Giant in eagle form who abducted Idunn and her apples. Father of Skadi.
Thjazi (Old Norse Þjazi) is a powerful giant and father of Skadi. He dwells at Thrymheim among the mountains. In Skáldskaparmál it is told how Thjazi in eagle form seized Loki and forced him to lure Idunn out of Asgard with her apples of youth. Without the apples the gods began to age.
The gods compelled Loki to retrieve Idunn. Loki borrowed Freyja's falcon cloak, flew to Thrymheim, transformed Idunn into a nut, and carried her home. Thjazi pursued them in eagle form, but the Aesir lit fires on Asgard's walls and his feathers caught flame. He crashed and the gods slew him.
Sources in the Eddas
- Skáldskaparmál 1-2
- Snorri's detailed account of Thjazi's abduction of Idunn, Loki's rescue mission, and Thjazi's death.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Thjazi abducted Idunn by coercing Loki and was slain by the Aesir at Asgard's walls, attested in Skáldskaparmál.
B What we think we know
Whether the Thjazi myth reflects an older nature-mythological struggle between winter and summer is debated.