Tyr

The gods decided to hold a feast and compelled Ægir, the sea giant, to prepare it. Ægir agreed, but demanded a cauldron large enough to brew ale for the whole company. Hymir, a giant who lived east of Elivagar at the edge of the sky, owned such a vessel. It was a league deep. Tyr and Thor set out to obtain it.

They travelled far from Asgard and reached Hymir’s hall. They secured Thor’s goats and entered. Tyr saw his grandmother, who had nine hundred heads and appeared hideous. He also saw his mother, a gold-decked giantess with a shining brow. She warned them that Hymir was hostile to guests and advised them to sit beneath the cauldrons. Hymir returned from hunting with icicles tinkling on his frozen beard. His wife told him that Tyr, his son, had come with Thor.

Hymir received them, though the visit soon became a contest of strength. Thor joined him on a fishing expedition. He rowed far out to sea and caught bait for the lines. Thor nearly caught the Midgard Serpent, but it sank back into the sea. When they returned, Hymir challenged Thor to prove his strength by carrying the whales home. Thor lifted the boat, with its water, oars, and bailer, and carried it with the whales through a wooded ridge to the farm.

Hymir then demanded that Thor break a drinking cup. Thor smashed it against a stone, but the cup remained whole. Hymir’s wife advised him to strike it against Hymir’s hard head instead. Thor did so. The cup broke, while Hymir’s skull remained unbroken. Hymir declared that his greatest treasure was no longer his. Tyr and Thor secured the cauldron and returned with it so that Ægir could brew the ale.

The gods demanded that Ægir prepare a feast in his hall beside the sea. Ægir agreed, but set a condition. They had to bring him a cauldron large enough to brew ale for the whole company. He knew that only Hymir, the giant, possessed such a vessel, so Thor and Tyr set out to seek it. A giant woman advised them at important moments during the journey.

Thor stayed at Hymir’s hall for the night. In the morning, Hymir dressed and prepared to row out to sea. Thor asked to join him. Hymir doubted that Thor, whom he called small and young, would be useful. Thor replied that Hymir could row as far as he wished. It would then be clear who first asked to return to land. Thor restrained his anger because he intended to test his strength elsewhere.

When Thor asked for bait, Hymir told him to find it among the oxen. In the poem, Thor went to the herd, tore the head from a black ox, and carried it back. He had already eaten two of Hymir’s oxen before going to bed, so Hymir said that the three of them would have to live on food they hunted themselves the next day. In another account, Hymir first caught two enormous whales. Thor then placed the ox head on a strong hook and cast it into the sea.

The Midgard Serpent seized the bait. Its pull was so strong that Thor’s hands struck the gunwale. He became angry, summoned his divine strength, and drove both feet through the boat until they stood on the sea floor. He hauled the serpent up to the gunwale. Thor and the serpent faced each other as it spouted at him. Thor almost caught the Midgard Serpent during the expedition. Tyr accompanied him to Hymir’s hall.