As Loki hangs on while Thor thunders his chariot down Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge to earth, Loki hollers over the wind, “Thor, how fast can this chariot go?” The heavy vehicle is drawn by two He-Goats, Snarler and Tooth Grinder.
“I can cross ten leagues in an hour!” Thor proudly replies.
“Oh, then how many leagues can you cross in ten hours?”
Thor’s brows knit. He snorts, unable to think that far. “Don’t ask stupid questions, Loki!” Then a light enters Thor’s eyes. Ah, he has the answer. “Far enough!”
In Odds Bodkin’s telling of Thor’s Journey to Utgard, although Thor knows Loki is a liar and tells him so to his face, he still needs Loki’s cleverness. At least he thinks he does. Their insulting banter is constant as they make their way to Utgard, the capital city of the Frost Giants.
Thor is there to prove his strength. The outcome is altogether different.
This is one of two Viking myths, along with Viking lore, I’ll be offering Sunday March 8th at Grendel’s Den in Cambridge, MA.
Come eat Viking food and drink mead from Grendel’s Den’s complimentary Odds Bodkin glass!
ODIN AND THOR BATTLE THE FROST GIANTS
An Adult Storytelling with live music
Sunday, March 8th at 5:30 p.m.
Grendel’s Den on Harvard Square, Cambridge MA
TICKETS: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
Nice mead glass!