How Did Thor Defeat Geirrod In Norse Mythology and Why Did Loki Promise To Bring Thor To Gerriod?

The giant Geirrod was Thor’s fiercest enemy.

One day, Geirrod captured Loki. In exchange for his life, the god promised to bring Thor to Gerriod’s hall, without his mighty hammer.

Gerriod was thrilled with the idea of defeating Thor at last.

Loki convinced Thor to go to Gerriod’s hall without his hammer. Along the way, Thor and Loki stayed with a friendly giantess.

She warned Thor of the trap and lent him her magic belt of strength, a magic staff, and a pair of magic gloves.

When Thor and Loki arrived at Gerriod’s hall, Thor was taken to a room with a single chair. He sat down on it and fell asleep.

Suddenly, he felt the chair rising rapidly toward the ceiling. With his magic staff, he pressed the chair back down and heard a scream followed by a loud snap.

Gerriod’s two daughters lay dead beneath the chair. They had planned to crush Thor against the ceiling.

Gerriod now entered the hall. Using a pair of tongs, he picked a red-hot iron ball from the fire and flung it at Thor.

Thor caught the ball with his magic gloves and aimed it back at him. The iron ball crashed through an iron column and slammed into Gerriod’s body, killing him.

The Norse used the story of Thor drinking the ocean to explain the rising and falling of the ocean every day, which we know as the tide.