Þórsdrápa
Also known as: Thorsdrapa, Thor's Drapa, Eilífr Goðrúnarson's Thorsdrapa
A dense skaldic drápa narrating Thor’s perilous expedition to the giant Geirröðr: armed with Gríðr’s gifts, he fords the raging Vimur, crushes the giantesses Gjálp and Greip, and kills Geirröðr by hurling back a molten iron missile.
Description
Þórsdrápa is a late-tenth-century skaldic praise poem in intricate dróttkvætt meter by the Icelander Eilífr Goðrúnarson. It recounts Thor’s journey to the giant Geirröðr, highlighting the god’s strength and resourcefulness within a web of elaborate kennings. Aided by the giantess Gríðr—who lends him the belt of strength, iron gloves, and staff—Thor crosses the swollen river Vimur, overcomes Geirröðr’s daughters Gjálp and Greip, and survives a lethal test in the giant’s hall by catching and returning a glowing iron bolt. The poem’s mythic narrative is tightly interwoven with praise and virtuoso diction typical of skaldic court poetry, and it survives primarily through quotation and excerpt in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda.
Historiography
The poem survives fragmentarily in the Prose Edda’s Skáldskaparmál tradition, transmitted through several medieval manuscripts; no independent authorial manuscript is known. Scholars debate stanza division, referents of complex kennings, and details of the journey sequence. While securely attributed to Eilífr Goðrúnarson, interpretation often relies on Snorri’s prose framing. Modern critical editions collate variants and supply cautious reconstructions of missing or corrupt lines.
Date Notes
Commonly dated to the late 10th century during the career of Hákon Sigurðarson (Hákon jarl); preserved chiefly via Snorri’s Skáldskaparmál.
Symbols
Major Characters
- Thor
- Geirröðr
- Loki
- Thjálfi
Myths
- Thor’s Journey to Geirröd’s Hall
- The Battle with Geirröd and His Daughters
- Thor’s Triumph with the Iron Glove and Rod
Facts
- Composed in dróttkvætt meter characteristic of skaldic court poetry.
- Generally attributed to the late 10th century Icelander Eilífr Goðrúnarson.
- Narrates Thor’s expedition against the giant Geirröðr and his daughters.
- Preserved chiefly in Snorri Sturluson’s Skáldskaparmál as quoted stanzas.
- Features Gríðr’s aid: belt of strength, iron gloves, and staff (Gríðarvölr).
- Central set-piece is the perilous ford of the river Vimur.
- Thor defeats Gjálp and Greip and returns Geirröðr’s molten iron projectile.
- Exemplifies dense kennings and complex syntax typical of skaldic diction.
- Likely composed in the milieu of Hákon jarl’s court in Norway.
- Survives without an authorial manuscript; extant via later Edda copies.