Understanding the Battle of Hrungnir: Myths and Legends Explained

The Battle of Hrungnir and the Valknut

The Battle Against Hrungnir

Within the pages of The Saga of Belsnickel, A Yuletide Christmas Story, there lies a tale carved in frost and flame, a tale known as The Battle of Hrungnir.

The tale begins with Ulvie soaring over the ancient forests of Thuringia on the back of Donner, and occasionally Blitzen, he sensed a strange and troubling presence below. Though he had already earned a fair scolding from the gnomes for his reckless tangles with poachers and the occasional unruly townsfolk, Ulvie’s sense of justice burned too brightly to be dimmed. In his heart, wrongs must be righted, order must be restored.

Despite warnings from both the raven Aufpassnir and the fox Spähen, and not without the groaning protests of Donner and Blitzen, Ulvie’s curiosity overcame caution. He simply had to see a giant for himself.

Descending into a forest glen veiled in spring bloom, the trio came upon a terrible sight. From the trees emerged a monstrous creature: an enormous hog, brutish and ancient. This was Hrungnir, not merely a beast, but a giant born of rime and ruin.

To Hrungnir’s surprise, the boy Ulvie could speak with him. Yet it was not talk the beast desired, but domination. Hrungnir had come seeking the hot springs of Thuringia, intending to root up every tree and shrub in his path.

But Ulvie stood firm, axe in hand and fire in his spirit, determined to defend his home.

An Adapted Myth

The tale of Hrungnir is not new. It hails from the frost-veined halls of Norse mythology, where Thor, the hammer-wielder, once battled a giant of the same name. In that saga, the thunder-God fells Hrungnir in a clash of divine power with his mighty hammer Mjolnir.

In The Saga of Belsnickel, the tale is retold through the eyes of Ulvie, and with it, and as in the Norse telling, a symbol known today as the Valknut emerges once more. After Hrungnir’s defeat, in the Saga of Belsnickel, the gnomes, keepers of the old ways, remove the giant's heart and mount it upon a pole, a warning to all who would trespass. Thus begins the legend of Ulvie, Donner, and Blitzen, a legacy echoing from tree to tree, whispered by wind and firelight.

Symbols and Shadows

It is from Norse mythology that we get a depiction of Hrungnir’s heart.  In Old Norse, the symbol was known by a different name, far older and far more difficult to say: Hrungnishjarta (pronounced (Hrung-nish-yard-ta). The word means “Hrungnir’s Heart,” and it appears in the Prose Edda, penned by the Icelandic skald Snorri Sturluson, in a section called Skáldskaparmál. There, the stony heart of the giant Hrungnir is described, a heart of fearsome shape, which gave rise to the symbol we now miscall the Valknut.

This is found in the Skáldskaparmál chapter 17 and goes like this: “Hrungnir had a heart that is renowned, made of solid stone and spiky with three points just like the symbol for carving called Hrungnir’s heart has ever since been made.” Thus, in modern times, it has mistakenly been called the Valknut.

In modern times, many people wear the Valknut as a mark of strength, courage, and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds. The interlocked triangles, often etched on skin or carved in wood, appear in ancient carvings and battle-stones from the Viking Age. But the truth behind the name is less widely known.

Valknut or correctly called Hrungnishjartar

"Valknut" is not a word from the tongues of the Norse. Though it may sound noble and mysterious, the term itself is a modern invention. It stems from the Industrial Age, where textile makers and tile manufacturers used the term to describe patterns that looped endlessly, without beginning or end. Later, it found use on Scandinavian Road signs.

The Legacy Begins

In The Saga of Belsnickel, the battle against Hrungnir marks the first of many great deeds performed by Ulvie and his companions. With the hog’s heart raised high on a pole, a clear message was sent: This land shall not fall to shadow.

Thus began their legend, a tale of unlikely heroes, a boy, two reindeer, and a courage rooted in truth. You could say… they went down in history.

Until next time, stoke the hearth fire, guard the old roads, and listen well, there are still giants in the woods. Timothy P. Spradin