Forums » Epic Week 2018 » Anvil symbol discussion (SOLVED)

A final bit to leave for others to consider, here is yet another rendition of the tale with a rather nice summary too:

http://www.nordic-life.org/nmh/thoreng.html

"As is often the case, Loki's deceit began it all. He succeeded in convincing Thor to face Geirrod, the giant of the seas beyond.

On his way, Thor slept at the home of a giantess, Grid, who gave him a girdle of might, iron gloves, and a magical pole, Grid's pole. Thor, joined by Thialfi, crossed the ocean, and reached the cliffs hanging over a fjord. Geirrod lives in caves dug in these cliffs. One of Geirrod's daughters caused the rise of the fjord waters - many say that she did so by a powerful jet of her urine - and nearly succeeded in drowning Thor. He barely managed to get out of it thanks to Grid's pole. I believe that this magic wand was made of rowan wood, and that is why one says that the rowan is Thor's salvation.

Then, while Thor was quietly sitting, Geirrod's two daughters crouched under his seat and pushed Thor upwards, in an attempt to crush his head on the ceiling. This is why the poem says that Thor sat on the grim hat of the giantess. The poem says also how Thor got out of it.

Geirrod and Thor finally face each other. Geirrod, as would a shaman blacksmith, tries to make a disciple out of Thor, by the classical shamanic ceremony of dismemberment. He launches a red-hot iron lump at him. If the initiation were to have followed its normal course, Geirrod would have rebuilt Thor's body after this shredding, and Thor would become Geirrod's disciple. But Thor is no one's disciple, using the iron gloves - twice saved by Grid's gifts - he catches the missile sent by Geirrod and he throws it back at Geirrod. The piece of iron is dipped in Geirrod's guts, and it becomes the head of Thor's hammer.

With his hammer, Thor, helped by Thialfi, slaughters all the remaining giants, Geirrod's mates. Hence, the canvas of the Giants' destiny is reaped off, and their race disappears."

The gloves in particular would've shown up just before Geirrod's death - they're called the járngreipr. But that apparently isn't it, either!

I think we are close. When I can I will delve in to this.

You pull the cork out of the Message in a Bottle and gently fish the paper out of it. Unrolling it, you see that it reads:

Anvil: A part of what his parents gave him.

Found this in a bottle. Hope it helps.

Oooh...this changes things

Tyvm dndmama

Ooh, it does! ty so much for real, Dndmama! I can't begin to figure it out, but OH BOY A NEW CLUE.

Just got this from a message in a bottle:

"Anvil: A distinctive sound."

Here's another clue from the bottles.

"Anvil: A part of what his parents gave him."

Someone try Thunder the next time we get a chance.

ty so much, Forta-ver! Now that's one Hell of a specific clue, we got this - plenty of sounds to try next time the path is clear, thunder would absolutely be at the top of the list. :'D

I'm wondering if the thing we're looking for is a kenning, itself - there are so many embedded within the clues!

The only problem is, if that's the case, there are a lot of variations in translation. A particularly 'loud' one seems to be concerning Thor's 'chariot of the thunder-storm', though.

Plopping down some reference-links, in the case of kennings!:

https://notendur.hi.is/eybjorn/ugm/meter/kennings.html
https://notendur.hi.is/eybjorn/ugm/meter/kthor.html
https://notendur.hi.is/eybjorn/ugm/meter/kbattle.html

I mentioned to Tailbone to also try Thunder-storm Chariot

I think it could be Thunder or Thunder-storm Chariot.

It could be!!

*clears throat* Clue #3 is very important, and you haven't quite understood the format of answer it's trying to describe to you yet.

Hrm.. It must be within the last bit of the stanza before Thor throws the iron back.

"Anvil: In some versions, the sewn-mouth one has replaced the bone-splitter."
Clue: Within a skaldic tale about the bone-splitter and his master

Clue: Wherein the bone-keels of the womb-bearing flood makers are broken

Anvil: A part of what his parents gave him.

Anvil: A distinctive sound.

Clue: It lies just before the end of the tosser of the forge-morsel *Very Important*


The hissing cinder is mentioned. (Thanks, Tailbone.) Fits our hint of a distinctive sound, but I am unsure of "a part of what his parents gave him." This could be misleading and "him" be a inanimate object (the iron?) bore of fire and the forge? but.. I don't know. That feels like a stretch.

Just before the end of the tosser of the forge-morsel. It feels like it should be the hissing cinder..

Got me confused!

The end of Geirrod is the d, just before the end is the 'o' or ö... Umlaut or diaereses.

.... Holy... You may be right!!! Omg

Geirr ö ð r

I did try "hissing cinder" earlier when we had a clear path, and it wasn't right.