Learn English with a Short Story: How Thor Went to Jotunheim

Embark on a language-learning journey during this episode of the Outstanding English Podcast. In this episode, we dive into the captivating Norse tale of "How Thor Went to Jötunheim." This video podcast includes a reading of the story, a comprehensive summary, and a retelling where I summarize the action as we go along and point out useful vocabulary to help you build your English proficiency. Below, is a transcript of an abridged version of the story and a summary:

Story: How Thor Went to Jotunheim

Once upon a time, Thor and Loki decided to set out on a journey from their home in Asgard to Jötunheim - the land of the giants. They traveled in Thor’s chariot, which was pulled by two white goats. This chariot was a bit heavy and made a loud rumbling sound as it moved, which scared the ladies of Asgard. But Thor loved the noise and found it more enjoyable than any music. He was happiest when he traveled from one place to another in that noisy chariot.

They traveled the whole day, and in the evening, they reached a farmer's house. It was a simple place and Thor decided to spend the night there. The farmer didn't have any food to offer the travelers. Thor, who loved feasting, didn't want to go to bed hungry, so he had to use his two goats for supper. He invited the farmer, his wife, and children to join them for the meal. Before they started eating, Thor made a request. He said, "Please, do not break or throw away any of the bones from the goats we're about to eat for supper."

One of the farmer's sons, named Thialfi, wondered why Thor made such a request. Roska, Thialfi's sister, couldn't think of a reason either. After a while, Thialfi picked up a small bone. He thought, "Surely, it won't hurt if I break just this one bone. It would be a shame to waste the marrow inside." So, when Thor wasn't looking, he secretly broke the bone in two, sucked out the marrow, and then tossed the pieces into the goats' skins, where Thor had asked all the bones to be placed.

When Thor woke up in the morning, he took his powerful hammer, Mjölnir, and held it over the goat-skins that were lying on the floor. He whispered special words while doing this. At first, the skins were just lifeless with dry bones. But as he spoke the last word, something incredible happened. Thialfi, who was watching closely, saw two goats suddenly come to life and walk over to the chariot. They looked as healthy as they did yesterday when they first pulled the chariot to the door.

Thialfi had hoped that everything was okay, but then he noticed that one of the goats was limping with its back leg. This made Thor really angry, and Thialfi felt that he should run away into the forest and never return. However, when he looked at Thor's face, he saw something that made him change his mind. Instead of running away, Thialfi decided to do something better. He came forward, threw himself at Thor's feet, admitted his mistake, and asked for forgiveness. Thor listened to his confession and, instead of punishing him, decided to bring Thialfi along on the journey and teach him the importance of obeying the Æsir gods.

Roska, Thialfi's sister, also chose to go with her brother. From that day on, Thor had two loyal helpers who accompanied him on his journeys. Thor left the chariot and the goats behind and continued his journey with Loki and the two new followers. They traveled to the end of Midgard, crossed the sea, and entered the strange, desolate land of Jötunheim. Sometimes they climbed big mountains, other times they had to navigate through rough and rocky terrain. The misty surroundings often made the rocks look like people.

One day, after a long and tiring journey through a thick forest, they were relieved to find a spacious hall with a wide-open door where they could rest for the night. "Here we may very comfortably sleep for the night," said Thor; and they entered the hall.

The house they found seemed empty. It had a big hall and five smaller rooms connected to it. They were too exhausted to explore the place thoroughly, and since no one appeared, they decided to have their supper in the hall and get some rest.

However, their sleep didn't last long because they were disturbed by strange noises. These noises included groans and snorts that were louder than any animal they had ever encountered. To make things even worse, the house began to shake from side to side, as if the ground was trembling.

Thor quickly jumped up and rushed to the open door. He peered into the starlit forest, but there was no sign of any enemies. Meanwhile, Loki and Thialfi, after some searching, found a safer room to spend the rest of the night. Thor, holding his hammer Mjölnir, stood guard at the house's door all night.

As soon as daylight broke, Thor ventured into the forest. There, lying on the ground near the house, he saw a bizarre and enormous figure of a man. This giant’s breath from its nose was so strong it swayed the treetops. It was clear now what had caused the unsettling noises. Without fear, Thor approached the strange giant to get a better look. But when the giant heard Thor's footsteps, it slowly rose, to an immense height, and gazed down at Thor with two large, misty blue eyes that looked like mountain lakes.

