to rain down on the Giants. They began to flee, but just one managed to escape. The others were unable to keep up. They were pelted with pebbles and clay.
Thor's hammer and Hrungnir's horn were flying in opposite directions. They crashed in the middle of the air.
The house was shattered into tiny bits, but Miolnir was unharmed. It slammed down with enormous force, smacking Hrungnir on the brow. Hrungnir splintered into stones that rained down on the earth.
Thor let out a triumphant scream.
"Loki!" he exclaimed. "You are the wisest of all Valhalla's gods."
Loki smiled as he emerged from his hiding place.
"I never thought I, Thor, god of thunder, could be more terrible than I already was," Thor exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "But, your assumption that I tunnel under the earth has proven me wrong."
That night, Valhalla was having a good time. It went on for several hours. The gods drank a lot of mead as they celebrated Thor's big triumph and Loki's cunning.
