Hymiskviða (Old Norse: 'The lay of Hymir';[1]anglicized asHymiskvitha,Hymiskvidha orHymiskvida) is a poem collected in thePoetic Edda. The poem was first written down in the late 13th century.[2]
TheÆsir consult their augury twigs and decide, since Ægir owns a lot of kettles for making beer, that he should be their host frequently. Ægir has to reluctantly agree, but as this will be a lot of work, he makes a condition (that he hopes they won't be able to meet) that they bring a kettle large enough for him to make beer for all of them at once. That presents a problem, untilTýr remembers a particularly large kettle in the possession of his fatherHymir. So the Æsir set off. Eventually they find Hymir's place, whereÞórr (Thor) eats so much that Hymir and his guests have no alternative but to go fishing. The poem then tells the story of how Þórr almost caught theJörmungandr, which is also recounted in theProse Edda. Þórr shows off his strength, but Hymir taunts him and says that he could hardly be called strong if Þórr couldn't break Hymir's chalice. The chalice was a magic one and could not be broken unless slung against Hymir's head. Þórr is eventually told so and proceeds to do it. Hymir is annoyed but says that they can take the kettle and leave. There follows the slaying of hordes ofjötnar, whereupon the Æsir leave with the kettle and booze contentedly at Ægir's place ever after (or at least untilLokasenna).
The poem contains fragments of a number of myths, and it shows. There is little structure to it, and scenes follow each other in a very rough logical order. Some of the allusions are not known from other sources and it contains unusually manykennings for an Eddic poem.
Similarities between theHymiskviða and the IndianSamudra manthan have been pointed out byGeorges Dumézil and others; seeSamudra manthan § Comparative mythology.