The giant speaks like thunder and sighs like wind through tall pines. His wife weeps like a melting glacier. They are personifications of natural forces. Their tales and verses go back to the beginning of the worlds. Hadding learns from them some of the Old Tongue from Jotunheim. Their feasts are not those of men and remember:
the slaying of Ymir
the binding of the Hel-hound, Garm
the binding of Fenris Wolf
Utgard-Loki fooling Thor (V, p. 34)
Here, the world of the giants is called "Utgard" and their king is called "Utgard-Loki," not to be confused with Loki.
A giantess who is also a witch can make herself small enough for Hadding to have sex with. Poul Anderson's text is more consistent than the original myths. Soon Hadding will return, well-prepared, to the world of men.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
And I was reminded of this bit of mythology preserved in Genesis 6.4: "Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown" (Rheims-Challoner).
Ad astra! Sean
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