Thor's daughter, listed among the valkyries in Grímnismál and cited in skaldic poetry as a kenning element.
Þrúðr is Thor's daughter and appears in Grímnismál stanza 36 in a list of valkyries who carry ale to the einherjar in Valhöll. Her name means 'might' or 'strength' in Old Norse, a word Snorri Sturluson also uses in Skáldskaparmál as one of the names of Thor's daughter. That Thor's daughter is counted among the valkyries is textually recorded but raises interpretive questions about whether the same figure is intended in all contexts.
In Skáldskaparmál, Snorri mentions Þrúðr in a list of goddesses and as a base element in skaldic kennings. The dwarf Alvíss courted her and sought her hand, which gave rise to the eddic poem known as Alvíssmál, in which Þórr keeps the dwarf engaged in conversation until sunrise turns him to stone. Þrúðr's role in the poem is passive; she is the object of male contest rather than an active valkyrie.
Sources in the Eddas
- Grímnismál 36
- Lists Þrúðr among the valkyries who serve the einherjar in Valhöll.
- Skáldskaparmál
- Snorri mentions Þrúðr as Thor's daughter and as a kenning element in skaldic verse.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Þrúðr is named in Grímnismál as a valkyrie and in Skáldskaparmál as Thor's daughter; both attestations are well preserved.
B What we think we know
The identification of the valkyrie Þrúðr in Grímnismál with Thor's daughter Þrúðr is probable given the name's distinctive character but is not explicitly confirmed in the sources.
C What we do not know
Whether Þrúðr was originally an independent goddess who was later attached to Þórr, or always conceived as his daughter, cannot be determined from the available source material.