Re: whetstone

Could it not just be one of those things that parents used to say to try to
make their children behave? You don't want them throwing whetstones across
the hall because they could damage someone or break them, so you tell the
kids a story about Thor getting a bit of whetstone in his head to make them
stop doing that; sort of like Viking Age health and safety. This is pure
speculation on my part but I like this idea even if it is a little prosaic.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stefano Mazza" <stefanomzz@...>
To: <norse_course@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 12:06 PM
Subject: [norse_course] Re: whetstone


Good ideas from both of you, thanks!
Anyway, I was wondering that "cast a whetstone across a room" is an odd
expression, and that a whetstone stirrs in Thor's head is an even stranger
thing. These sayings probably hide something that we cannot reconstruct at
the moment.

If are there any Icelanders in the group, could you please tell us if are
there any expressions in modern Icelandic involving hones and whetstones?

Thank you,
Stefano


--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Michael <oydman@...> wrote:
>
> The Giant Hrungnir used a whetstone as a weapon against Thor. While able
> to shatter it with Mjöllnir, a piece of the whetstone is lodged in Thor's
> forehead. Seems like whetstones might have been viewed as sacred to
> Thor -- they were used to sharpen weapons for battle too.
>
> --- On Wed, 4/15/09, Fred and Grace Hatton <hatton@...> wrote:
> From: Fred and Grace Hatton <hatton@...>
> Subject: [norse_course] whetstone
> To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 7:09 AM
>
> Just a guess, but the whetstone could break and that would not be a
> good
>
> thing. They depended on them to sharpen all their weapons and every day
>
> tools.
>
> The type of stone suitable for a whetstone may not have been available in
>
> the area and perhaps needed to be imported?
>
> Grace
>
> Fred and Grace Hatton
>
> Hawley Pa