Skrymir, a large man, invited the four travelers to walk with him. They agreed, and he put their provisions into his sack. He slung it over his shoulder and made his way farther into the forest. Skrymir’s strides were so long that even Thor had a difficult time keeping up with him.
As night fell, Skrymir stopped under a large oak tree. He said he was going to go to sleep, but Thor and his companions could eat whenever they wanted. He set the bag down and went to sleep.
Thor tried to open the bag and couldn’t loosen a single knot. His temper flared. He grabbed Mjolnir in both hands, stepped up to the sleeping giant and struck him on the head.
Skrymir opened his eyes and asked if a leaf had fallen on him. Then he asked Thor why supper was taking so long. Skrymir rolled over and snored louder than before.
Thor embraced his anger and threw Mjolnir with such might that Skrymir should surely perish.
Skrymir barely stirred. He mumbled about an acorn falling on his head and returned to sleep, snoring like before.
Thor was incensed. He gathered all his divine strength for a third blow and struck Skrymir’s temple so hard the hammer sank in up to its handle.
Skrymir remained unharmed. He woke up and remarked that there must be birds nesting in the oak tree because he felt a feather alight on his forehead. How did Skrymir withstand the might of Thor?
Skrymir, the large man, asked Thor if they were ready to continue. “Utgard isn’t far now,” he said, “but I advise you to turn back because even bigger men than I am live in that city.”
Thor would not turn back, so Skrymir shouldered the bag and went north. Snorri adds, dryly, that it is not reported that the Aesir hoped to meet him again. Thor, Loki, Thialfi and Roskva headed east toward Utgard.
(Even though they are traveling in the land of giants, Snorri doesn’t describe Skrymir as a giant. He simply calls Skrymir a large man.)
Next: Part 4, The Challenges.
Sources: The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (Penguin Classics, 2005).
The Definitive Guide to Norse Mythology: The Gods, Heroes, Monsters, and Legends of Viking Culture by Finn D. Moore (2022).
