This is Part 3 of 5 in the story of Thor and Hrungnir, retold from Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. In Part 2, the giant boasted at the gods’ own table in Asgard. Then he challenged Thor to single combat at Grjotunagardar, the Stone-Fence Yards, on the border of the giants’ lands.
Hrungnir took Gullfaxi and galloped quickly back to Jötunheim, where word of his duel with Thor spread among the giants. As a result, they thought this could be their opportunity to rid themselves of the scourge Thor was. Hrungnir was the strongest of them, so his defeat would likely mean the giants would have to fight Thor for eternity.
Mokkurkalfi, a Clay Giant for Hrungnir
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, so this was a giant even by the giants’ standards.) Still, the only heart big enough for him was a mare’s, and it was not a brave one. Then they named him Mokkurkalfi, “Cloud-Calf.”
Hrungnir, the Giant with a Heart of Stone
Hrungnir’s own heart, however, 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. He also carried a whetstone on his shoulder for a weapon. As a result, planted at Grjotunagardar behind his shield, he was a terrifying sight.
Thialfi’s Trick
Meanwhile, Thor arrived at the dueling site with Thialfi the Swift, his servant and companion from the journey to Utgard.
Mokkurkalfi stood beside Hrungnir, trembling. When he saw Thor, the clay giant wet himself.
Thialfi then 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. Then he held the whetstone ready. So he thought he had prepared to face Thor.
Next: Part 4, where Thor comes on in lightning and thunder, and Mjölnir meets the whetstone.
The whole story:
- Odin and Sleipnir Flee Hrungnir and Gullfaxi
- Thor Confronts Hrungnir in Asgard
- Hrungnir and the Giants Prepare to Battle Thor (you are here)
- Thor and Hrungnir Battle
- The Morning Star and the Whetstone in Thor’s Head
Sources
- The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, the Skaldskaparmal section, translated by Jesse Byock (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
