Because of Marvel movies series The Avengers, Thor the god of thunder, is no strange figure to us. It is with his hammer, Thor could project his powers. There are many adventures Thor has accomplished with his mighty hammer. Legend also has it, the hammer obeys Thor’s command. Thor could summon it and the hammer would fly right into his arm, destroying everything it passes. Unlike his brother Loki the god of mischievousness, Thor is said to have an enormous build. Even though the two brothers are said to be rivals most of the time, there are some legends where Thor sought the wits of Loki. Such incident happened when once Thor lost his hammer.
The comedic poem Prymskvida, tells about the story where Thor lost his hammer. It is said, once Thor fell into a sleep so deep that he didn’t even notice his hammer Mjölnir been stolen. It was prim the ruling giant residing in Jötunheimr, who has stolen it and he has left a note saying he wish to negotiate. Even at his greatest summon, the hammer didn’t return. All the power of the god was concentrated to it, so Thor decided to keep the tragedy a secret. But without the hammer, Thor is said to be powerless, so he sought his brother’s help. Loki was sent out to Jötunheimr, to meet the giant.
Prim confessed that he has the hammer. And he has kept it eight leagues beneath the earth so it would not be able the return on Thor’s command. He demanded for Freyja the most beautiful goddess known in Norse mythology, as his bride. During his encounter with the Prim, Loki also notes that his eyesight to be poor.
Loki returned with the news, and so Thor demanded Freyja to dress in bridal clothes. But she immediately refuses and her rage causes all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger. Her necklace, the famed Brísingamen, has also said to fallen off from her. Freyja’s actions also caught the attention of the other gods, so Thor could no longer keep his missing hammer a secret. The god Heimdallr suggests to send Thor disguised as Freyja on her Jewelry. The goddess most prominent Jewelry was the Brísingamen. Since it has fallen off from her, Thor could deceive the giants by wearing it. Even though Thor rejected the idea, the gods pointed out that without the hammer, the giants could easily invade Asgard which is the home for Norse god and this scheme is the only way for them to retrieve the hammer.
So Thor was dressed in bridal ware and in Freja’s jewelry and Loki as his bridesmaid. On noticing the Jewelry, especially the Brísingamen, the giants recognized Thor as Freyja. During the ceremony, Thor started to ferociously eat everything on the table. When Prim question this behavior, Loki who is disguised as a housemaid said to Prim, that Freyja hasn’t eaten for 8 days because she was eager to meet him. Prim then lifts Freyja's veil, but he finds terrifying eyes like that of burning flames, stare back at him. When it was questioned, Loki responds that this is because Freyja has not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.
Before the marriage rituals, Loki demanded for the hammer as promised. So it was brought before him and marry the two before the by "the hand" of the goddess Vár who is the goddess of oath and agreement. As soon as Thor got a hold of the hammer, his disguise fell off and started to attack every giant gathered for the ceremony. He finally killed Prim and returned back to Asgard with his hammer. Even though Thor claimed the victory it was not one that he could brag about. It is said the gods mocked Thor for his disguised, no matter what adventure or glory he brought with him. Thor is often viewed as a manly figure with an arrogant personality. And it’s good to know even gods have a sense of humor. What do you think of this story? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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