Northern mythology

NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY. 71
into the earth, that he may attack thee from beneath."
On receiving this information, Hrungnir placed the shield
under his feet, stood upon it, and grasped his club with
both hands. He then saw lightning, and heard a loud
crash of thunder, and was sensible of Thorns divine power,
who was advancing in all his strength, and had cast his
hammer from a distance. Hrungnir raising his club with
the two met
both hands, hurled it against the hammer :
in the air, and the club was dashed in pieces, of which one
portion fell
on the earth, whence come all the whetstone
mountains; w^hile another fragment struck Thor on the
head, causing him to fall on the earth. But Miolnir struck
Hrungnir on the head, and crushed his skull :
he fell forwards
over Thor, so that his foot lay on Thorns neck.
Thialfi fought with Mockurkalfi, who fell with little honour.
Thialfi then went to Thor, and endeavoured to take
Hrungnir^s foot from his neck, but was unable to move it.
All the iEsir came, when they heard that Thor had fallen,
but they were equally powerless. At length came Magni,
a son of Thor and Jarnsaxa, who, although he was only
three days old', cast Hrungnir^s foot from his father^s
neck, and got from Thor in reward the horse Gullfaxi,
which Odin took amiss, saying that so good a horse ought
not to have been given to a giantesses son, but rather to
himself. Thor went home to Thrudvang, but the stone
remained fixed in his forehead. Then came a Vala (Volva)
or prophetess, named Groa, the wife of Orvandil (Orvald),
who sang incantations (galldrar) over him, so that the
stone was loosed. In recompense, Thor would gladden
her with the tidings that he had come from the north over
Elivagar, and in an iron basket, had borne Orvandil from
Jotunheim ; in token of which he related to her how one
of OrvandiFs toes had protruded from the basket, and got
* "Vali, in like manner, when only one day old, avenged the death of
Baldur on Hod.
See hereafter.