Þrymskviða (Thrymskvida)

Описание: Þrymskviða (Thrymskvida) is a popular Old Norse story found in the Poetic Edda. The story beings when Thor wakes up one morning to find his "hammer" missing. The Giants have stolen it, and it order to get it back, he must dress up like Freyja, as a bride. He makes the journey, succeeds in retrieving the hammer at the wedding banquet, kills all the Giants, and goes home. In this story, the traditional forms of masculinity and femininity are called into question. It is my belief that each individual possesses both masculine and feminine qualities within themselves. With this in mind, I set out to create a film that aims to symbolize the duality of masculinity and femininity that exists within each person. The film depicts a struggle between the duality of masculinity and femininity, concepts which are first established, then broken apart, then synthesized back together. To see the struggle between masculinity and femininity play out, pay special attention to the two actors: Céline and Rob, and the two props: the hammer and the key ring. In Thrymskvida, Thor’s hammer is seen as a epitomic symbol for masculinity due to its phallic qualities, while a ring of keys is associated strongly with femininity, since women were keepers of the household.

In the beginning of the film, Rob and Céline are in close proximity. The closeness of their persons represents the intersection of masculinity and femininity that exists within each person. Rob becomes emasculated when his literal hammer is taken from him, as is Thor’s in the story. He effectively embraces his feminine side, becoming Céline, when his hammer is thrown down. Our Rob-Celine hybrid embraces the feminine when they dance with the key ring, just as Thor embraces his femininity when he dresses up as a bride.

Céline dances with the keys for a bit, and eventually throws them off to the side too, once their journey is complete. She is now effectively sexless, losing her mind much in the way that Thor behaves erratically, devouring meat and mead at the banquet table when he is in disguise as a bride. Céline eventually reconnects with the hammer, as does Thor in the story.

She spends the most time in this state, trying to learn about and understand the hammer, to learn about and embrace masculinity. She becomes exhausted from the journey, and Rob reappears. The hammer, masculinity, is transferred back to Rob, and Céline disappears. Rob stands up and notices the key ring, his femininity, lying on the floor. He proceeds to pick it up, and with both objects in hand, exhausted from their journey, he synthesizes his masculinity and femininity.

Directed, Filmed, and Edited by: Civita Amatuzio
Starring: Céline Sigvaldason, Rob Anderson
Music: "Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass” written by Matthew Whiteside, performed by the Robinson Panoramic Quartet, and remixed by Robert Hunter and Civita Amatuzio
Choreography by: Céline Sigvaldason and Civita Amatuzio
Special Thanks to: Martin Demirov, Jennifer Holbrow