Tanngrisnir- Norse CreatureCreature · Beast"Teeth-Barer"
Titles & Epithets
Description
Thor slaughtered his goats for supper and raised them whole by morning with a stroke of Mjölnir over the bones. Tanngrisnir and his companion Tanngnjóstr pulled Thor's chariot across the sky, died for his meals, and came back. Until a boy cracked a thighbone for the marrow.
Mythology & Lore
The Chariot
Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr pulled Thor's chariot. The rolling of it across the sky was thunder. When Thor traveled to the giant Hymir's hall, he left the goats at the farm of Egill and went on foot. The Hymiskviða places them there, waiting, while Thor fished for the world-serpent.
On the road, Thor killed the goats for meat. He ate. He spread the hides on the ground and laid every bone on top, then struck Mjölnir over them. The goats stood up whole. This was the arrangement: Thor could eat them each night and have them pull his chariot each morning, provided no bone was broken.
The Cracked Bone
The Gylfaginning tells what happened when that rule broke. Thor stayed overnight at a farmer's house and shared the goat meat with the family. He told them to throw every bone onto the hides. The farmer's son Þjálfi took his knife to a thighbone and cracked it open for the marrow.
The next morning Thor hallowed the bones with Mjölnir. Both goats rose, but one was lame in the hind leg. Thor gripped the hammer so hard his knuckles went white. The family saw his face and thought they would die. Þjálfi and his sister Röskva were given to Thor as servants to settle the debt. They followed him from then on, to Útgarða-Loki's fortress and beyond.
Relationships
- Serves