‘ “Can there be some birds sitting in the tree above me? I am sure as I awoke that some rubbish from the branches fell on my head. Are you awake, Thor? It must be time to get up and dress. And you do not now have very far to go on to the castle called Utgard. I have heard you whispering among yourselves that am a person of no small build, but you will see bigger men there if you get into Utgard. Now I will give you some good advice: don’t act big. Utgarda-Loki’s men will not easily put up with cheekiness from babies like you. Otherwise turn back, and that I think will be the better course for you to take. But if you are determined to go on, then make for the east, but my road now lies to the north to these mountains that you should be able to see.”
‘Skrymir took the knapsack and threwit on his back and turned abruptly away from them into the forest, and there is no report that the Æsir expressed hope for a happy reunion.
‘Thor continued his journey with his companions and went on until midday. Then they saw a castle standing on some open ground and had to bend their heads back to touch their spines before they could see up over. They approached the castle and there was a gate across the entrance and it was shut. Thor went to the gate and was unable to open it, but by struggling to get into the castle they squeezed between the bars and thus got in, and then saw a great hall and went up to it. The door was open. They went in and saw there many people on two benches, most of them a fair size. Next they came before the king, Utgarda-Loki, and addressed him, but he was slow to turn to them and bared his teeth in a smile and said:
‘ “News travels slowly over long distances. But am I wrong in thinking that this little fellow is Oku-Thor? You must be bigger than you look to me. And what are the feats that your party thinks they can perform? No one is allowed to stay here with us who does not have some art or skill in which he is superior to most people.”
‘Then the one who was in the rear of the party, which was Loki, said:
‘ “I know a feat that I am quite prepared to have a go at, that there is no one inside here who can eat his food quicker than I.”
‘Then Utgarda-Loki replied: “That is a feat if you can perform it, and we must try out these feats,”- called down the bench that some one called Logi was to come out on to the floor and compete with Loki.
- The Prose Edda, Gylfaginning