Hrungnir took Gullfaxi and galloped quickly back to Jötunheim, where word of his duel with Thor spread amongst the giants. They thought this could be their opportunity to rid themselves of the scourge Thor was. Hrungnir was the strongest of them, and his defeat would likely mean the giants would have to fight Thor for eternity.
To make sure Hrungnir won, the giants built him a second champion out of clay at Grjotunagardar: nine rasts tall and three rasts across under the arms. (A rast was a distance of several miles.) The only heart big enough for him was a mare’s, and it was not a brave one. They named him Mokkurkalfi, ‘Cloud-Calf.’
Hrungnir’s own heart was different: hard stone, with three sharp corners, like the carved symbol still called Hrungnir’s heart. His head was stone too, and so was his shield. On his shoulder he carried a whetstone for a weapon. Planted at Grjotunagardar behind his shield, he was a terrifying sight.
Thor arrived at the dueling site with Thialfe the Swift.
Mokkurkalfi stood beside Hrungnir, trembling. When he saw Thor, the clay giant wet himself.
Thialfe ran to Hrungnir and laughed at him. “Thor has seen you, and yet, you hold your shield in front of you. Even now, he is traveling underground to attack you from underneath.”
Hrungnir put his shield on the ground and stood atop it. He held the whetstone ready. He thought he had prepared to face Thor.
Next: Thor and Hrungnir Battle.
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).
- Jackson Crawford on YouTube, Two Old Tales of Thor the Giant Killer
