“I am the god Thor, I am the war god, I am the Thunderer! Here in my Northland, My fastness and fortress, Reign I forever! Here amid icebergs Rule I the nations; This is my hammer, Mjolner, the mighty Giants and sorcerers Cannot withstand it! These are the gauntlets Wherewith I wield it And hurl it afar off; This is my girdle; Whenever I brace it Strength is redoubled! The light thou beholdest Stream through the heavens, In flashes of crimson, Is but my red beard Blown by the night wind, Affrighting the nations. Jove is my brother; Mine eyes are the lightning; The wheels of my chariot Roll in the thunder; The blows of my hammer Ring in the earthquake!” HOW THOR CONQUERED THE STONE GIANT HRUNGNER Thor had once gone eastward to crush trolls, but Odin rode on his horse Sleipner to Jotunheim, the land of giants, and came to a giant by name Hrungner. Then he asked Hrungner what man that was, who with a helmet of gold rode through the air and over the sea, and added that it was an extraordinarily good horse he had. Odin replied that he would wager his head that so good a horse could not be found in Jotunheim. Hrungner said that it was indeed a very excellent horse, but he had one called Goldfax that could take much longer paces, and he immediately sprang upon his horse and galloped away after Odin. Odin constantly kept ahead, but Hrungner’s giant nature had become so excited that before he was himself aware of it he had come within the gates of Asgard. When he came to the door of the hall the gods invited him in to drink. They set before him the bowls out of which Thor was accustomed to drink, and he emptied them each in one draught, and so he became drunk and began to boast in a most conceited fashion. He was going to take Valhal, he said, and carry it off to Jotunheim; he would demolish Asgard and kill the gods, except Freyja and Lif, whom he would take home with him; and while Freyja was pouring the celestial beverage into bowls for him he remarked that he was going to drink up all the ale of the gods. At last the gods grew very tired of his arrogance. They, therefore, called Thor, who came at once. He was very much enraged and, swinging his hammer about, he fiercely asked who was to blame that dogwise giants should be permitted to drink there, or who had given safety to Hrungner in Valhal, and why Freyja should pour ale for him as she did at the feasts of the gods. Hrungner, looking at Thor with anything but a friendly eye, answered that Odin had invited him and that he was under his protection. Thor said that Hrungner should come to rue that invitation before he came out; but the giant answered that it would be but little honor to Thor to kill him, unarmed, as he was; it would be a better proof of his valor if he dared contend with him at the boundaries of his territory. “It was foolish, indeed, of me