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The Tale of Thorstein Shiver
The Tale of Thorstein Shiver ( Icelandic: þorsteins þáttur skelks) is a Icelandic þættir about the conversion of Iceland to Christianity. The þættir tells the humorous tale of Thorstein Thorkelsson’s encounter with a demon and how he earns his nickname. It The þættir is contained in the Flateyjarbok. The Stories status as a þættir has been questioned.

Plot synopsis
After refusing an order from King Olaf not to go to the bathroom at night alone, Thorstein finds a demon in the restroom. Thorstein engages it in conversation asking demon’s name. The demon claimed to be Thorkel the Thin, who supposedly died on the battlefield against a king named Harald War-Tooth. Thorstein then asks “Who fares best in Hell?”. The demon answers Sigurd Fafnisbani, who is both a kindler and kindling of the flames of Hell. Thorstein asks “Who fares the worst”. The demon answers Starkad the Old who is submerged up to his ankles in fire, face first. He cries the loudest of them everyone in Hell. Thorstein asks the demon thrice to replicate the Starkad’s cry, each time the demon is louder and Thorstein wraps more of his cloths around his head. Each time Thorstein passes out. After the third cry the church bell rings and the demon runs off. It is revieled that asking the demon to replicate the cry was an attempt to wake the others which succeeded as King Olaf awoke and rang the bell. When asked if Thorstein was scared he responds with a no but he nearly shivered, and was nicknamed Thorstein Shiver since.

Hell's reality
It has been argued that the purpose of the story is to confer in the eyes of the pagans, that hell is real. Nordic paganism view on Hel was radically different than the Catholic interpretation of Hell as a place of torture. It has been suggested that the demon's description of the torture of the famous pegan heros depics hell as both a place of active torment and that all pagans will suffer despite there actions.

Nordic hero dichotomy
It is suggested that there are in fact two different distinct heros in the sagas. Those who embrace traditional pagan( from the 9th-10th century) values who are violent, strong, powerful and always win, and those who embrace more modern( from the 13th century) values who are wise, even tempered and bring peace. The differing punishments between Starkad and Sigurd has been suggested to be a self acknowledgment of the difference.

Depictions of Olaf Tryggvason
Olaf Tryggvason is depicted as protect those who trust in him from the devil. As he was in the process of the conversion of the Nordic Countries to Catholicism this story as well as others have been used to demonstrate his good and holy intentions, and has been used to express the "happy nessecssity of the conversion" depicted in the sagas, both as a good thing but none-optional. The story and other þættir have been used to portray the changing views of Olaf as the all-powerful one to as christianity becomse more estabilished as God as the all-powerful one.

Draugr
There are those who suggest that the demon is in fact a Draugr, a mythological Nordic animated corpse. As such the tale can be argued bridging the gap between pegan and christian cultures as depicting and incorporating classical Nordic folk-monsters as true catholic demons. A similar inturpretation as been given to a the Nordic Puki, a small demon like creature.

The boy who learned fear
The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was has been argued to be based on or strongly influenced by this þættir.