Thor And Loki

Thor And Loki

In Norse mythology, we can find the tale of how Thor and Loki who lived in Asgard, the dwelling place of the gods, got back a mighty hammer called Mjollnir from the villainous giant Thrym.

Thor, the god of the sky and thunder in Norse mythology, wielded the mountain-crushing hammer, Mjollnir, which returned to him like a boomerang when he threw it. He was known for his hot temper and huge appetite.

Loki was a trickster god and shape shifter, prone to mischief. However, he was an ally to the gods when they needed him.

Thor’s main enemies were the frost giants. When people heard thunder and saw lightning, they knew Thor was fighting these evil foes.

On one occasion, Thor’s powerful hammer Mjolnir went missing. Thor sought Loki’s help to recover it. Loki know that it must have been Thrym, the giant king, who had seized Mjollnir. He set out to find the giant. But first he got a feathered cloak from princess Freyja which granted the gift of flight to whoever wore it.

With the help of the cloak, Loki was able to fly swiftly to the land of the giants. As he had predicted, the giant Thrym said that he had the Mjollnir and will return it only if the beautiful goddess Freyja married him. Freyja refused, so Heimdall, the god of dawn and light, suggested a plan. According to this plan, Thor was to be dressed in a bride’s clothing complete with a bridal veil, to disguise as Freyja. Loki liked the plan and even volunteered to be the handmaid of the ‘bride’. Loki then led ‘Freyja’ to Jotunheim, the home of the giants.

Thrym welcomed his ‘bride’, but was mightily surprised by her appetite at the wedding feast. She ate a whole ox and drank three barrels of wine just for starters! Loki, as resourceful as ever, excused this behavior saying that Freyja hadn’t eaten for a week because she had been too excited about marrying Thrym. Then, leaning forward to kiss his ‘bride’ Thrym was surprised by the fierce glare of Thor. Again, the resourceful Loki interjected and said that in her excitement about the wedding, the bride had not slept for eight days, and that is why her eyes were bloodshot.

The giant fell for this fib and continued with the ceremony. But when it was time to place a hammer in the bride’s lap, as custom dictated, Thor threw off his bridal outfit. He grabbed Mjollinir and used it to smash the giants and wreck their hall.

With the Mjollinir back in their possession, Thor and Loki returned to Asgard in triumph.