Episode 39 - Lokrur

You were preparing for a journey. Not any particular journey, but you could tell one was coming up. The days had been long, and gentle. Which meant, people were growing restless in Asgard.

Of course, one person in particular was more restless than most. Thor was aggressively trying to convince the other gods to join him on some adventure yet to be determined. Of course, as per usual, Loki was onboard with anything that might upset the regular order of things. So, as you would certainly be asked to accompany them, you were preparing. Packing supplies and readying them near Thor’s goats.

Finally, Odin relented and allowed them to go, but first he asked where were going. Thor hefted his mighty hammer onto his shoulder and declared for all the gods to hear, he would be traveling to the keep of Utgaroa-Loki, Loki of the Outlands, and a king of the Giants.

The story of Lokrur dates back to the 13th century from an Icelandic rimur cycle. Although there are a few versions of the story that are considered fairly complete, two are the most cited. The first is Lokrur, the second is one part of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda.

In either case, it tells the tale of Thor’s journey to the realm of the giants, the castle of their king, and the events which transpired there.

It is a tale filled with strange fairy tale moments, not steeped in the deeper truths of most norse myths. It is a story told for entertainment.

The story of Lokrur is thousands of years old, with variants that offer different versions of the events that transpired on Thor’s journey to the fortress of Utgaroa-Loki. However, they all feature a number of common elements. Thor and Loki are always accompanied by a small party of companions, they always arrive in Utgaroa-Loki’s keep with the assistance of another giant, and within the castle they face a number of strange contests.

I am Andrew Eagle, and I am excited to invite you to join me in exploring the story of Thor’s journey, and learning the contents of the four rimas of Lokrur.

After Thor’s quick announcement, the journey was quick to start. Although Loki was cautious about going now, for he knew that the king of the giant’s was a powerful and terrible creature, he went without complaint at Thor’s insistence. Of course, knowing where the journey was headed, you wished you weren’t accompanying the pair, but join them you must.

So the three of you set out with supplies and Thor’s chariot. You came to a small farm just before nightfall, and after learning who you all were, the farmer graciously invited you to stay the night and share a dinner with himself and his two sons.

The evening passed uneventfully, enjoying a meal and a night of rest. In the morning, the farmer requested that his sons accompany you all on your journey and Thor heartily agreed to bring them along. Now, joined by two new companions: Bjalfi and Roskva, you return to the road.

A long day passes on the road, uneventful except for swapping stories with your new companions. Then, just before sundown, you all come to a strange hall in the forest. It is large, and beautifully crafted, decorated with gold and metals and built of strong wood.

Taking one look at it, Thor declared you would be resting here for the night, and so you made your way inside.

You all shared a large meal, drawn from the supplies and prepared swiftly by Roskva. Shortly, you all made your way to sleep. Then, just as you were about to fall asleep, a powerful wind began to whip outside, shaking the hall and even damaging the trees of the forest outside. Disgruntled, Thor awoke, and announced he could not possibly sleep in all that noise. He woke the rest of the group up, and led you and the others farther into the massive structure. You came to a strange  cave in the center of the hall, just large enough for the group to clamber into.

Once inside, the wind’s noise was greatly reduced, and you managed to find sleep.

In the morning, you all awoke and left the strange cave and made your way out of the hall only to see a massive giant, one of the largest you’d ever heard of, sleeping. His snores shaking the building and trees with that terrible wind. Thor, angered now, that this giant was responsible for disturbing his rest, hefted his hammer and prepared to strike the giant dead. However, just as he was about to strike, the giant awoke and startled Thor.

He bellowed a greeting, and introduced himself as Skrimnir. Thor introduced your party, and told Skrimnir the purpose of your journey. Upon hearing you intended to travel to Utgaroa-Loki’s keep, Skrimnir laughed and instantly tells you that you are all far too weak to have any business with the king of the giants. However, he would help you get there if you wanted. Thor grumbled at the accusation, but accepted the help. Skrimnir lifted the supplied from the chariot and dumped them into his bag. He then began to lead you through the forest.

