When Hrungnir became drunk in Asgard, it was clear he was not a giant who could hold his liquor. He became angry and boasted of the atrocities he would commit against the Asgardians.
The gods didn’t know what to do. Asgard was under threat from a giant within its walls, and Thor and Mjolnir weren’t there to protect them or the realm.
Hrungnir demanded more mead. Freya was the only god brave enough to bring it to him.
The giant threatened to carry Valhalla to Jotunheim like a dollhouse. He would bury Asgard and kill all the gods, except Freya and Sif, who he would take with him. Perhaps worst of all, he vowed to drink all the Aesir’s ale.
The Aesir had enough of Hrungnir’s bad behavior. Heimdall blew his Gjallarhorn to summon Thor.
Thor answered the summons with Mjolnir in hand. When he saw Hrungnir in Asgard, drinking from Thor’s own cups, with Freya serving him as if this were a feast, Thor grew angry. “Who gave you permission to sit in my seat?” he bellowed.
Hrungnir sneered at Thor. “I am here by invitation of Odin and under his protection, little man.”
“You will regret that invitation before you leave here,” replied Thor.
“You will find little honor or renown in fighting an unarmed man within the walls of Asgard,” said Hrungnir. “Would you dare to meet me on the battlefield at Grjotunagardar, the Courtyards of Rocky Fields? There I will test your courage as befits a man of your stature.
“To be sure it was foolish of me to leave my shield and whetstone at home. We would be dueling now if I had brought them with me. Be that as it may, I call you coward and charge you with betrayal if you kill me at this time when I have no weapons.”
Hrungnir’s challenge was the first time anyone had dare to challenge Thor. He accepted Hrungnir’s terms.
The giant rose from where he was seated, went to Gullfaxi and raced back to Jotunheim.
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).
