Gjálp and Greip

Lore & Background

In the Prose Edda's Skáldskaparmál, Thor encounters Gjálp while wading across the Vimur River; she is standing astride the river and causing it to swell with what appears to be her urine or menstrual fluids. Later, at Geirrödargardar, Thor sits on a chair that Gjálp and Greip lift up against the roof in an attempt to kill him. The same myth is told in the 10th-century poem Þórsdrápa by Eilífr Goðrúnarson, though the giantesses are not named there.

In Gesta Danorum, a similar story involves Thorkillus visiting the hall of the dead Geruthus (Geirröðr), where he sees three dead women with broken backs. Thorkillus explains that Thor 'has driven a burning ingot though the vitals of Geirrœth' and that the 'women have been struck by the force of Thor’s thunderbolt and have paid the penalty for attacking his divinity by having their bodies broken.'

Reader's Guide

Gjálp and Greip are significant figures in Norse mythology as antagonists of Thor, illustrating the recurring theme of the thunder god's conflict with the jötnar. Their story, attested in both poetic and prose sources from the Viking Age and later, shows the transmission of myth across centuries. The names themselves carry meaning: Gjálp ('screamer', 'yelper') relates to roaring or bragging, while Greip ('gripper', 'grasper') derives from a word for hand. Their inclusion in Völuspá hin skamma as two of the Nine Mothers of Heimdallr adds a layer of complexity, linking them to a major god. The Gesta Danorum version provides a euhemerized account, framing the myth as a historical tale. The uncertainty over whether Greip appears as a generic giantess name in some kennings reflects the fluidity of mythological naming. Overall, Gjálp and Greip embody the dangerous, chaotic forces that Thor must overcome, and their deaths reinforce his role as protector of the gods and humans.

Did You Know?

• Gjálp's name is related to the Old Norse word gjalpa ('to brag') and the Icelandic gjálp ('roar; sea, wave').
• Greip's name derives from the Old Norse greip ('hand [with spread thumbs], handle').
• In the Prose Edda, Gjálp causes the Vimur River to swell with what appears to be her urine or menstrual fluids.
• Gjálp and Greip are listed among the Nine Mothers of Heimdallr in Völuspá hin skamma.