As night fell, Skrimnir announces this is where you will camp. He dropped his large bag with all the provisions, and told you all to prepare yourselves food, he was going to go and lie down.

Quickly, you could hear snores coming from a nearby hill, and Thor went up to the massive bag to attempt to gather food for the evening meal. However, he found the bag tied tightly shut. As much as he pulled and tugged, he could not budge the ties. Growing frustrated, Thor set out to kill your guide, throwing his hammer as hard as he could and striking Skrimnir in the head. The blow could have shattered mountains, but Skrimnir just grumbled and awoke, rubbing his head and saying some piece of debris must have struck him.

Although his nap was brief, and interrupted, he quickly got back on the road, with you all in tow.

The story of Thor’s journey to Utgaroa-Loki’s castle mostly comes from two sources. The first is one part of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, the other is Lokrur preserved most completely in one particular manuscript from the 1400s.

The Prose Edda was written sometime in the 1200s, and was originally intended to be a textbook of sorts, collecting information and studies of mythology, pantheon, and poetry. It contained a prologue which was followed by three books the first of which contains the story we are discussing today.

The Prose Edda survived in seven distinct manuscripts, each with variations. None of them are complete, but together, we have been able to piece together a fairly complete idea of the stories and content contained within. It took nearly four-hundred years after the Edda was first written for it to spread outside of Iceland.

Lokrur is written across four rimurs that were preserved in a single manuscript that later was copied and translated and became the story we know today.

Nearing evening time, Skrimir stopped at the edge of the forest and pointed over the ridge. He tells you all that just over that ridge is the castle you are looking for, but this is where you would part ways.

You all traveled through the valley and up to crest the ridge. By the time you reached the top, it was once again approaching the end of the day, but from here you could see the castle. Massive and towering. Utgaroa-Loki’s keep.

You all approach, Thor as usual leading the way boldly. And you come to a massive gate of iron bars. Although all of you together try to lift the gate, it would not budge and in the end, you were forced to unceremoniously squeeze between the bars. Shortly, you came to a large hall filled with giants. Each massive, and there at the head of the table, Utgaroa-Loki himself, king of the giants.

He welcomed you all with a deep bellowing voice, and immediately asks if any among you excels in any game or sport, for they were seeking a contest and entertainment. You all looked at one another, and it was Loki who spoke up first. He claimed his appetite was unparalleled and he could out-eat anyone in the hall. Utgaroa-Loki guffawed with laughter, and the contests began.

A long tray of food is brought into the hall, with Loki at one end, and his opponent brought forth. Logi. When the contest began, you watched in amazement as Loki ate ferociously, consuming the meat at an incredible pace. Then you looked to the other end and saw Logi and your heart sank. For while Loki was eating ferociously, and they would certainly reach the middle of the tray at the exact same moment, Loki was only eating the meat, but Logi was consuming the meat, the tray, the knives, and even the bones.

In moments, it became clear that Loki was defeated. Next Bjalti stepped forward, claiming he was incredibly fleet of foot and he would race any challenger. Utgaroa-Loki thought for a long moment and then called for Hugi. A slight individual came forward and a course was defined. With a bellow, the king started the race. Bjalti was fast, faster than many you had seen, but he was no match for Hugi. Hugi was finished with his third lap before Bjalti had finished his first, and it was determined that once more the Asgardian group was the loser.

Finally, Thor could take it no longer. He stepped forward.

While many of the norse myths teach particular lessons, inspire certain morals, and describe the origin of phenomena and landscapes in the world, Lokrur does not.

In fact, upon analysis, the story has more in common with fairy tales than traditional myths in many ways. For one, in traditional myths, giants were not these comically over-sized things. They were a powerful and fierce group. They were often more abstract than their later renditions, with their original name translating as devourer, and often served as a metaphor in myth rather than in a physical role.

