Anonymous, Þrymskviða

Andrew McGillivray (University of Winnipeg)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1260 - 1280

Places

Iceland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem

Resources

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Þrymskviða [Thrym’s poem] is a mythological eddic poem composed in fornyrðislag [old story metre]. The poem is divided into 33 stanzas, a mixture of narration and direct speech. Þrymskviða survives in a vellum manuscript from c. 1260-1280, Konungsbók eddukvæða (Codex Regius of Eddic Poetry; GKS 2365 4to). Its origins are uncertain, its language very accessible.

Four characters play significant roles in the poem’s story: Þórr, who has lost his hammer, Mjöllnir, and must retrieve it; Loki, who helps Þórr retrieve Mjöllnir; Freyja, who lends out her feather-shirt so Loki can travel to the land of the giants and locate …

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1801 words

Citation: McGillivray, Andrew. "Þrymskviða". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 June 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41003, accessed 28 September 2023.]

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