Gillingr- Norse GiantGiant
Also known as: Gilling
Description
Invited rowing by the dwarves Fjalar and Galar, the jötunn Gillingr drowned when they capsized the boat on a reef. His son Suttungr seized the Mead of Poetry from the dwarves as blood-price, hiding the treasure in Hnitbjörg until Odin came to steal it.
Mythology & Lore
The Murder of Gillingr
After Fjalar and Galar had killed Kvasir and brewed the Mead of Poetry from his blood, they invited the jötunn Gillingr to go rowing. The dwarves steered the boat onto a reef and capsized it. Gillingr could not swim. He drowned, and the dwarves rowed home.
The Death of Gillingr's Wife
When Gillingr's wife learned of her husband's death, she wept bitterly. Fjalar asked her if it would ease her grief to look out at the sea where Gillingr had drowned. When she went to the doorway, Fjalar had Galar drop a millstone on her head from above, killing her as well. Fjalar remarked that he was tired of her weeping.
Suttungr's Vengeance
When Suttungr, Gillingr's son, learned that his parents had been murdered, he seized the two dwarves and carried them out to a skerry that was submerged at high tide, leaving them to drown. The terrified dwarves begged for their lives and offered the Mead of Poetry as blood-money for Gillingr's death. Suttungr accepted the compensation and took the mead to his stronghold inside the mountain Hnitbjörg, where he set his daughter Gunnlöð to guard it.
Relationships
- Slain by
- Member of