Northern mythology

178 NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY.
meant the small and scarcely visible star over tlie middle
star in the pole of the wain. The frozen toe was^ no doubt,
the great toe, and is identical with the Diimeke or Hans
Diimken (thumbkin) of the northern Germans, which is regarded
as the driver of the carriage ^ The rest of the myth
seems inexplicable. Geirrod, who also in the Grimnismar^
appears as a giant^, is lord of the ores in the bowels of
the earth.
His name, as well as that of Grid (Gri^r), the
giantess at the entrance of the mountain'*, Jarnsaxa^ and
the like, have reference to metals, and have afterwards
passed into names of weapons, as griS, an axe^ ;
gen*
(A. S. gar), a dart. GriSarvoUr, GricFs staff
'^, is also a
metal rod. Thrym ^ (the drummer, thunderer) from at
]7ruma, to thunder, make a thundering noise, is a fitting
name for the giant who would rival the thunderer Tlior,
and fancied that the goddess of fertility and beauty would
fall to his lot.
Skrymir, or Skrymnir (from skrum, show,
brag, feint) designates the crafty, false giant who by his
magic deceives Thor. He is supposed to denote winter,
a symbol of which is, moreover, his woollen glove ^. The
myth about Utgarda-Loki is probably a later addition, its
object being apparently to represent the weakness of the
^Esir-gods, in comparison with the Finnish divinity ^.
Thor's wife is Sif ^^. Loki (fire) destroyed her lovely
locks, but the dwarfs, sons of Ivaldi ^^, who work in the
earth, made her a new head of hair, the germinating,
1
Grimm, D. M. p. 688. - Page 17.
3 See Saxo, p. 420, for the account of Thorkill-Adelfar's perilous and
marvellous journey to visit the giant Geruth (Geirrod).
4 Page 53. ' *^
Page 28. Egils
''
Page 54, and note.
8 Page 58. F. Magnusen, Lex. Mythol. pp. 494, 630.
^ It may rather, perhaps, he regarded as ahurlesque on the old religion,
composed at a period when common sense began to operate among the
followers of the Odinic faith.
10 Pac?e 34. " Page 38.