The gods of Asgard looked to Thor as a protector and defender so too did the humans of Midgard, whose daily lives were disrupted and threatened by interloping giants. The wily figures of Odin and Loki (among other gods) didn’t give much hope to men sure, they were clever and wise, but didn’t possess the strength or courage to go to battle with the ogres. Thor alone had the power and skill to fight the beasts and protect mankind. There are countless stories of Thor engaging in epic battles with the giants and other creatures, almost always for the sake of protecting others. Odin was wandering around near Jotunheim, and encountered the giant Hrungnir. Odin challenged him to race their horses back to Asgard. While Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged stallion, was victorious, Hrungnir was still invited to stay for a feast. He got drunk and boastful, and joked about destroying Asgard and keeping their goddesses as concubine, including Sif, Thor’s wife. Thor did not take this joking well, and challenged Hrungnir to a fight. The giant agreed, but it wouldn’t be then and there, as Hrungnir had no weapons on him they’d instead meet near Jotunheim. In the meantime, the giants constructed a massive clay figure. Like, really massive: it was 30 miles high and 10 miles wide, and was brought to life for the purpose of being Hrungnir’s right-hand man. But when Thor saw Hrungnir and his new sidekick, he wasn’t fazed instead, it was actually the clay giant who wet himself from fear.
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