"Who are you?" asked Thor, trying to look up at the giant and stretching his neck to see better. "And why are you making so much noise that it keeps everyone awake?"

The giant, named Skrymir, answered sternly, "I know who you are. You're the little Thor from Asgard. But tell me, what have you done with my glove?" As he spoke, he stooped down and picked up the hall where Thor and his companions had spent the night, revealing that it was actually his glove, and the room where Loki and Thialfi had slept was the thumb of the glove.

Thor rubbed his eyes, feeling like he must be in a dream. He collected himself and raised his hammer, Mjölnir, while trying to keep his eyes on the giant's ever-changing face. Thor said, "I've come to Jötunheim to battle and defeat evil giants like you. Despite my small size, I'm ready to test my strength against yours."

"Then go ahead and try," said the giant.

Without saying another word, Thor hurled Mjölnir at the giant's head.

The giant remarked, "Did a leaf just touch me?"

Thor picked up Mjölnir again and threw it with all his force.

The giant raised his hand to his forehead and said, "I think an acorn must have fallen on my head."

For the third time, Thor delivered a powerful blow. However, this time, the giant burst into laughter.

"Surely there's a bird in that tree," he said, "and it dropped a feather on my face."

Without paying any more attention to Thor, the giant slung a huge bag over his shoulder and turned his back on him. He followed a path out of the forest, glancing back briefly. His immense face looked less like a human's and more like a strange-shaped stone balancing on top of a mountain cliff.

"Listen, Thor," the giant said, "before I leave, I'll offer you some advice. When you reach Utgard, the capital of Jötunheim, don't act too proud. You might consider me tall, but you'll encounter even taller beings there. You're quite small in comparison. Turn back to your home where you came from and be content with the lessons you've learned from your journey to Jötunheim."

"Small or not, I'll never do that," Thor shouted back at the giant. "We will meet again, and something more will we learn, or teach each other."

The giant, however, didn't turn back to respond. Thor and his companions watched him for a while, and then they continued on their journey. Before the sun rose high in the sky, they left the forest and at noon arrived at a vast barren plain where they saw a massive city. Its walls, made of dark and rugged stone, were so high that Thor had to tilt his head far back to see the top of them. When they reached the city's entrance, they found the gates to be closed and locked. However, the gaps between the bars were large enough for Thor to easily pass through, and his companions followed him.

The city's streets were quiet. They walked for some time without encountering anyone. But eventually, they reached a tall building with open gates.

Thor suggested, "Let's go in and see what's happening here." So, they entered.

Upon entering, they found themselves in a massive banquet hall. A table stretched from one end of the hall to the other, and stone thrones were placed around it. Each giant seated on a throne appeared even more grim than the others. One of them sat on a raised seat and seemed to be the leader. Thor approached this chief giant and offered his greetings.

The giant chief merely glanced at Thor and, without getting up, spoke casually, "It's quite foolish to bother tired travelers with questions about their journey. I know without asking that you, little fellow, are Thor. But perhaps you may be taller than you seem. In our tradition, nobody can sit at the table until they've shown their worth by performing a wonderful feat. So, tell us what you and your companions are known for and how you plan to prove yourselves worthy to dine with the giants."

Loki, who had entered the hall quietly behind Thor, stepped forward at this point.

"The feat I'm most famous for is eating, and right now, I'm eager to demonstrate it," he declared. “Put food in front of me, and let me see if any of your followers can finish it as quickly as I can.”

The King acknowledged, "The feat you mention is certainly nothing to laught at, and there is one among us who would love to test his abilities against yours. Summon Logi," he instructed one of his followers, "and bring him to the hall."

A tall, slender man with a yellow face, Logi, came forward. A large trough filled with meat was placed in the middle of the hall, and Loki and Logi took their positions at opposite ends, ready to begin eating. Their eating was something I hope never to witness again, but all the giants turned their slow-moving eyes to observe. Within a few minutes, they met in the middle of the trough. Initially, it appeared that they had both consumed the same amount of food. However, upon a closer look, it was discovered that Loki had indeed eaten all the meat, but Logi had devoured not just the meat but also the bones and the trough itself. The giants nodded in agreement and declared Loki defeated.

The King then turned to Thialfi and asked what he could do.

"I was considered a fast runner among the young people in my homeland," Thialfi replied. "I'd like to challenge anyone here to a race."

"You've chosen a noble sport," the King commented. "But you must be a great runner to compete against the one I have in mind." He called for a slender young man named Hugi, and the entire group left the hall. They exited through a different gate than the one Thor had entered through and arrived at an open area to serve as a race track. The race's finish line was marked, and Thialfi and Hugi prepared to race against each other.