But then there is Lokrur. A story about massive giants, with nearly slap-stick humor at some points. It is a story that in many ways makes the gods look like fools, and in the end, probably mostly served to entertain the audience rather than educate or inspire.

Thor asked for a challenge that did not surprise you. One you truly believed he could not lose. He asked for a drinking challenge.

Utgaroa-Loki smiled and nodded. He brought out a large drinking horn. It was customary, he claimed, to drain the horn in one drink. To do less would mean Thor was not a challenger worth competing against.

Thor took hold of the horn confidently and lifting it began to drink. He drank, and drank, and drank, until finally he could not drink any more and he lowered the horn coughing. You could not imagine the horn holding that much liquid, let alone more, but to your surprise, the level in the horn had not lowered at all.

Thor drank again, and then one more time. Each with the same failure. The liquid never seemed to run dry. Disheartened, Thor asked for a test of strength instead. Utgaroa-Loki frowned and had his cat brought out. Although the cat was larger than any that you had seen before, it was still smaller than Thor. He would be able to easily lift it you thought to yourself.

Thor walked to the animal, gripped it tight, and lifted. The cat did not budge. Thor set his feet, and bellowed in rage and strain as he lifted again. Slowly, ever so slowly, the paw of the cat lifted free from the ground. If you had been watching the contest closely, you may have missed the moment of surprise flicker across Utgaroa-Loki’s face as it budged even that far.

Finally, Thor asked for a final challenge, he would wrestle any challenger. Utgaroa-Loki replied with a grim look that he knew a fair match and brought out an old woman. For a few moments, it seemed Thor may take the upper hand, but then in a flash, he could not resist her and was clearly defeated.

Sullen, Thor proclaimed he wished to return to Asgard. Utgaroa-Loki, seemingly disappointed by the display of the gods, offered to escort you from the keep.

As you reached the gate, and Utgaroa-Loki opened them and let you all back outside with supplies for the return to Asgard, he stopped and looked down at the group of you.

He explained, now that you were clear of his keep, that you have all been the victims of a glamor. The giant Skrimnir who had been your guide was Utgaroa-Loki. The bag that Thor could not open was sealed by magic and could only be opened by one who knew its secret. The blow that was meant to kill Skrimnir certainly would have, had he not deflected it into a mountain. He then revealed the identities and truths of the contests you had faced within the keep. Loki had eaten against Fire and nearly held his own. Bjalti had raced against Thought itself, and none could outrun thinking. But Thor’s challenges were the greatest deceits of all.

First, he drank from a horn that was attached to the deeps of the ocean, and although he could not drain it, his massive drinks had caused the tides.

Then, he was challenged to lift the Midgard Serpent that wrapped the roots of the world tree. A serpent large enough to destroy worlds, and Thor had managed to lift a piece of it up to the sky.

Finally, he wrestled against Elli, old age itself, and held his own even for a moment.

Thor, furious at this deception spun to kill the giant, but in a flash the castle and all its inhabitants were gone.

You returned to Asgard defeated and ashamed of the defeats and at being taken in by such deceit.

The story of Thor and his journey to the land of the giants to meet Loki’s namesake is a strange one. It seemingly is a silly story with little goal beyond entertainment. No judgment there from me, sometimes that is all we need. A light-hearted tale to make us smile and laugh, even if we must smile and laugh at the mistakes of the gods.

Some claim that there are morals to be learned, lessons like things are not always what they seem, and the danger of arrogance. Some claim it is meant to show that although the gods are immensely powerful, they too have flaws.

Others believe there is nothing to the story beyond the surface level. A fairy tale made out to be a myth filled with gods and giants and contests of skill.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of Through the Veil. I hope you enjoyed. I encourage you to subscribe to receive new episodes weekly wherever you listen as we continue our exploration of folklore, myth, and magic.

If you are enjoying the show, and have subjects you would like to hear covered, please email me at throughtheveilpodcast@gmail.com or reach out on Twitter, you can find me @ThroughVeil.

As always, thank you, for listening.