Thor's Wedding Day: By Thialfi, The Goat Boy, As Told To Bruce Coville

by Bruce Coville, Matthew Cogswell (Illustrator)

What could possibly make Thor--the massive and mighty god of thunder and protector of all his people--put on a bridal gown?

It all begins when the source of Thor's power, his beloved hammer, is stolen. Unfortunately for Thor, the plan to get it back requires that he dress in fancy finery and be packed off to marry the king of the giants. Luckily, Thialfi the goat boy--along with his snarky charges, Grinder and Gat-Tooth--have come along. Working behind the scenes, Thialfi just may be able to save the day . . . which is only fair, since it's his fault the hammer was stolen in the first place.

This book is a hilarious take on the only comedy in Norse mythology, complete with talking goats, cross-dressing gods, and the warm wit that has made Bruce Coville beloved by millions.

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Audiobook, Juvenile

144 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I am on a bit of a Norse mythology kick lately, between reading the books in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan and Neil Gaiman's recent book, Norse Mythology.

So, when I discovered this audiobook on our local library's OverDrive website, I just had to listen to it. The full-cast production is very funny and I loved the way that Mr. Coville augmented the poem with other bits of Norse mythology to make the story long enough to be a novel.

Overall, it was an entertaining tale and I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. I will certainly look for more of Bruce Coville's audiobooks on OverDrive.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely humorous tale with groundings in Norse mythology written for the 9-12 audience. Thialfi is a Goat Boy to Thor, who managed to get himself and his sister enslaved in the service of the gods for some wrongdoing. He takes care of Thor’s goats, and gets into all sorts of mischief. His mistake allows a dwarf to steal Thor’s most prized possession – the Hammer Mjollnir – a mistake that could be deadly for the gods. Fortunately, the real thief, one of the giants, isn’t too bright and is easily outwitted. He offers to trade the hammer back if Freya will come and be his bride. Ha. No way. Just ask her. When Freya refuses to cooperate, Thor and Thialfi, and Loki all dress up as women and Thor pretends to be the blushing bride. With the help of the goats, Thialfi learns that the giant has hidden the real hammer and intends to present them with a fake one to bring back to Asgaard. Thialfi is able, with the help of the very dwarves who stole the hammer, to exchange the real for the fake and save the day. Thor lays waste to the giants and they all go back to Asgaard. Happily ever after? Hmm, well, probably not. Thialfi is granted a boon, and he uses it to send his sister back to their parents. There’s plenty of room for more adventures of Thialfi the Goat Boy!

Kids who are wild for mythology should love this story, as well as those who like a fast-paced comical read. Most amusing.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good story - they found really good actors for the characters, and they make the story really interesting and fun to listen to. And Coville did a really good job of making this a funny story. I'd definitely recommend it, especially for people who like reading about myths and legends.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Fairly amusing, but not amazing. Probably great for late elementary kids as it was heavy on silly humor. It was quite short though (3 hours at normal speed), so it was easy to add to the end of a roadtrip.

[Saara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This telling has much the same rhythm as a Rick Riordan book. I preferred the Neil Gaiman version.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library in audiobook format thinking it was something completely different. It's in a DVD-style case, and the cover illustration suggested to me that it was a silly little animated short. I was wrong. It's actually an excellent retelling of the Þrymskviða (Thrymskvida), a short but humorous poem from the Poetic Edda whose popularity and entertainment value has well stood the test of time. Because the original story of the giant Þrymr's (Thrym's) theft of Thor's hammer Mjölnir and Loki's clever plan for its recovery is so brief, Bruce Coville has added quite a bit of extra detail to turn it into a charming novel for young readers, pulling in characters and details of other Norse tales and inventing some of his own, but his agreeable additions have only enhanced the the comic tone of the original. Coville has also preserved the sexism of the original (A man dressed in woman's clothes? The shame! The horror! The outrage!), but I found that to be a great jumping off point for a conversation about the variety of attitudes towards women and men throughout human history and in other cultures.

