Thunor's Wedding: Beat-by-Beat Analysis

I think... I think my documentation is done.  Whew.*  My blow-by-blow comparison of 'Thunor's Wedding' to its source material is below the cut.

And my giraffe-hatted muse continues to frolic wildly in the fields of not-performance: I've finally run across the Trewhiddle Hoard. Which includes a "knitted" silver wire four-tailed scourge.  Has someone done a re-creation of this?  I've never seen one, which seems very strange for the SCA. 

It was found with a silver chalice, some coins and other fittings; makes me wonder if it was a churchman's implement?  For some sort of ritual mortification of the flesh?

All the same, I see an "in the box" A&S display somewhere in my future, with this and the infamous Leather Object from a few years back...

*For a given value of 'done.'  My citations are lazy (no page numbers). I do not have the energy to correct this.

 

Thrymskvitha	Thunor’s Wedding	Rationale
Thor wakes up and finds Mjolnir is missing! He goes in search of Loki.	Thunor wakes up and finds Mjolnir is missing! He goes in search of Loki.
Thor tells Loki his hammer has been stolen. They go to see Freyja.	Thunor manhandles Loki, at first suspecting him of having stolen it. Loki protests that he has not. He suspects giants are the culprits.  They go to see Frige.	Humor
They ask for the dress. Freyja gives it gladly.	Recap the loss of hammer, threat to the gods.	Emphasize why this is a critical mission
	Ask Frige for her dress. Thunor protests that he won’t wear a dress. Loki agrees to wear the dress.	Foreshadowing, irony.
	Frige agrees to hand over the dress, still a little suspicious of Loki.	Humor - building on Loki’s reputation as a ne’er-do-well.
Loki flys off to Jotunheim.	Loki flies off to Ettinham.
Thrym is in a field.  He greets Loki.	Thrym is in a field, giving every indication that he is well-satisfied with life.  He greets Loki with a big mock-innocent smile on his face.	Humor
Loki demands to know if Thrym has hidden Thor’s hammer.	Loki, eyes rolling, plays along while making it obvious that he knows it’s a play. He asks if, gosh, has Thrym seen the hammer?	Humor
Thrym admits to having taken the hammer and having hidden it eight miles beneath the earth, where no god or man may find it, unless he get Freya for a wife. Loki flies back to Asgard.	Thrym pretends to think really hard, then admits to the theft and the hiding where no god or man - or woman! or elf!  or anybody, no tricks! - can find it.  Loki sighs and asks what he wants, since he obviously wants something.  Thrym rhaphsodizes about Frige, and states that he wants her as his bride.  Loki swallows nervously and returns to the home of the gods.	Humor
Loki finds Thor.  Thor demands that Loki tell him what happened, before he sits or lies down.	Loki finds Thunor and Frige. Thunor eagerly asks what Loki has learned.	Slight abbreviation (since I’m lengthening so much else!)
	Frige demands her dress back	Humor at Loki’s expense
Loki reports that Thrym has the hammer and wants Freyja in exchange.	Loki reports that he’s found the hammer… but it’s hidden.  And they can get it back… if Frige will marry Thrym.	Parallel construction, two sets of “good news/bad news.”
Thor and Loki go to find Freyja.	(Frige is already present)
Thor tells Freyja to put on her bridal veil, she’s goin’ to Jotunheim.	Thunor turns to Frige with an enthusiastic, C’mon, let’s go!, assuming she’ll consent.	Lower tone for humor
Freyja hulks out, bursting the Brisings’ necklace and fuming that everyone will think her lustful if she goes to Jotunheim. (Which is ironic, because Freyja is a goddess of passionate love.)	Frige indignantly exclaims that there’s no way she’ll go.  What will people think? Loki makes a snide comment.  Thunor protests, but Loki says they should just call a meeting of the gods.
The gods meet to brainstorm hammer-retrieval plans.  Heimdall hits upon the idea of dressing Thor in bridal array and sending him to Jotunheim.	The gods meet to brainstorm hammer-retrieval plans for a week.  Woden, master of disguise, hits upon the idea of dressing Thunor in bridal array and sending him to Ettinham.	“A week” added to clarify Loki’s comments about “Frige” later.  Norse god changed for an English one.
Thor refuses.	Thunor refuses.
Loki tells him to be quiet, because there’s no other way to get the hammer.	Loki tells him to be quiet, because there’s no other way to get the hammer.
Thor is dressed in bridal array.	Thunor is dressed in bridal array.
Loki dresses as a bridesmaid.	Loki dresses as a bridesmaid.
Thor’s goats are brought forth to convey the two gods to Jotunheim.	The two gods go to Ettinham.	Not sure if English Thunor has a goat-cart.
Thrym sees them coming and says he has many riches and lacked only Freyja.	Thrym gallantly greets the two gods, telling of his great worth and how he lacked only Frige.
	Thunor says nothing, and Thrym asks why ‘Frige’ is silent. Loki explains that she’s lost her voice, as she has been crying from eagerness since receiving his proposal.	I… really thought this was in the original.  But it’s not there now. The Rule of Three is powerful indeed!  (This addition gives Loki three times to save “Frige.”)
The bridal feast is described. Thor eats most of it in one go.	The bridal feast is described. Thunor eats most of it in one go.
Thrym declares that he has never seen a bride with so broad a bite as this!  Loki explains that Freyja hasn’t eaten in eight days, she’s been so hot to come to Jotunheim.	Thrym declares that he has never seen a bride with such an appetite! Or a god!  Or, uh, anybody.  Loki explains that Frige hasn’t eaten in seven/eight days, she’s been so eager to come to Ettinham.	Humor.  I get the number of days confused but try to stick with seven, because it’s easier to say above that the gods confab for “a week.”  Changed Bellows’ lovely “hot to come to Jotunheim” to an equally assonating “eager to come to Ettinham.”
Thrym wants a kiss, but when he leans forward to move the veil, Thor jumps back the length of the hall.  Thrym questions the fire in “her” eyes, the likes of which he never saw in woman.	Thrym wants a kiss, but when he leans forward to move the veil, Thunor jumps back the length of the hall.  Thrym questions the fire in “her” eyes, the likes of which he never saw in woman.	Sometimes I put in lightning instead of fire, what with Thunor being a storm god.
Loki jumps to the rescue, saying that Freyja hasn’t slept in eight days, she’s been so hot to come to Jotunheim.	Loki jumps to the rescue, saying that Frige hasn’t slept in eight days, she’s been so eager to come to Ettinham.
Thrym’s sister comes in to ask for the dowry	(Omitted)	Abbreviation
Thrym calls for Mjolnir for them to swear their bridal vows on.	Thrym calls for the hammer for them to swear their bridal vows on.
Thor laughs to himself. When he gets the hammer, he kills Thrym, all the giants, and Thrym’s sister.	Thunor chuckles darkly when the hammer comes out.  He “lays about” smiting giants and destroying the hall.  Then he returns home with his hammer and Loki.	Explicit death seems out of place to me.  No doubt it’s very culturally appropriate for the original, but for a modern audience… it’s just not very funny.
“And so got his hammer | Odin’s son.”  The End.	“And put on some pants.”  The End	Humor