Stories of Norse Gods and Heroes/Thor and Geirrod
THOR AND GEIRROD.
Once Loke put on Freya's falcon plumage and flew away to Jotunheim. As he flew about amusing himself, he came to the home of the giant Geirrod.
He perched on the roof and looked in through an opening.
Geirrod saw the bird and sent a servant to catch him. The Avail was high and slippery. Loke laughed to see how much trouble the servant had to climb up.
He thought he would fly away when the servant had almost reached him. But when he tried to fly away, his feet were fast. So he was caught and taken to Geirrod.
As soon as Geirrod looked into the falcon's eyes he knew he was not a bird. The giant asked Loke many questions, but Loke would not answer a word.
Geirrod locked him in a chest for three months without food.
At last Loke confessed who he was. To save his life, he promised to get Thor to go to Geirrod's house without his hammer and belt.
Loke went at once to Thor and told him Geirrod wanted to fight him.
Thor's eyes began to flash fire, and he rushed to his house for his hammer and belt. But Loke had been there before him and hidden them.
Thor was so angry that he would not wait to find them. Away he went in his chariot to fight the giant.
On the way he met a giantess who told him Geirrod was a dog-wise and dangerous giant.
She gave Thor her gloves and staff and belt of strength.
Soon Thor reached a wide river. He put on his belt of strength and plunged into the water.
When he reached the middle of the river, the waves went over his shoulders.
Thor looked up and saw that Geirrod's daughter was making the waves with her hand. He threw a stone and drove her away.
Then he reached the bank and caught a branch and drew himself out of the water.
When Thor reached Geirrod's house he was given a room by himself. There was only one chair in the room.
Thor sat in the chair. Suddenly it was lifted to the roof. He raised his staff and pressed against the roof with all his strength.
The chair fell to the floor. Two of Geirrod's daughters had been sitting under it.
Soon Geirrod sent a servant to invite Thor to come and see games.
Great fires burned all down the hall. When Thor came near Geirrod, the giant seized a piece of iron and threw it at Thor.
Thor caught it in his iron gloves and raised his arm to throw it at Geirrod.
Geirrod ran behind a post. Thor hurled the iron. It went through the post and through Geirrod, and through the wall into the ground outside.
Thor took the gloves and staff and belt back to the giantess.
He never went anywhere without his hammer again.