The Fortress of Utgard

Thor, the mighty god of thunder, loved adventure. He often sought out new challenges to show off his great strength, sometimes even riding across mountains in his chariot, throwing his powerful hammer at the peaks and splitting them apart for sport.

One day, Thor left Asgard, the home of the gods, and journeyed to Jotunheim, the land of ice and snow, where the giants—sworn enemies of the gods—lived. He was accompanied by Loki, the cunning god of fire, and Thialfi, his loyal young squire.

Along the way, they met a giant who guided them to the Fortress of Utgard, home to one of the greatest and most powerful giants.

As they approached the fortress, Thor, Loki, and Thialfi were amazed at its size. It was so large that they could enter through the bars of the gate, and inside, giants filled the great hall, feasting and drinking.

Thor boldly strode up to the giant lord, who sat at the end of the hall, and greeted him.

“Tell me, strangers,” the lord of Utgard asked, “are you skilled in any feats of strength? For all those who eat and drink here must be able to do something remarkable.”

“I am hungry,” said Loki, “and I can eat faster than anyone.”

The lord ordered a massive trough of food to be brought. He had his servant, Logi, line up at one end of the trough, and Loki sat at the other. The two began to eat. They reached the middle of the trough together, but while Loki had only left the bones, Logi had consumed both the bones and half of the trough as well.

Next, it was Thialfi’s turn.

“I am faster than anyone,” he boasted. “No one can outrun me.”

The lord called a youth named Hugi, and they raced three times around the courtyard. Each time, Hugi crossed the finish line first, and Thialfi was left behind.

Thor, growing frustrated, stepped forward.

“I can drink more deeply than anyone,” he said. “Let’s see who can empty the drinking horn first.”

The lord of Utgard chuckled. “You may be mighty, Thor, but you are young. Perhaps you are stronger than you look, but this horn is no small challenge. A good drinker should be able to drain it in one go.”

Thor grabbed the horn and drank deeply. But when he pulled the horn away from his lips, it seemed nearly as full as before. He drank again, drinking until he gasped for breath, but still, the level of the liquid barely moved. A third time he drank, but again, most of the wine remained.

“Try my strength, then,” Thor said, annoyed. “I am known to be very strong.”

“In that case, you should be able to lift my cat,” the lord replied. “Try lifting it, and we will see how strong you truly are.”

Thor walked over to a large, grey cat that sat near the lord’s feet. He grabbed it by the belly and tried to lift it, but the cat arched its back higher and higher, and no matter how hard Thor strained, he could only lift one of its paws from the ground.

The lord of Utgard laughed, mocking him. “So this is the mighty Thor, whom we have been taught to fear?”

Thor, angered by the mockery, said, “Let me try wrestling then, if no one will face me in any other challenge.”

The lord of Utgard sneered. “Everyone here refuses to wrestle with you, Thor. But I have an old nurse who is skilled in wrestling. If you wish, you can try your luck against her.”

Thor, his pride stung, agreed. At first, he thought it beneath him to wrestle an old woman, but the jeering giants urged him on, and so he stepped up to the old woman. He tried with all his strength to throw her to the ground, but the more he tried, the more firmly she stood. Thor couldn’t budge her, no matter how hard he pushed.

Finally, after a long struggle, the old woman forced Thor down to one knee. Exhausted, Thor stood up, humiliated.

The lord of Utgard then invited the three travelers to rest for the night and provided them with food and drink. When they left the next morning, the lord accompanied them to ensure they were on the right path. As they parted ways, he spoke the truth.

“Do not be discouraged, mighty Thor,” the lord said with a smile. “Now that you are leaving, I will tell you what you did not know. I am not merely the lord of this fortress—I am Skrymir, the giant who guided you here. Had I known how strong you truly were, I would never have let you enter my fortress.”

Skrymir went on to explain:

“The three blows you struck me when I was sleeping on our journey here would have killed any other giant, but I placed a mountain between us before I slept to protect myself. If you look back, you will see where your hammer struck the rock and left a great cleft each time.

“As for your challenges here, they were not as they seemed. Loki couldn’t eat the trough like Logi because Logi was not a man, but fire itself, consuming everything in its path. And Hugi, whom Thialfi raced, was not a mere youth—he was Thought, and what can run faster than thought?

“When you drank from the horn, you were drinking the ocean. How could you have drained it? But when you return to the shore, you will see that the sea has receded, for you drank so much that the level of the water dropped.

“As for the cat you tried to lift—that was no ordinary cat, Thor. It was the Midgard Serpent, the great serpent that coils around the world. When you lifted its paw, even for an instant, the Earth shuddered.

“And finally, the old woman you wrestled with was not just any nurse. She was Old Age itself, whom no man can defeat.”

Thor, seething with anger at being tricked, raised his hammer to strike the giant. But before he could, Skrymir disappeared, vanishing into thin air.

Thor and his companions made their way back to Asgard, feeling humbled by the experience. Thor, now more thoughtful, insisted that none of them speak of the events at Utgard, for he had been deceived and his pride had been bruised.

As a lasting reminder of his adventure, the people of old began calling the fifth day of the week “Thor’s day,” or as we know it today, Thursday.