Gripla - 2023, Blaðsíða 295

HÁ A-ÞÓRA OG ÞORGERÐ UR HÖLGABRÚÐ UR 293
S U M M A R Y
Háa-Þóra and Þorgerður Hölgabrúður
Keywords: Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr, Eddic fairy tales, masks, games, trolls,
Christianization
The Icelandic game of Háa-Þóra (Tall Þóra) is alluded to in a late seventeenth-century
source, and a reasonably detailed description of it survives in the eighteenth-century
Niðurraðan. A man is dressed up to represent an immensely tall woman, carrying a
pole with a woman’s headdress and scarf. This “Tall Þóra” is referred to as a goð in
Niðurraðan, a word which refers to pagan gods and idols of pagan gods. Þóra joins
the party of revellers as quietly as possible, but once she is in position, a great ruckus
ensues as Þóra attacks the guests and in particular the lead singer. Eventually Þóra
retreats from the party with her clothes in disarray.
Medieval Icelandic sources record a goddess or ogress with similarities to Háa-
Þóra, namely Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr. (a) She is noted for her tallness in the First
Grammatical Treatise and in Njáls saga. (b) In the Gesta Danorum she is seemingly
referred to as Thora. (c) Njáls saga mentions an idol of Þorgerðr having a headdress.
(d) The Great Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason tells of a female troll who surreptitiously enters
a game played by the king’s men. She behaves violently until she is eventually defeated
and forced to retreat by an unnamed man, presumably the king himself. This female
troll introduces herself as a friend of Hákon jarl and a recipient of his gifts – she is
presumably Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr. The game of Háa-Þóra might be based on an idea
similar to this scene in the saga, as a re-enactment of the defeat of a pagan spirit.
A poem in Eddic metre, Þóruljóð, was recorded from oral tradition in the seven-
teenth century. The Þóra of the poem seems to be the same character as the Háa-Þóra
of the game. In the poem, Þóra is a tall and frightening woman who arrives at a Yule
feast at the farm of a chieftain, Þorkell. Þorkell welcomes Þóra to his high seat and
provides her with a headdress and a cloak. Eventually, Þóra gives Þorkell a sail that
she has created and tells him that it will bring him good fortune (“hamingja”) as he
sails into battle. This story is reminiscent of the relationship between Hákon jarl and
Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr as described in Jómsvíkinga saga. Hákon gives Þorgerðr gifts,
including a human sacrifice, and Þorgerðr rewards him by intervening in his favour
during a sea battle where she controls the wind.
The similarities between Háa-Þóra, Þóra of Þóruljóð and Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr are
enough to suggest that the three figures have a common origin.
Haukur Þorgeirsson
rannsóknarprófessor
Stofnun Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum, Háskóla Íslands
Eddu við Arngrímsgötu
IS-107 Reykjavík
haukur.thorgeirsson@arnastofnun.is