Norse mythology has been a source of inspiration for me since first reading the stories of Odin and the other Gods and Goddesses. The story of Thor and his companions in the land of the giants is one of my favorites as it involves a series of events and competitions with the giants that are quite more than they appear and are full of meaning. I chose to depict this story in a setting I am familiar with, the woods of upstate NY where I grew up and adventured with my friends.
Early in the tale Thor and his companions take refuge and sleep in what appears to be a large cave with many chambers off of its main chamber. It is later revealed the cave was actually the glove of a giant who was sleeping nearby.
The giant travels with the group and that night the sleeping Thor is awakened by the giants snoring and strikes him 3 times in the head with his hammer only to have the giant stir and say he was hit by a falling leaf, then an acorn, then a twig. In reality the blows of Thor's hammer do not hit the giant but instead hit the ground and create 3 great valleys.
Upon reaching the great hall of the giants, Thor and his companions are challenged to a series of competitions. First Loki engages a giant in an eating contest but while loki finishes the meal in front of him, his competitor finishes the meal, the bones and the plate. Loki loses his competition. In fact Loki was competing against the element Fire in the guise of a giant.
Thailfi was next to compete and he also loses. He runs a race he believes is against a giant but is actually a race against the speed of a thought.
Thor is next and is so thirsty he chooses a drinking contest. He is given the largest drinking horn he has ever seen and is asked to drain it. He can not. In reality the horn is connected to the oceans themselves and so can not be drained. Thor's attempt is later revealed to have created the oceans tides.
Thor is outraged at his seeming failure and is challenged to prove his strength again by lifting one of the giants cats off the ground. Again he struggles to raise its paw of the ground. The Cat is truly the Midgard Serpent which is so vast it encircles the entire world.
Enraged by his futility Thor then challenges the giant chief to fight but the giant is seemingly so unimpressed by Thor's strength he tells him to fight his old, withered nurse instead. Thor is helpless against her and is forced to his knees..She is of course old age itself
At this point the giant chief declares that although Thor and his companions have lost, they will be granted safe passage back to Asgard. On the return they again meet the giant they had traveled with in the beginning and he reveals the truth of the contests and the fact that the giants were so impressed by the strength of Thor and his company that they were in fact afraid to test there own strength.
There are many revealing truths in this story that show an understanding of the forces of nature and time. Fire is an all consuming force if not contained. The oceans are vast and deep and deserving of respect. The speed and power of thought should not be underestimated. No one is more powerful than the earth they walk. No one ever escapes the clutches of aging.
I recommend this entertaining tale to anyone interested in mythology and its use of symbolism to help explain the world around us.
Next week, something short..
