Þórr the War God: Polemicizing Myth in Eilífr Goðrúnarson’s Þórsdrápa

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which the skald Eilifr Goðrunarson shapes mythological material in Þorsdrapa to create a poetic encomium for Þorr. After discussing the textual and generic issues surrounding Þorsdrapa, I ground this difficult tenth-century composition within a wider poetic tradition. Following a close analysis of Eilifr’s presentation of Þorr and his treatment of the divine world in the poem, I suggest that he represents Þorr as a leader of troops in response to the increasing military threat posed by Christian kings to the south. It will become apparent that Þorsdrapa is best grouped with the other polemical pagan poems composed in the late conversion era.