Thjalfi- Norse FigureMortal"Servant of Thor"

The Cracked Bone

Þjálfi was the son of a farmer who offered hospitality to Thor and Loki. Thor slaughtered his two goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr for the evening meal but told the household to keep every bone unbroken on the hides. Þjálfi, tempted by the marrow, cracked a thighbone with his knife.

When Thor hallowed the remains with Mjölnir the next morning, one goat rose lame. His fury was immediate. His grip on the hammer shaft turned his knuckles white. The terrified farmer offered both his children, Þjálfi and his sister Röskva, as permanent servants. Thor accepted.

The Race Against Thought

The Gylfaginning sends Þjálfi with Thor and Loki across Jötunheimr to the fortress of Útgarða-Loki. There the host challenged his visitors to contests of skill. Þjálfi, the fastest runner among mortals, was matched against a youth named Hugi. He lost three times: first by a wide margin, then by a bowshot's length, then so badly he was still mid-course when Hugi reached the end.

After the gods departed, Útgarða-Loki revealed the trick. Hugi was Thought itself. The word hugi means "thought" in Old Norse, and no living runner could match it.

The Duel with Hrungnir

When Thor went to fight the giant Hrungnir, as told in the Skáldskaparmál, the jötnar built a massive clay figure called Mökkurkálfi to stand at Hrungnir's side. Þjálfi was sent ahead with a message: Thor would attack from underground. Hrungnir believed it. He placed his stone shield beneath his feet instead of holding it before him. Thor's hammer found him unguarded. Þjálfi, meanwhile, charged Mökkurkálfi and toppled the clay giant, which fell with little resistance.