This poem is a perfect example of Edda Þórr-bashing. The mighty god is completely ridiculed as a simple-minded brute. 2020, Maria Kvilhuag, “Þórr in Hárbarðsljóð”, in The Seed of Yggdrasill, [Chilliwack, B.C.]: The Three Little Sisters, →ISBN, chapter 11 (The Trials of Þórr: The Son of Earth), page 487:
With an ox-head as bait, which Þórr has torn off one of the giant’s animals, Þórr and Hymir go fishing. 1993, Otto Gschwantler, “Hymiskviða”, in Phillip Pulsiano, Kirsten Wolf, et al., editors, Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, New York, N.Y.; London: Garland Publishing, →ISBN, page 308, column 2:
Even here it is worth noting that when we see Þórr on rune stones, such as that from Altuna in Uppland showing his fishing expedition for the Midgard serpent (U 1161), he is distinguished only by attributes such as his hammer, and the details of the scene, such as his foot through the floor of the boat. 2006, Neil Price, “What’s in a name? An archaeological identity crisis for the Norse gods (and some of their friends)”, in Anders Andrén, Kristina Jennbert, Catharina Raudvere, editors, Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes, and Interactions […], Lund: Nordic Academic Press, →ISBN, page 180, column 1: