When they began to eat, it was a wonder that Thor’s appetite did not betray him the very first thing. Either he was so hungry that he did not care what they thought, or else he forgot that he was pretending to be a dainty lady. Besides all the cheese and the curds and the honey, he ate seven whole salmon and one whole ox, and after that he drank three barrels of the sweet spicy mead. Loki pinched him under the table as a sign for him to stop, but he only growled in his beard and ate one salmon more.
Thrym’s eyes grew as big as milk-bowls.
“Saw I never such a hungry bride!” he exclaimed, pushing back to stare at her. “Saw I never a bride eat so much! Saw I never a maid drink so much mead!”
At that, even Thor was a little alarmed, for if the giant king should discover them before they got the hammer, not only would their plan fail but they would lose their lives into the bargain. He could think of nothing to answer, however, so he sat silent. Lucky was it for him that Loki always had his wits about him.
The Sly-One answered quickly, “Hungry is Freyja, thirsty is Freyja, for nothing has she eaten or drunk for eight days—so much did she long to come to Jotunheim.”
Thrym’s look of surprise changed to one of complacency.
“Is it so indeed!” he exclaimed, and finished his supper very pleasantly.
But by and by he became so pleased with his bride that he wanted to kiss her. Before Thor could hinder it, he reached out his great hairy hand and pulled at the veil. It slipped aside just enough to disclose Thor’s furious, fiery eyes.
The giant king sprang back the whole length of the hall.
“Why are Freyja’s eyes so sharp?” he cried. “It seems that fire burns in her eyes.”