Everything about Utgard-loki totally explained
In
Norse mythology,
Útgarða-Loki (Anglicized as
Utgarda-Loki and in other ways) was the ruler of the castle
Útgarðr in
Jötunheimr. He was one of the
Jötnar and his name means literally "Loki of the Outyards," to distinguish him from Loki, the companion of Thor.
According to the
Prose Edda Thor travelled to Útgarðr along with
Þjálfi and
Loki. They took part in several contests organized by Útgarða-Loki. The tests were all rigged. Loki participated in an
eating contest against fire personified. Þjálfi competed in running against the mind of Útgarða-Loki. Thor wrestled with
Elli who was Old Age personified, tried to lift
Jörmungandr appearing as a cat and finally tried to empty a
drinking horn connected to the sea. Thor and his companions left humiliated, but were heartened when a servant approached to tell them they'd in fact performed great feats doing as well as they did with their challenges.
Gesta Danorum
In the
Gesta Danorum a ship meets strong winds and sacrifices are made to various gods to obtain favorable weather, including to one called
Utgarthilocus. With vows and propitiations to him a beneficial spell of weather is obtained. Later an expedition to the land of the giants comes upon this figure.
| Ex qua item atrum obscenumque conclave visentibus aperitur. Intra quod Utgarthilocus manus pedesque immensis catenarum molibus oneratus aspicitur, cuius olentes pili tam magnitudine quam rigore corneas aequaverant hastas. Quorum unum Thorkillus, adnitentibus sociis, mento patientis excussum, quo promptior fides suis haberetur operibus, asservavit; statimque tanta foetoris vis ad circumstantes manavit, ut nisi repressis amiculo naribus respirare nequirent.
|
From here the visitors could see a murky, repulsive chamber, inside which they descried Utgartha-Loki, his hands and feet laden with a huge weight of fetters. His rank-smelling hairs
were as long and tough as spears of cornel-wood. Thorkil kept one of these as a more visible proof of his labours by heaving at it with his friends till it was plucked from the chin of the
unresisting figure; immediately such a powerful stench rolled over the bystanders that they'd to smother their nostrils in their cloaks and could scarcely breathe. — Fisher's translation
|
|
Apart from the name of the giant there's little that reminds of Snorri's Útgarða-Loki. The bound giant figure is more reminiscent of the bound
Loki who likewise lies chained and tortured in a cave.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Utgard-loki'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://__tgar__a-loki.totallyexplained.com">Útgarða-Loki Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
