Northern mythology

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. 177
at once, except two women. Thereupon men from the
east countries began to inhabit the country, but those
giant women so troubled and plagued them that there was
no living there until they thought of calling on this Redbeard
to help them ; whereupon T straightway seized my
hammer and slew the two women ; since which time the
people of the country have continued to call on me for
aid, until thou, king, hast so destroyed all my old friends
that it were well worthy of revenge.
At the same moment,
regarding the king with a bitter smile, he darted overboard
with the swiftness of an arrow." In this wonderful
story we see expressed Thorns hostility to the giants,
and their extirpation through him ; or, in other words,
how by his operation he prepares and facilitates the culture
of the earth among mankind \
Thor had a daughter named Thrud '^ (prii^r), and
Hningnir is called Thrud^s thief or abducer (pruSar )?i6fr);
also an allusion to a mountain, which attracts
the clouds;
Thrud, agreeably with what has been already said, being
the dense thunder-cloud. jMockurkalfi (from mokkr, a
collection of thick mist or clouds, and kalfr, the usual expression
for any small thing w4th reference to a greater,
as a calf to a cow, though usually applied to a little island
lying close to a larger) is a giant of clay, not, like Hrungnir,
of stone, and, therefore, denotes the lower earthy
mountain. Thorns son, Modi^, signifies the courageous -,
his other son, Magni^, the strong^ may be compared with
Odin's son Vali, whose name has the same signification.
Both perform mighty deeds immediately after their birth ;
whence it would seem, as Prof. Finn Magnusen is inclined
to suppose, that ^lagni denotes a god of spring. A similar
allusion is contained in the name of Groa, signifying causing
to, or letting, grow. By the star OrvandiFs toe"* is probably
1 Saga Olafs Trvggvasonar, ii. p. 182. 2 Pages 22, 34.
3 Page 22. " Page 71.
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