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Útgarðr

The castle of the giant Útgarða-Loki, far to the east beyond the sea, so huge that Thor's party must crane their necks to see over it. It vanishes when Thor tries to smash it.

Útgarðr is the stronghold of Útgarða-Loki and the setting for the contests of Thor's visit. It is named only in Gylfaginning. To get there, Thor travels "eastward toward Jötunheim and clear to the sea", crosses the deep sea, walks a day through a great forest Gylfaginning 45, and then goes on east until midday Gylfaginning 46.

The castle stands on a plain. It is so tall that the travellers "set their necks down on their backs" to see its top, and its gate grating will not open for Thor, so they squeeze in between the bars Gylfaginning 46. Inside is a hall with two long benches of men, "most of them … big enough". Afterwards, its lord admits that he would never have let Thor in had he known how strong he was. When Thor turns back to smash the walls, he finds only "a wide and fair plain, but no castle" Gylfaginning 47.

Útgarðr and Miðgarðr

The name means "outer enclosure", the opposite of Midgard, the "middle enclosure" where people live. Some 20th-century scholars built a whole model of the Norse world on this pair, setting the ordered, fenced home (innangarðs) against the wild, giant-haunted outside (útangarðs). The model is useful but modern. The sources use the name Útgarðr only for this one castle, and they place giants in many lands: Jötunheimr, beyond Élivágar, or on the outer shore of the ocean Gylfaginning 8.

In the sources

Quoted from the hosted translations; each line is checked against the text when the site is built. Select a reference to read it in context.

ye shall see taller men, if ye come into Útgardr
Gylfaginning 45 Skrýmir warns Thor what lies ahead and points him east.
Then they saw a castle standing in a certain plain, and set their necks down on their backs before they could see up over it.
Gylfaginning 46 The castle is so tall the travellers must lean right back to see its top; they squeeze in between the bars of its gate.
he saw there a wide and fair plain, but no castle
Gylfaginning 47 When Thor turns back to destroy the castle, it has gone.

Where the sources disagree or fall silent

  • Útgarðr is named only in Snorri's tale of Thor's journey (Gylfaginning 45–47). Whether it is the same place as Jötunheimr, a part of it, or a stronghold beyond it, the text does not say.

Myths with Útgarðr

Thor's journey to Útgarða-Loki Thor travels east with Loki, Þjálfi and Röskva, sleeps in a giant's glove, and loses every contest in the hall of Útgarða-Loki: to fire, to thought, to the sea, to the World Serpent and to old age. Only at parting does he learn he was tricked.

Related

Útgarða-Loki The giant king of Útgarðr who beats Thor and his companions in a series of contests by illusion, then admits the truth: they nearly destroyed him. Jötunheimr The land of the giants, at the edge of the world beyond rivers and sea, usually to the east of the gods and men. Thor goes there to fight, and gods go there to court and steal. Midgard Miðgarðr The world of humans, made by Odin and his brothers from the body of the giant Ymir and fenced with his eyebrows against the giants who live around the ocean's edge. Thor Þórr The thunder god, strongest of the Æsir: son of Odin and Earth, husband of Sif, and with his hammer Mjöllnir the gods' defender against the giants, until he dies killing the World Serpent. Logi Útgarða-Loki's man who beats Loki in an eating contest by devouring meat, bones and trough together, because he is wildfire itself. Elli Útgarða-Loki's old nurse, who brings Thor down on one knee in a wrestling match because she is Old Age, which no one can withstand. The giants (jötnar) jötnar The giants of Norse myth: the oldest race in the world, descended from Ymir, wise and often wealthy, enemies of the gods yet their kin, their wives and their mothers.