Abstract. This article presents a literary interpretation, both intertextual and non-intertextual, of the Icelandic, High Medieval saga Þorsteins þáttr bǿjarmagns. This saga is known for its extensive re-use of myths, especially about Þórr and his encounter with the giants Útgarða-Loki and Geirrøðr. The article argues that the hero’s byname bǿjarmagn ‘farm crasher’ and its supposed derivation – he is so big that he ‘overpowers’ most houses because the doors are too small – is a direct reference to the macho god Þórr’s surprising humiliation at Útgarða-Loki’s. There, Þórr is so small that he can slip in between the bars of the gate. It seems that the author wanted to link his hero and saga directly to this situation, which represents a twist on the usual image of Þórr, and make another twist on it. At Útgarða-Loki’s, Þórr is humiliated because his opponent controls what he sees as part of an attempt to make him appear small and weak. In Þorsteins þáttr, the hero controls what is seen and therefore is able to crush his opponents in a humiliating way, in spite of his being a midget in comparison to them. During a feast similar to the one at Útgarða-Loki’s, he makes himself invisible, thereby staving off humiliation. Then, he blinds his adversaries, thus becoming able to kill / humiliate them in a sexually symbolic way. The motif ‘invisible hero manipulates royal feast’ seems to be taken from an elf queen legend that is probably re-used as an exemplum in the first adventure of the saga, the journey to the world of elves. This legend seems to be a key to how the medieval author worked with his material, although it is not recorded until the nineteenth century. The interrelations between the legend and the elf adventure in the saga, as well as the internal logic of these narratives, indicate that the saga version is based upon a medieval version of the oral legend. If correct, this implies that the saga in combination with the 19th century legend versions represent an overlooked source for elf traditions in the Middle Ages. The study underlines Meulengracht Sørensen’s observation that the use of a text for historical or religious studies often needs to be preceded by a literary analysis of the text.

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