Tonight, the strongest of the gods wakes to an empty bed and an empty hand. Mjǫllnir, the hammer that holds the sky together, has been stolen in the night. Loki borrows Freyja's falcon cloak and flies east to Jǫtunheimr, where the giant king Þrymr is waiting on his high mound with a price for its return. The price is Freyja herself. Freyja refuses, the gods sit in council, and the only road forward is the one no one wants to take. Þórr is dressed in fine wheat linen and a bridal veil, Loki agrees to come as the handmaid, and the two of them ride east to a wedding feast in the cold hall of the giants. A bride who eats an entire ox. A quick tongue that has an answer for every strange thing. A veil that lifts just long enough for two burning eyes to be seen. And then the hammer brought out at last to bless the marriage, laid in the bride's lap, and the hand that closes around the haft. Let it carry you down into sleep.
Chapters:
0:00 Welcome
1:25 Chapter 1. The Empty Pillow
10:10 Chapter 2. The Borrowed Wings
17:15 Chapter 3. The Hall of Þrymr
25:40 Chapter 4. The Demand
31:41 Chapter 5. The Refusal
38:25 Chapter 6. The Counsel of the Gods
52:41 Chapter 7. The Bridal Veil
1:02:11 Chapter 8. The Road East
1:09:31 Chapter 9. The Wedding Feast
1:17:04 Chapter 10. The Eye Beneath the Veil
1:27:20 Chapter 11. The Hammer on the Knee
1:40:14 Chapter 12. Goodnight. And the Wolf at the Edge of Time.
1:50:22 Music to sleep by
Watch the illustrated version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSleepingAlmanac
Everything in one place: https://thesleepingalmanac.com
New episodes every Wednesday and Sunday.
Sources: the Þrymskviða from the Poetic Edda (Codex Regius, 13th century Iceland), with chapter framing and Hávamál anchors drawn from the same manuscript tradition. Retold as an original written narrative.
This show uses AI tools (research, narration, visuals) under human editorial direction. Every episode is reviewed before release.
Chapters:
0:00 Welcome
1:25 Chapter 1. The Empty Pillow
10:10 Chapter 2. The Borrowed Wings
17:15 Chapter 3. The Hall of Þrymr
25:40 Chapter 4. The Demand
31:41 Chapter 5. The Refusal
38:25 Chapter 6. The Counsel of the Gods
52:41 Chapter 7. The Bridal Veil
1:02:11 Chapter 8. The Road East
1:09:31 Chapter 9. The Wedding Feast
1:17:04 Chapter 10. The Eye Beneath the Veil
1:27:20 Chapter 11. The Hammer on the Knee
1:40:14 Chapter 12. Goodnight. And the Wolf at the Edge of Time.
1:50:22 Music to sleep by
Watch the illustrated version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSleepingAlmanac
Everything in one place: https://thesleepingalmanac.com
New episodes every Wednesday and Sunday.
Sources: the Þrymskviða from the Poetic Edda (Codex Regius, 13th century Iceland), with chapter framing and Hávamál anchors drawn from the same manuscript tradition. Retold as an original written narrative.
This show uses AI tools (research, narration, visuals) under human editorial direction. Every episode is reviewed before release.