Þrúðr / Thrud

Þrúðr, also written Thrud, is the daughter of Thor and Sif. Her name comes from the Old Norse þrúðr, a term associated with strength, power and vigour. She is one of those figures in Norse mythology whose importance seems greater than the number of surviving stories about her.

Her parentage places her at the heart of Thor’s family. She is the sister or half-sister of Magni and Móði, the thunder god’s sons who will survive Ragnarök and inherit Mjölnir.

Unlike her brothers, the surviving sources offer few episodes in which Þrúðr herself plays a direct part.

Thor’s daughter

One of the most interesting references appears in Alvíssmál, the Eddic poem featuring the dwarf Alvíss.

Alvíss arrives claiming a young woman who had been promised to him as a wife during Thor’s absence. The god opposes the marriage and decides to put the suitor through a long series of questions about the names given to different elements of the cosmos among gods, giants, elves, dwarfs and humans.

Thor deliberately prolongs the conversation until dawn arrives.

When the Sun rises, Alvíss turns to stone.

The poem identifies the young woman primarily as Thor’s daughter, and Þrúðr’s name does not explicitly appear in the surviving text. Nevertheless, this daughter has traditionally been interpreted as possibly being Þrúðr, the god’s known female offspring. This identification should be presented as probable or traditional, rather than made into an entirely certain fact.

The episode is interesting because it shows Thor using cunning and knowledge instead of resolving the conflict with Mjölnir.

Þrúðr and the Valkyries

The name Þrúðr also appears in lists of Valkyries.

This raises a difficult question: the Valkyrie called Þrúðr could be Thor’s daughter herself or a different figure sharing the same name.

The surviving sources establish the association but provide little information to determine with certainty whether the two identities originally belonged to a single figure.

If they were the same, Þrúðr would occupy a fascinating position: daughter of the thunder god and, at the same time, one of the supernatural women connected with dead warriors and Odin’s retinue.

The meaning of her name

Her name is probably her most powerful characteristic.

Þrúðr means “strength” or “power”.

The term also appears in other names and expressions in the mythological world. Thor’s dwelling is called Þrúðheimr, “world of strength”, and his great hall is Bilskírnir.

There is therefore a deep linguistic association between Thor, his family and the very idea of power.

It is tempting to imagine Þrúðr as a female version of her father, armed with a hammer and lightning. The surviving medieval sources provide too little to justify so specific a portrayal.

Her strength could have been physical, supernatural, martial or a combination of these qualities.

A partially lost figure

Þrúðr represents a frequent phenomenon in Norse mythology: we know the name, family and fragments of an identity, while the stories explaining her true importance have disappeared.

Thor has many stories.

Sif retains a recognisable identity.

Magni plays the central role in the episode following the battle against Hrungnir.

Móði and Magni are associated with the world that will follow Ragnarök.

Þrúðr remains in the shadows.

This means that any modern reconstruction must distinguish between what the sources say and what we imagine from them.

Name: Þrúðr / Thrud.

Meaning: “Strength”, “power” or “vigour”.

Parents: Thor and Sif.

Siblings or half-siblings: Magni and Móði.

Nature: a divine figure belonging to the family of the Æsir.

Association: her name also appears among the Valkyries.

Possible episode: traditionally identified with Thor’s daughter sought in marriage by Alvíss, although the poem does not give her name.

Fate during Ragnarök: the surviving sources do not give Þrúðr a clearly established fate.

Main sources: Alvíssmál, Grímnismál and references in skaldic poetry and the Prose Edda.