The audiobook is produced by Full Cast Audio and does indeed feature a full cast of talented voice actors. I feel quite fortunate to have stumbled across this so accidentally.

Those more versed in Norse mythology have pointed out that it was originally Heimdallr's idea to dress Thor as the bride Freyja (although it was Loki who convinced Thor to do it).

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Coville is an incredibly talented writer, and one of my favorite authors. He writes for kids, which is good for kids, but not so great for adults who are missing out on his works.

This book can easily be read in an afternoon, but that doesn't mean it isn't good -- just brief. Because of it's shorter nature, there are some questions I have -- mainly, what was Loki's purpose in the story. He is set up as being quite the trickster, we are set to wondering why he insists on attending Thor on his journey, we learn that the dwarfs who actually stole the hammer have a grudge against Loki ... and that's the end of it. Ir definitely had the feel as if something more important was intended to happen, but never did.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this read. Perhaps it's just "kismet" that I happen to be reading other Scandinavian tales (Saga of the Volsung) at this time as well, but the setting, characters, and mood sit very well with me.

A highly recommended read.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gr. 4-7. Coville takes a Norse poem called the Thrymskvitha and turns it into a delightful prose romp. The story centers on the theft of Mjollnir, the god Thor's magical war hammer, by the giant Thrym. Without the hammer, the gods are vulnerable to an attack from the giants, which means that Thor will do anything to get it back, including cross-dressing as Freya, the goddess of love, and presenting himself to Thrym, disguised as the giant's potential bride. Thor's story is told by Thialfi, Thor's goat boy, who manages to save the day. Coville fleshes out the ancient poem, plucking characters from other Norse myths and weaving them into this story. Throughout, he injects a modern sensibility while keeping the feel of the original myth. OK, but I got too busy and never finished it

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listed as the only humorous part of the Norse myth of Ragnarok, this children’s book tells what happened after Thor’s magnificent hammer Mjollnir was stolen and the outrageous lengths that were taken to get it back.

The cross-dressing scenes are funny though Loki’s constant urge to play pranks can get a little tiresome. But it is Thialfi, the put-upon yet resourceful goat boy, who is the hero of this little tale. Putting on a dress and tending Thor’s goats are the least of his duties as he goes through one stratagem after another to assist the Thunder God to retrieve his lost weapon. It’s a diverting read and children will be amused by this lighter portion of what can be a really grim saga.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know nothing of Norse tales or mythology but this was a short, fun read!

[H. Givens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think it's Bruce Coville's fault, it's just a retelling of an old story and not one he invented himself, but I just think there's a lot of inherent sexism in the story at best. (Overt misogyny and transphobia at worst). In the modern day there might be something fun in a "Thor and Loki do actual drag and pull one over on the giants, who have a much stricter set of gender roles" type of cross-dressing story, but like most iterations of a story like this, the joke is mostly that it's funny for Thor, a manly man, to dress up like a woman. Not nearly as bad or transphobic here as other similar stories I've seen -- I especially liked that Loki had no problem with it at all -- but it's just built into the story, you'd have to change it more significantly to solve that problem.

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Coville's modern spin of this ancient tale as told to him personally by Thialfi, the goat boy. Great for all ages. Coville commented that he feels that the Norse tales are kind of a combination of Greek myths and European fairy tales and I agree.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun retelling of the Norse myth of Thor and Loki’s scheme against the giant Thrym. It worked well as a read-aloud (lots of opportunities to do fun voices, too) and my boys both gave it 4 1/2 stars; 3 stars for me.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written for ages 8-12. Story of Thor and loosing his hammer to Giants. Would be entertaining to any kid with interests in the Greek gods and mythology.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as big a hit. Also, a little more sexist than necessary from the myth? Pretty faithful to the original mythology, though!

[Cleo Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny mythological adventure!

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Bruce Coville’s books and learning a bit about Norse mythology while laughing our heads off was a hoot!