Thialfi ran as fast as he could, like a reindeer fleeing from howling wolves, but Hugi ran so much faster that he passed the finish line and even turned around to meet Thialfi halfway down the track.

"Give it another try, Thialfi!" called the King. Thialfi took his place once more and raced with such speed that his feet barely touched the ground, like an eagle swooping down to catch prey in the valley. However, despite his best efforts, he was still a good distance from the goal when Hugi reached it.

"You are indeed a swift runner," remarked the King. "But if you want to win, you'll have to do even better than this. Perhaps you plan to astonish us all on your third attempt."

On the third try, Thialfi was exhausted, and although he did his best, Hugi reached the goal, turned around, and met him not far from the starting point.

The giants exchanged looks and concluded that there was no need for further attempts, as Hugi had clearly won.

Now it was Thor's turn, and everyone watched him. The King of Utgard asked what remarkable feat he wanted to perform.

Thor responded, "I'll challenge any of you to a drinking contest." To be honest, Thor didn't want to do anything particularly impressive in the company of the giants.

The King of Utgard seemed pleased with this choice. The giants resumed their seats in the hall, and the King instructed a servant to bring the "cup of penance," which he would have his guests drink in a single gulp.

"Here," he handed it to Thor, "we consider it well-drunk if someone can empty it in one go. Some might take two attempts, but even the weakest can finish it in three."

Thor examined the cup; it seemed big, but not extraordinarily large. Feeling thirsty, he raised it to his lips, intending to quickly drain it with a hearty gulp. He drank, and then placed the cup back down. However, instead of being empty, it was still nearly full.

"Ha! Ha! It seems you're saving your strength for the second gulp," The King of Utgard remarked with a smile. Without responding, Thor lifted the cup again and drank with all his might until he was out of breath. However, when he set the cup down, the liquor had only gone down slightly under the brim.

"If you intend to take three sips," the king said, "you're leaving yourself very little for the last attempt. Be careful, Thor, because if you don't perform better in the other feats, we won't think as highly of you here as the Æsir do in Asgard."

Thor couldn't help but feel his anger rise. He was determined to prove his worth, even after the previous disappointments. With newfound resolve, he reached for the cup once again, and this time he drank deeply, draining the contents as deeply as he could. However, when he lowered the cup and examined it, he found that only a tiny portion of its contents had been consumed. Thor, feeling weary and disheartened, decided to give up on the challenge, declaring that he would not make any more attempts to empty the cup.

The King of Utgard took note of Thor's defeat and expressed his disappointment, insinuating that Thor may not be the mighty figure they had once believed him to be. In response, Thor offered to perform another feat and that the giants could choose the challenge.

The king proposed a seemingly simple game that his children played, which involved lifting a cat from the ground. He presented it as a childish amusement and was eager to witness how Thor would fare with such a mundane task. With this, a large gray cat appeared in the hall, and Thor, determined to prove himself, bent down to lift the cat. He began gently, but as he continued, he put forth every ounce of his god-like strength, straining and tugging with unparalleled effort. Yet, despite his best efforts, he could only manage to lift one of the cat's paws slightly off the ground.

With the cat challenge behind them, the King of Utgard commented with a smile, "It is just as I thought, but we all are willing to say that the cat is large, and Thor is just a little fellow."

Defiant and eager to prove himself, Thor retorted, "Little as you think of me, who is there who will dare to wrestle with me in my anger?"

The king, still seemingly amused, replied, "In truth, I don't think there is anyone here who would choose to wrestle with you; but, if wrestle you must, I will call in that old, ugly woman Elli. She has, in her time, defeated many better men than Thor has shown himself to be."

Elli, the old and ugly woman, was summoned. She appeared aged, withered, and toothless, and Thor hesitated at the thought of wrestling her. However, he had little choice in the matter. As they grappled, Elli's grip tightened, and the more Thor struggled to free himself, the stronger her hold became. The battle continued, with Thor exerting his strength, but an unusual feeling of weakness and fatigue crept over him. Despite his valiant efforts, Thor began to falter and ultimately fell to one knee.

The giants burst into laughter at the sight, and the king approached, instructing the old woman to leave the hall. He then announced that the trials were over. The King of Utgard graciously invited Thor and his companions to stay as guests for the night.

