THOR’S WEDDING

“The heart in the breast | of Hlorrithi laughed

When the hard-souled one | his hammer beheld;

First Thrym, the king | of the giants, he killed,

Then all the folk | of the giants he felled.”

-       The Lay of Thrym, Bellows Translation

The Lay of Thrym is one of the most famous stories in Norse Mythology, and also one that is much loved. It starts with Loki losing Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, to the giant Thrym. Loki asks for the hammer back and Thrym says he will only trade it for Freya’s hand in marriage. Loki goes to Freya who denies his request. In order to get Mjolnir back Loki, devises a plan that involves Thor pretending to be Freya, putting on a wedding dress, and acting as the “lovely bride to be.”

Loki takes the form of a handmaiden and accompanies bridal Thor to Thrym’s hall. During the wedding feast, the giants notice that the bride can eat and drink more than any man present. Each time Loki manages to deflect the giants concerns with quick talk. In order to bless the bride with fertility Mjolnir is placed in “her” lap. This is thought to be an actual wedding custom of that time. Unlike more traditional Viking weddings, when Thor gets ahold of Mjolnir he unveils himself and kills all the giants in Thrym’s hall, including Thrym himself. Thus ends the Lay of Thrym.

This story has it all, a wedding, deception, cross-dressing, and violence! It’s no wonder it has been such a favorite of many different folk for centuries, perhaps even longer. When creating this painting I wanted to capture the last moment of the wedding feast: “Thor stands in a ripped wedding dress holding Mjolnir with a stack of dead giants piled behind him.”

The original fantasy painting was done in oil and measures 24" x 36".