• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Mythology / What Happened When Thor Went To Utgard In Norse Mythology and Why Did Thor Bring Thialfi and Roskva?

What Happened When Thor Went To Utgard In Norse Mythology and Why Did Thor Bring Thialfi and Roskva?

July 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

In the icy land of Jotunheim, the frost giants built a fortress called Utgard.

Thor decided to journey to Utgard and do battle with the giants who lived there. To help him, Thor brought Loki and two human servants called Thialfi and Roskva.

While traveling to Utgard, Thor and his three companions sought shelter for one night in a massic hall with several giant doorways. Thor marveled at its size.

In the morning, they discovered that the hall was actually a glove for the giant Skrymir, who lay sleeping nearby. Enraged by the giant’s snores, Thor slammed his hammer down on Skrymir’s forehead.

But the giant merely shrugged off the blows and wondered if a leaf had fallen upon him. Thor continued on and arrived at Utgard.

Again, Thor was amazed at the size of the hall and the frost giants who lived there, but he was still determined to beat them at contests of strength and skill.

Unfortunately, Thor, Loki, and Thialfi did not perform as well as they expected. Loki lost an eating contest; Thialfi was defeated in a foot race; and Thor lost both a drinking contest and a wrestling match with an old woman.

Shocked and dismayed, Thor admitted that they were beaten. As Thor and his companions left Utgard, a giant explained that the frost giants had used magic and illusion to defeat them.

Loki had actually competed with fire, which quickly and ceaselessly devours things in its flames. Thialfi had raced against the speed of his own thought.

In the drinking contest, Thor had drunk from a horn that contained the ocean. Although he failed to empty the horn of its contents, Thor did succeed in lowering the sea level considerably.

In the wrestling contest, Thor had actually battled old age, which is invincible.

As Thor fumed at the thought of being tricked, Loki chuckled to himself, relishing the fact that clever thinking will always defeat strength.

Related Facts

  • How Did Thor Defeat Geirrod In Norse Mythology and Why Did Loki Promise To Bring Thor To Gerriod?
  • How Did Thor Retrieve His Lost Hammer From Thrym In Norse Mythology and Why Was Thor Disguised As Freyja?
  • What Were the Names of the Norse Gods In Norse Mythology and What Were the Unique Traits of the Norse Gods?
  • How Did the Gods Try To Bring Balder Back To Life In Norse Mythology and Why Did Balder Remain In Hel?
  • How Did Thor Battle the Midgard Serpent In Norse Mythology and How Did Hymir Save the Serpent?
  • Who Were the Berserkers In Norse Mythology and What Does the Expression "Went Berserk" Mean?

Filed Under: Mythology

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Did Thor Battle the Midgard Serpent In Norse Mythology and How Did Hymir Save the Serpent?
Next Post: How Did Thor Retrieve His Lost Hammer From Thrym In Norse Mythology and Why Was Thor Disguised As Freyja? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy