Gillingr

Gillingr is a figure from Norse mythology. He is a giant (Jötunn) who is murdered by the dwarves Fjalar and Galar. The story of Gillingr is primarily found in the Skáldskaparmál section of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda.

According to the tale, Fjalar and Galar invited Gillingr out on a boat trip. During the trip, they capsized the boat and allowed Gillingr to drown. They then returned to his home and told Gillingr's wife of his accidental demise. Gillingr's wife was distraught, and Fjalar and Galar offered to console her. While she wept, Fjalar and Galar murdered her as well by dropping a millstone on her head.

This act of violence incited the wrath of Gillingr's son, Suttungr. Suttungr threatened to kill Fjalar and Galar unless they gave him the mead of poetry (also known as Óðrœrir), which they had created from the blood of Kvasir. The dwarves, fearing for their lives, agreed to give Suttungr the mead. This mead subsequently becomes a source of contention and is eventually obtained by Odin through trickery, as recounted elsewhere in Norse mythology.

The story of Gillingr is significant because it sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Odin's acquisition of the mead of poetry, a vital substance for skalds (poets) in Norse society. The tale also showcases the treacherous nature of some dwarves and the cycle of revenge that often characterized relationships between different beings in Norse mythology.