SOURCE: Gurevich, A. Ya. “On the Nature of the Comic in the Elder Edda: A Comment on an Article by Professor Höfler.” Medieval Scandinavia 9 (1976): 127-37.

In the following essay, Gurevich asserts a structural relationship between the comic and the serious elements of the Elder Edda, suggesting that the amusing and satirical qualities of the work should not be interpreted as constituting a critique of heathenism.

A strong tendency to the comic is clearly seen in the lays of gods in the Elder Edda. In Hárbarðzlióð Þórr and Óðinn (disguised under the name of Hárbarðr) quarrel, the latter mocking and ridiculing simpleton Þórr, who is dressed like a tramp and has glutted himself on herrings and porridge. Each boasts of his deeds: Þórr, who is returning from a journey to the East (i.e. the world of giants), brags of his victories over the...