Thorkill

Family: Danes · Role: guide · First appears: Book Eight · Part 16

Life events

• Gorm chose Thorkill to guide the journey, and Thorkill accepted the task.(Book Eight · Part 16)
  • With: Gorm (father of Gotrik)
  • “Three hundred men announced that they had the same desire as the king; and he resolved that Thorkill, who had brought the news, should be chosen to guide them on the journey, as he knew the ground and was versed in the approaches to that country. Thorkill did not refuse the task”
• Thorkill gave up three men by lot to answer for the slaughtered cattle.(Book Eight · Part 16)
  • “Thorkill yielded to these threats; and, in order to preserve the safety of all by imperilling a few, singled out three men by lot and gave them up.”
• Thorkill took the royal mantle, prompting the others to join him in plundering the treasure.(Book Eight · Part 19)
  • “For he laid his hand upon the mantle, and his rash example tempted the rest to join in his enterprise of plunder.”
• Gorm ordered Thorkill's accusers to sail with him under his command to consult Utgarda-Loki.(Book Eight · Part 19)
  • With: Gorm (father of Gotrik)
  • “he forced them to sail under the command of Thorkill, and even upbraided them with cowardice.”
• Thorkill marked his ship with a jewel and went ashore to seek fire.(Book Eight · Part 20)
  • “To be surer of getting back to his friends, Thorkill fastened a jewel upon the mast-head, to mark it by the gleam. When he got to the shore,”
• Thorkill reached Utgarda-Loki, who was bound in enormous chains, and plucked a hair from his chin.(Book Eight · Part 20)
  • With: Utgarda-Loki
  • “Again, after this, a foul and gloomy room was disclosed to the visitors, wherein they saw Utgarda-Loki, laden hand and foot with enormous chains. Each of his reeking hairs was as large and stiff as a spear of cornel. Thorkill (his companions lending a hand), in order that his deeds might gain more credit, plucked one of these from the chin of Utgarda-Loki, who suffered it.”
• Thorkill prayed to the god of the universe, and the sky cleared, allowing him to make a fair voyage.(Book Eight · Part 21)
  • “until Thorkill prayed to the god of the universe, and poured forth unto him libations as well as prayers; and thus, presently finding the sky even as before and the elements clear, he made a fair voyage.”
• Thorkill landed in Germany and began learning how to worship God.(Book Eight · Part 21 · 📍 Germany)
  • “At last Thorkill landed in Germany, which had then been admitted to Christianity; and among its people he began to learn how to worship God.”
• Thorkill escaped the king's hired assassins by leaving his bed and placing a log in his place.(Book Eight · Part 21)
  • “Men were therefore hired by the king's command to slay Thorkill in the night. But somehow he got wind of it, left his bed unknown to all, and put a heavy log in his place. By this he baffled the treacherous device of the king, for the hirelings smote only the stock.”
• Gorm died while listening to Thorkill's account after Utgarda-Loki was reproached.(Book Eight · Part 21)
  • With: Gorm (father of Gotrik) Utgarda-Loki
  • “For he could not bear to hear Utgarda-Loki reproached with filthiness, and so resented his shameful misfortunes, that his very life could not brook such words, and he yielded it up in the midst of Thorkill's narrative.”

Book Eight · Part 16

• lord: Gorm (father of Gotrik) “Three hundred men announced that they had the same desire as the king; and he resolved that Thorkill, who had brought the news, should be chosen to guide them on the journey, as he knew the ground and was versed in the approaches to that country.”

Book Eight · Part 17

• benefactor: Gudmund (Gudmund hosts Thorkill and his companions.) “Then Gudmund invited them to be his guests, and took them up in carriages.”

Book Eight · Part 19

• lord: Gorm (father of Gotrik) “But vainly did they pester the ears of the king; he forced them to sail under the command of Thorkill, and even upbraided them with cowardice.”

Book Eight · Part 21

• enemies with Gorm (father of Gotrik) “Men were therefore hired by the king's command to slay Thorkill in the night.”

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Extracted from the original text of The Danish History, Books I–IX. Made with Rho MD.