lowest pit Niflheim (abode of anguish).
And in the midst of his wrath he rose, and,
nigh blind with passion, dashed his mallet
into the giant's skull, insomuch that it sank
up to the handle. But Skrymir only turned
as before, and cried, " What grain of dust
has fallen on my head?" Whereupon, Thor,
being utterly astounded, went back beneath
the oak; and, watching the giant till he was
asleep again, essayed once more to crush his
skull to dust. Grasping his mallet with both
hands till the knuckles became white,* he
launched the weapon at Skrymir's head, as
if it had been a thunderbolt out of Valhalla;
but the giant only rose to his feet, and called
out, " The feather of some small bird has
dropt upon my cheek." Then, perceiving it
was day, he forbore to lie down again; and,
telling Thor and his three companions that
they were not far from the city of Utgard, he
gave them a few words of advice. " If you
think of going thither," he said, " I would
recommend you not to be too forward or
self-confident; for the followers of Utgard-Loki
are all giants like myself, and will not brook
the insolence of little fellows like you. Your
way to the city lies eastward: for myself,
my road is to the north, beyond those rocks
in the far distance." And, bidding them
farewell, he vanished away into the thickest
part of the wood.

* This fine and truly vital image occurs in the Edda.

Now, as soon as he was gone, the four
companions went their way, and came at last,
about noon, to a wide plain, in the middle
whereof they beheld the city of which the
giant had spoken, with many fair towers and
palaces, and all shut in with a wall and a
great gate. And, when they came to the
gate, they crept between the bars (which
were very wide apart), and, entering the
city, beheld dwellings that were like the
cliffs of the Northern Sea for height and
massiveness, and men whose heads were exalted
like the roofs of temples, and children that
were bigger than the men of other lands.
Then Thor and his followers went into the
king's palace, and saluted the king, who
regarded them with a scornful smile, and said
to his courtiers, " That stripling there must
be Thor." Turning to the god, he asked,
"What feats can you and your male friends
perform ? for we allow no one to stay here
who cannot surpass all men in prowess."
Then Loki said he could eat faster than any
one, and Thialfi said he could vanquish the
whole world in running. But, upon being
put to the trial, they were both defeated; for
the adversary of Loki, who was called Logi,
consumed not merely the flesh that was set
before them, but the bones too, which Loki
could in no wise compass; and Thialfi could
not at all keep pace with a young man named
Hugi, against whom he was matched.

Then the king commanded Thor to give
him some proof of those great powers for
which he was renowned among all the nations
of the earth. So Thor replied that he would
drink with any man in that company. Whereupon,
the cupbearer, filling a large horn to
the brim, gave it to Thor; and the king
commanded him to empty it at a draught. Then
Thor raised it to his mouth, and drank long
and mightily, even such a draught as the sons
of Bör might have taken after the great
labour of fashioning the heavens and the earth
from the body of Ymir; but, when he had
done, he seemed scarcely to have drunken a
single drop. At this, the king taunted him,
and bade him try again, and do better; and
he drank till his breath failed him and his
ribs ached. Yet still the liquor was scarcely
diminished, and wonder and wrath strove
within him for the mastery, and his face was
a battle-field of passions.

"Why, how now, Thor?" cried the king,
his visage wrinkling with laughter as he
spoke. " Thou mayst be a mighty man
among the gods; but thou art a small man
here. Yet try one more ere thou quite
despairest." And Thor clutched again at the
cup, and drank till his sides collapsed with
the vehement in-drawing of his breath; but,
as the liquor still seemed near the top, he
resolved to give up the attempt. So all the
courtiers declared that he was worsted.

"You shall next try to lift my cat from
the ground," said the king; and, as he spoke,
a great black cat came leaping into the hall.
Then Thor advanced scornfully towards the
cat, thinking to lift her with a single hand;
but, though he strained all his sinews, he
could only raise one paw. So he was again
declared to be vanquished; and his choler
was roused mightily, and his face grew white
with rage. But, seeing all the people laughing
at him, he spoke out, and said, " Let me
see who will wrestle with me in my wrath."
And the king answered, "Thou art so poor a
hand in all feats of strength and skill that
none of my men would condescend to wrestle
with thee; but let some one bring hither my
nurse, Hela. The old crone will do well
enough to encounter the god Thor." And
there entered into the hall a haggard old
woman, and she was as thin as any leaf in
autumn-tide, and her head was a skull, very
ghastly and amazing to look at. Thor
wrestled with her valiantly and long; but at
last the old woman brought him upon one
knee. So Thor was once more branded with
defeat; and he gnawed his lips with vexation.

However, they all supped richly together,
and next day the king took his guests beyond
the gates, and said to Thor, " You are indeed
a mighty one; for, ever since you met with
me, you have been under enchantment. But
I must now make all things plain unto you.
Know, then, first of all, that I am the giant
Skrymir whom you met in the desert, where,
by the secret power of my spells, I fastened
your wallet with a magic chain, so that the
knot thereof was impossible to be untied.
Secondly, when, in the forest, you thought