Retold in our own words from Rasmus Björn Anderson’s translation of the Younger Edda (Project Gutenberg) · Published 31 October 2026
Loke’s promise
Literature Odin, Loke and Honer were on a journey and tried to boil an ox, but it would not cook. An eagle in an oak tree said he was the cause. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
Literature Loke struck the eagle with a pole, but the pole stuck to the eagle and to Loke’s hands. The eagle dragged him over stones and trees until he promised to bring Idun and her apples out of Asgard. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
Idun is taken
Literature Loke tricked Idun into a forest. Then the giant Thjasse, in the shape of an eagle, seized her and flew away with her to his home in Thrymheim. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
Literature Without Idun, the gods became grey-haired and old. They found out that she had last been seen with Loke. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
The falcon and the eagle
Literature Loke borrowed Freyja’s falcon shape, flew to Jotunheim, turned Idun into a nut and carried her off in his claws. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
Literature Thjasse chased them as an eagle. The gods lit bundles of plane-shavings on the walls of Asgard, and the eagle’s feathers caught fire. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
Follow the thread
Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
Retellings are in our own words. Every sentence above carries a label (History, Literature or Tradition) and a link to the source it was checked against. A legend is not a historical record.
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