[LizthePrude · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous story, that was enjoyed even by me. I would recommend this for ages 10 and up. It does mention women's bosoms a few times. Other than that, it's enjoyable.

[Britton Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

8year old says yes!

My 3rd grade son picked this as his first book for the school year and he finished it before the week was over! He loved it!

[Katrina Charlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great read and it was funny.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very fun silly book was a lot of fun to read to my daughter. And I kept picturing the shrieking goats from Thor Love and Thunder which made it fun in my own head too!

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5th grade
Modern fantasy
This book is hilarious!! I am a huge fan of all things Thor and this caught me completely offguard, but it was so funny! I love the authors creativity and sense of humor, it makes the book that much more enjoyable. I definitely recommend this book 10/5 stars!

[Kacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is part of me that's disappointed that there's not more of these stories, more of the Norse myths being retold for children, and then there is the logical part of me that says this is the Norse myth most suitable for children, and it's probably best that there aren't more.

It's a quick, fun read and a pretty solid representation of the myth it's based on.

[Larisa Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes...in my spare time I read books too! :) I came across this book in my local library while browsing the Young Adult sections for my own daughter....and this delightful book was not only a very fast one to read but also extremely entertaining. The book is written at a pace for young readers as the plot moves with speed therefore not incredibly intricate nor at all sophisticated...but it would be perfect for emergent readers or kids who need a fast past summer read. The book follows the story of Thor's Wedding aka the story of the theft of Thor's Hammer and almost marriage of Freyja but instead of told in poetic fashion we hear the story from a child's perspective and not just any child but Thialfi the boy given to Thor as a servant from an earlier myth...

The perspective is very interesting and unique! Thialfi, provides an almost behind the scenes, all access pass to the gods which ends up being very different than you would think. I am sure some hard core heathens won't appreciate the story as it is NOT the myth...but really I found it not only quirky, but down right hilarious and frankly Loki steals the show throughout the book! The continued vexing of Thor in the dress by Loki is just so.....well...him! He never fails to stay true to the cunning and vixen-like qualities that Loki is known for...

The story deviates quite a bit from the myths but it does not loose anything....the only thing I wished for was MORE! There were times when I felt I could read six more chapters about the mood of Freyja or delve into the quirky rat who seemed to have weird allegiances!

All in all the book was great and give it 5/5!! I definitely think kids will love it! And parents will love the fact that its kid friendly and easy to read!

[Tim O'neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, and by the way, wrytten a few years before the MCU was a sparkle in Feige’s eye. I enjoyed it as it went, and could sort of tell Coville was expanding on a myth, but it was interesting to discover in the afterword what elements he was combining. The elements were almost seamless, and the combined resolution satisfyïng. The whole family enjoyed it and at least I was laughing.

[Jacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I a great fan of Norse Mythology and have struggled to find retellings that are easy to consume so that I may share them with my son. This book was wonderful and I cannot wait to read it to him. The enhancements to the original Edda added dimension to the Gods, as well as to side characters. My only disappointment was that Freyja was portrayed much to frivolous for her true essence.

I only wish the author had re-told more of the Eddas. Great and fast read!

[Tibby]

This was hilarious and it incorporated a mythology (Viking) you don’t see all that often despite it being European. Thor and Loki cross dress to trick the giant king into giving back Thor’s hammer which he has stolen. The narrator, Thialfi the goat boy, is rather bumbling and also has to cross dress. This leads to a situation with a young giant who wants to make out with him. Kids will love the humor.

[Eden Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is based loosely on a Norse poem about the lengths Thor had to go in order to get his hammer back from the giants.

I listened to the full cast audio book version and found it enjoyable. It was just under 3 hours and would be a great way to pass the time on a road trip. With the story told from the goat boy's perspective, I think it would especially appeal to young listeners.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Coville at his comic best, with a story from the Norse Myths that just begs for the comedy. With a light touch Coville recounts how Thialfi gets to be Thor's servant and squire, and what happens when they have to deal with yet another Frost Giant incursion and Loki's bargain...
Pair with Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman.