Thor Drinking

‘Then Utgarda-Loki asked Thor which of his accomplishments
it was that he would be willing to display before them, such great
stories as people had made of his exploits. Then Thor said that he
would most willingly undertake to compete at drinking with
someone. Utgarda-Loki said that would be fine and went inside
the hall and called for his butler, bade him get the forfeit-horn that
the men of his court were accustomed to drink from. Next the
butler came forward with the horn and handed it to Thor. Then
said Utgarda-Loki:

‘“From this horn it is considered to be well drunk if it is drained
in one draught, but some people drain it in two draughts. But no
one is such a poor drinker that it is not emptied in three.”

‘Thor looked at the horn, and it did not seem all that big,
though it was rather long. But he was very thirsty, began to drink
and took great gulps and intended that it should not be necessary
to address the horn again for the time being. But when he ran out
of breath and straightened up from the horn and saw how his
drinking was progressing, it seemed to him as though there could
be very little difference by which the level in the horn was now
lower than before. Then Utgarda-Loki spoke:

‘“That was a good drink, and not excessive. I would not have
believed it if anyone had told me that Thor of the Æsir would not
have drunk a greater draught, but still I know that you will be
intending to drink it off in the second draught.”

‘Thor made no reply, put the horn to his mouth and was
determined now that he was going to drink a bigger draught and
struggled with the drink as long as his breath held out, and found
still that the point of the horn would not go as far up as he wanted.

And when he took the horn from his mouth and looked in, it now
seemed to him as though it had gone down less than the previous
time. The level was now far enough down for the horn to be
carried easily without spilling. Then spoke Utgarda-Loki:

‘“What’s the matter now, Thor? Are you not keeping back for
one drink more than you will find easy to manage? It seems to me
that if you are going to drain the horn with the third draught, then
this must be intended to be the biggest one. But here among us you
will not be able to be reckoned as great a person as the Æsir say
you are, if you do not give a better account of yourself in other
contests than it seems to me you are going to do with this
one.”

‘Then Thor got angry, put the horn to his mouth and drank as
hard as he could and struggled as long as possible with the drink.
And when he looked into the horn, this time it had made most of
all some difference. And then he handed back the horn and would
drink no more. Then spoke Utgarda-Loki:

‘“It is obvious now that your might is not as great as we
thought. Do you want to have a try at more contests? It is clear
that you are going to get nowhere with this one.”

‘Thor replied: “I may as well have a try at yet more contests. But
I would have been surprised when I was back home with the Æsir
if such drinks had been reckoned so slight. And what game do you
want to offer me now?”

[...]

Then Utgarda-Loki appeared and had a table laid for them. There was
no lack of good cheer, food and drink. And when they had
finished eating then they set off. Utgarda-Loki went out with
them, and accompanied them on their road out of the castle. And
as they parted, Utgarda-Loki spoke to Thor and asked how he
thought his expedition had gone, and whether he had come up
against any person more powerful than himself. Thor said that he
could not claim that he had not suffered great loss of face in their
encounter.

‘“And moreover I know that you will say that I am a person of
little account, and it is that which irks me.”

‘Then spoke Utgarda-Loki: “Now you shall be told the truth,
now you have come outside the castle, which is that if I live and
can have my way you shall never again come into it. And I swear
by my faith that you never would have come into it if I had known
before that you had such great strength in you, and that you were
going to bring us so close to great disaster. But I have deceived you
by appearances, so that the first time when I discovered you in the
forest it was I that came and met you. And when you tried to undo
the knapsack I had fastened it with trick wire, and you could not
find where it had to be unfastened.

[...]

And when Thialfi competed at running with the one called Hugi
[thought], that was my thought, and Thialfi was not likely to be
able to compete with its speed. And when you were drinking from
the horn and it seemed to you that it was going slowly - I swear by
my faith that then there took place a miracle that I would not have
believed possible: the other end of the horn was out in the sea, and
you did not notice, but now when you come to the sea then you
will see what a lowering of the level you have made in the sea by
your drinking.”

‘This is now known as the tides. And he went on:

‘“It did not seem to me any less impressive either when you
lifted up the cat, and to tell you the truth everyone that was
watching was terrified when you raised one of its feet from the
ground.


- Prose Edda, Gylfaginning