Although Thor felt somewhat perplexed and humbled by the challenges, he accepted the invitation with grace and demonstrated his good manners and humility during the evening.

In the morning, as Thor and his companions prepared to leave the city, the king escorted them beyond the city gates. As they bid their farewells, Thor gazed intently at the giant and realized, for the first time, that this was indeed the very same giant named Skrymir he had encountered in the forest.

The giant spoke with a strange smile on his face, "Come now, Thor, tell me truthfully, how do you think your journey has turned out? Was I right in saying that you would meet with men greater than yourself in Jötunheim?"

Thor, without a hint of shame, responded, "I freely admit that I have acquitted myself humbly, and it grieves me. I know that from now on, it will be said in Jötunheim that I am a man of little worth."

The giant, with sincerity, exclaimed, "No! You would never have entered my city if I had known the true extent of your valor. Now that you are safely out of it, I will confess the truth to you, Thor. I have been deceiving you with my spells and enchantments. When you met me in the forest and hurled Mjölnir at my head, I should have been crushed under the weight of your blows. However, I skillfully placed a mountain between myself and your attack, so the hammer's blows struck the mountain, creating three deep ravines that will turn into lush valleys. I also deceived you about the contests last night. When Loki and Logi sat before the trough, Loki indeed ate voraciously, but Logi is fire, who consumed both bones and trough with his fiery tongue. Thialfi is indeed a swift runner, but the slender lad, Hugi, was my own thought, and nothing can match his speed. The same held true for your own challenges. When you took those deep gulps from that horn, you had no idea of the incredible feat you were performing. The other end of that horn extended to the ocean, and when you reach the shore, you will see how much the waters have receded and how the deep sea has been diminished by your gulps. "Hereafter, men watching the going out of the tide will call it the ebb, or gulps of Thor. Scarcely less wonderful was the prowess you displayed in the second trial. What appeared to you to be a cat was, in reality, the Midgard serpent, which encircles the world. When we saw you succeed in moving it, we trembled, fearing that the very foundations of earth and sea should be shaken by your strength. Nor should you be ashamed of having been defeated by the old woman Elli, for she is old age, and there never has been, nor will be, one whom she has the power to defeat. We must now part ways, and I would advise you not to return here or attempt anything further against my city. I shall always defend it with new spells and enchantments, and you will never be able to defeat me."

Upon hearing these words, Thor raised Mjölnir, ready to challenge the giant to another test of strength. But before he could utter a word, King Utgard - the giant Skrymir disappeared from his sight. When Thor turned around to look for the city, he found that it had vanished as well, leaving him standing alone on a smooth, green, and empty plain.

Story Summary

In the Norse tale How Thor went to Jotenheim, Thor - the god of thunder, and his-half brother Loki - the god of mischief leave Asgard the home of the Aesir gods in a chariot pulled by two goats, to Jotenheim, the land of the giants.

After traveling the whole day, Thor and Loki arrived at a humble farmer's house. Since the farmer didn’t have food to offer the guests, Thor, a lover of feasts, decided to use his two goats for supper. Inviting the farmer's family to join, Thor made a peculiar request and told them not to break or throw away any of the bones from the goats they were going to eat for supper.

Thialfi, one of the farmer's sons, and his sister Roska couldn't understand why Thor requested not to break or throw away any goat bones after their evening meal. Thialfi secretly broke a small bone to suck out the marrow inside. He tossed the pieces into the goats' skins, where Thor had instructed all the bones to be placed.

The next morning, Thor, using his powerful hammer, Mjölnir, held it over the goat-skins on the floor, and whispered special words. The bones and skins underwent a remarkable transformation. Thialfi witnessed two goats come back to life.

Thialfi, hoping all was well, noticed one of the goats limping with its back leg. Thor was furious. Instead of running away, Thialfi approached Thor, confessed his mistake, and begged for forgiveness. Surprisingly, Thor chose not to punish him but decided to bring Thialfi along on the journey to teach him the importance of obeying the Æsir gods.

Thialfi's sister, Roska, also decided to accompany her brother. From then on, Thor had two loyal helpers joining him on his journeys. Thor, Loki and the new companions left the farm and entered the strange, desolate land of Jötunheim.

After a long journey through a dense forest, they discovered a spacious hall with an open door. Exhausted, they entered the seemingly empty house, featuring a large hall and five smaller connected rooms. They decided to have supper in the hall and rest. However, their sleep was disrupted by strange and unsettling noises. To worsen matters, the house began shaking, as if the ground itself trembled.

Thor, alert and armed with his hammer, quickly rose and rushed to the open door, and scanned for signs of enemies. Finding none, he stood guard at the door throughout the night while the others slept.

As daylight broke, Thor ventured into the forest and discovered a colossal figure of a man lying on the ground near the house. Thor approached the giant to get a closer look. However, as Thor's footsteps reached the giant's ears, it slowly rose to an immense height. Thor asked the giant who he was and why he made so much noise that kept everyone awake.

The giant, Skrymir, responded that he knew who Thor was and asked what he did with his glove. The giant Skrymir picked up the hall where Thor and his companions had spent the night, revealing that it was actually his glove.

Thor was ready to test his strength and challenged the giant Skrymir by throwing his hammer, Mjölnir, three times at him. The giant was unharmed from each attack and offered advice to Thor, urging him not to be too proud when he reached Utgard, the capital of Jötunheim, because even taller beings lived there. The giant left and Thor and his companions resumed their journey.

They arrived at a vast barren plain, spotting a massive city with rugged stone walls. The gates were closed, but Thor easily passed through the bars and his companions followed. The city streets were empty and they reached a large building with open gates.. Thor proposed exploring, and they entered.

Upon entering, Thor and his companions discovered a massive banquet hall with a long table and stone thrones around it. Each giant seated looked imposing, with one appearing as the leader. Thor greeted the chief giant, who acknowledged him and questioned their worthiness to join the giants' feast. The chief explained that tradition that demanded aa guest perform wonderful feat before sitting at the table to dine with the giants.

Loki stepped forward and challenged the giants to a food-eating competition, and the king agreed, summoning Logi to face Loki. A trough filled with meat was is placed in the middle. Loki ate half of the food, but to everyone's surprise, Logi not only consumed the meat but also the bones and the trough itself. Loki lost the challenge.

Next, Thialfi, challenged anyone to a race and the King introduced a slender young man named Hugi as his competitor. They left the hall, went to a race track, and Thialfi lost es each of his three races against Hugi by huge margins.

Thor, facing the giants in Utgard, choose a drinking contest. The King handed him the "cup of penance," and explained that it is well-drunk if emptied in one go but some needed three attempts. Despite its seemingly normal size, even after three drinks from the cup, only a small portion of the cup's contents were consumed. Frustrated and disheartened, Thor decided to give up on the drinking challenge, admitting he wouldn’t make any more attempts to empty the cup.

The King of Utgard, disappointed by Thor's previous defeat, challenged him to lift a cat from the ground. Despite Thor's efforts, he could only manage to lift one of the cat's paws slightly. In his anger, Thor defiantly challenged anyone to wrestle with him.

The King of Utgard, amused, suggested wrestling an old woman named Elli, who has defeated many better men than Thor. Reluctantly, Thor agreed. Despite Thor's efforts, he ultimately fell to one knee. The giants laughed and the king ended the trials. He invited Thor and his companions to stay the night as guests. Though perplexed and humbled, Thor accepted with grace, demonstrating good manners and humility during the evening.

As Thor and his companions prepared to leave the city, the king escorted them beyond the walls. Thor, upon closer inspection, realized the king was the same giant Skrymir he encountered in the forest. Skrymir asked Thor how he thought his journey turned out and if he met men greater than himself in Jötunheim. Thor admitted humbly to his shortcomings, and predicted that in Jötunheim, he would be regarded as a man of little worth.

The giant, revealed the truth to Thor. He admitted to deceiving Thor with spells and enchantments during their encounters, and explained how he skillfully avoided Mjölnir's blows in the forest by placing a mountain between them which created valleys. The contests in the giant's city were also illusions, with Loki competing against fire and Thialfi against the giant's own thought. The cup that Thor attempted to drink from was actually a horn connected to the ocean, and that the ocean’s waters had receded as a result of Thor’s large gulps. The cat Thor struggled to lift was actually the Midgard serpent, and his efforts were feared to shake the foundations of the earth and sea. The old woman Elli, whom Thor wrestled, symbolized old age, an adversary unbeatable by anyone. The giant advised Thor not to return or challenge his city again, as he would defend it with new spells and enchantments.

Upon learning the truth from the giant, Thor raised his hammer, ready for another test of strength. However, before he could speak, King Utgard, skrymir disappeared from sight. When Thor looked back at the city, he found it has vanished too, leaving him alone on a smooth, green, and empty plain.

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