Once upon a time, there was a mighty man named Thor who, though born of mortal parents, seemed anything but mortal to those around him. He was stronger than any ox, faster than a pack of running wolves, and more clever than a fox. His friends praised him, and his enemies greatly feared him.
One of his greatest admirers was his brother Loki. Loki believed that Thor was destined for greatness, but not simply the greatness of men but the greatness of the Norse gods. He believed that Thor’s prowess would impress even the Ice Kings. Thor was a bit more skeptical, but after much coaxing and reassuring on the part of Loki he agreed to approach the Ice Kings to demonstrate to them what he was capable of.
And so a great journey, to travel to the mountains where the throne of the Ice Kings awaited, began. Thor, with his brother Loki, completed the journey in but a few weeks despite attacks by bandits, goblins, dwarves, and dragons. Encounters that any other man might have called an adventure.
As the mountain of the Ice Kings began to loom in view, Thor once again expressed his doubts about trying to impress the Ice Kings. The Ice Kings were very powerful. Not like the power of mortal men, but power beyond anything Thor felt he had seen. How could they be impressed with him? Once again the flattery of Loki convinced Thor to press onward, especially so close to the journey’s end.
Thor soon found himself standing before the Ice Kings with Loki introducing him. The Ice Kings sat upon their icy thrones, rather unimpressed with the two mortal men standing before them. “So you say that this man Thor is more than a mortal man?” boomed one of the three Ice Kings.
The other two began to laugh. “Yes, my Lords,” Loki continued, “Thor is stronger then any ox, faster than a pack of wolves, more clever than…”
“Please spare us the rhetoric,” laughed another of the ice Kings.
“Actions speak louder than words,” added another.
“Can your man Thor drink?” asked the third.
“Can Thor drink!” answered Loki. “Why, Thor can drink more than ten men, he can…”
“Bring the cup!” shouted an Ice King.
Two small goblins dragged out a rather large cup. Huffing and puffing, they brought it to Thor, bowed before the Ice Kings, and then left in a rush. “Drink up this cup… if you can… sneered an Ice King.
Thor almost laughed out loud. It was a rather large cup, but Thor had drunken more in his time. He lifted the cup and began to drink, and he drank, And he drank, and he drank some more, until his belly was full and at last he could drink no more. He put down the cup proudly, but alas he had but lowered the cup by no more than an inch.
Loki began to stammer an excuse that anyone can have a bad day drinking. Thor was about ready to leave had not Loki already begun to brag of Thor’s Strength. “Why, Thor can throw whole boulders as if they were pebbles. He can…”
“Yes Thor, please demonstrate to us your lifting ability,” said an Ice King.
Thor began to look around for a large boulder to lift. “Wait,” said another Ice King, “mortal men have been hefting boulders since the beginning of time. Thor, lift that statue of a cat.”
Pointing across the room was a small statue of a cat. Much smaller than the boulders that Thor could lift. Happy to redeem himself Thor stomped across the room towards the cat. Giving it a quick pat on the head, he than began to heft, and he hefted, and he hefted some more, until his back began to break and his knees began to buckle. But alas, he had lifted but one claw. Hurt and broken, Thor began to leave. But Loki was already discussing the awkwardness of trying to lift such a strangely shaped statue. “If you could but see Thor wrestle!!” Loki continued.
With a yawn and a small wave of his hand one of Ice Kings said, “Does anyone need a little bit of exercise before we go hunting?”
In walked an old hag. She looked to be on the verge of death, with her back bent, and body so fragile. “Ah yes, she will do,” laughed an Ice King.
Insulted, Thor turned to leave, but Loki premised him that by the time word of this reached back home she would be an Ogress, and so the match began. Thor tried his take down, but to no avail. Like lightning the old crone easily dodged poor Thor. He then put her into a full Nelson, which shrank to a half Nelson, than a quarter, then none. “Who has gotten me into this?!?!” Thor thundered.
The old woman belted him and knocked him to a knee, but fell to her knee as well. Thor picked himself up and left. Loki quickly followed after him, preparing ways to revise the story so as to not make Thor look so bad. “Loki, I told you,” Thor thundered, “a mere mortal such as I could never impress the Ice Kings,”
And so Thor spent the rest of his life in humiliation, always believing that he was not a true hero after all, but only a make believe legend of no more worth than a myth.
But back in the ice mountains, the Ice Kings were shivering in their thrones. They shivered not because of the cold, but because they had seen their worst nightmare. They had seen a man, a mere mortal man, drink from the cup of the seas and lower the whole ocean by an inch. And they had seen that same man attempt to lift the cat of the world said lift the whole North-east corner. And they had seen a man, a so called “mere mortal man” wrestle with death herself and match her blow for blow and knee for knee roaring like thunder!
* * * *
We are all just like Thor. We are Sons and Daughters of God with potential beyond our imaginations. But Satan is like the Ice Kings. Although each of us is a threat to his kingdom and he fears us, if he can but convince us that we are nothing, we are no threat at all.
