Thor the God of thunder, son of Odin, was worshipped by the Vikings for centuries. He was the God of strength, of duels and daring missions, of heroism, of lightning and thunder. Thunder in English and many North European languages is in fact derived from Thors name. He also still has a day named after him: Thurdsay, originally Thorsday.

This is the story of one of Thor’s daring travels, this time into the land of Giants, the mortal enemies of the Gods. There in the heart of Giantland, armed only with his magic hammer and accompanied by his trusted servants, Thor encounters the king of Utgard, who challenges him and his servants to a series of contests. But in the castle of Utgard there is more to everything than meets the eye and the king of Utgard beats Thor the Mighty by the aid of tricks and illusions.

This is a classic tale of the battle of might against magic. Of the power of mind over matter.The story of this magic contest is so well told and so entertaining that it caught the attention of the famous magician and escapologist Houdini, who kept it with him on his travels.

This is one of the most famous and popular stories of the Edda, from the collection of stories about the Vikings and their Gods written by Snorri Sturluson in 1235. In this book, nothing has been changed from the original account.

The book is wonderfully illustrated by Gunnar Karlsson