Rán is the old Norse Goddess of the sea. She was married to Ægir who is the god of the ocean and king of the sea creatures, and is thought to have been a giant. Rán and Ægir had nine daughters known as the billow maidens.
Ægir apparently had a lot of cauldrons in which to brew ale, and the gods decided that because of that, he should be their host from know on. Ægir agrees, but on the condition that they bring him a cauldron large enough to warm the ale for everyone. Tyr remembers that Hymir owns such a large cauldron, and they set out to retrieve it. When they find Hymir’s abode, Thor eats so much that Hymir and his guests must go fishing. Thor almost the Jörmugandr (the Midgard Serpent) and boasts of his strength, but Hymir says that Thor can’t be very strong if he can’t even break Hymir’s chalice. The chalice was magic, and try as he might, Thor could not break it. Then a giant’s mistress told Thor to throw it at Hymir’s head, since that would break the spell. The chalice cracked, and Hymir allowed the gods to take the cauldron to Ægir. Thanks to this, the gods would now drink ale brewed by Ægir’s fire and hold feasts there.
Even today, giant cauldrons can be found in the granite of Ranrike. They are giant holes drilled into the granite shield.
The giant cauldrons were formed during the ice age, when boulders, rocks or pebbles were caught in eddies under the moving glaciers and drilled into the granite over time.
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