Thor, the storm god, epitomized strength and masculine virility, making him one of the fiercest deities in Norse mythology. As the son of Odin, the "all-father," and a prominent member of the Aesir tribe, Thor wielded control over storms, rain, lightning, and thunder. Due to his prodigious sexual appetite and his aptitude for impregnating women, Thor was also associated with fertility. he was often depicted with red hair and a red beard, carrying his legendary war hammer, Mjölnir.
Thor embodied the hero archetype with his bravery, power, and righteousness. Unlike Odin and Loki, who often relied on cunning and deceit, Thor confronted his challenges head-on, armed with his hammer and a readiness for battle. Whenever a monstrous creature or cunning jötunn threatened the gods, Thor was their go-to defender.
Thor was an extremely popular figure and one of the earliest attested deities in the Norse pantheon. References to Thor were found going as far back as the first century CE, when Roman writings referred to him as Jupiter. Relics depicting Thor and his hammer were among the most common archaeological artifacts found in Northern Europe. His cult thrived during the Viking Period of northern European history (ca. 800 to 1100 CE), and his lore survived in the folk traditions of modern Germanic language speakers.
Thor's Attributes and Symbols
Above all things, Thor was brave, strong, and fierce. Thor, in truth, loved fighting and rarely passed on an opportunity to engage in it.
Thor possessed several powerful items that enhanced his formidable abilities. Among them was Megingjörd, a magical belt that doubled his already immense strength. His primary weapon was Mjölnir, a fearsome war hammer forged by dwarves in their subterranean workshops. Mjölnir was not only capable of unleashing thunderbolts and smashing obstacles and enemies but could also resurrect the dead, though only under certain conditions. To wield this mighty hammer, Thor relied on iron gloves called Járngreipr, or "iron grippers." In addition to these well-known items, Thor also owned a staff called Grídarvölr, though he rarely used it.
Thor kept company with his two servants, the twins Thjálfi and Röskva. He rode in a chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. Remarkably, Thor regularly slaughtered the goats and ate them, only to resurrect them with Mjölnir so that they could continue to pull his chariot—and fill his stomach!
Thor’s realm was the field Þrúðvangr in Asgard, where he built his oaken hall, Bilskirnir. The building was said to be the largest ever erected and featured a grand total of five hundred and forty rooms.
Thor's Adventures and Myths
Thor, perhaps the most adventurous of the Norse gods, was at the center of numerous daring exploits and escapades. His mythology is filled with tales of battling fearsome monsters, embarking on journeys to far-off lands, and even disguising himself as a woman when the situation demanded it.
Origins
Norse mythology seldom provided details about the childhoods and early lives of its main deities. Thor followed this pattern, and emerged in the sources as a full-fledged god with his entire repertoire of powers at his disposal. Nevertheless, a few historical details served to illuminate to Thor’s emergence as a god of the Germanic people.
The earliest mentions of Thor were found in Roman sources, where he was identified as Jupiter or Jove, the Roman god of strength who wielded lightning bolts. Jupiter, in turn, was based on the Greek god Zeus. The Romans often referred to foreign gods by the names of their own deities with similar characteristics, and they correctly noted the resemblances. A deeper examination of European, Near Eastern, and South Asian religions reveals striking similarities between Thor and other thunder-wielding deities, such as the Celtic god Taranis and the Vedic deity Indra. Regardless of his specific origins in Norse mythology, Thor historically appears as a local variant of an archetypal Indo-European deity whose roots trace back to the second millennium BCE.
Mjölnir, the Hammer of Thor
The story of how Thor acquired his hammer begins with the typical antics of Loki, who mischievously cut off all of Sif’s golden hair. Understandably furious, Thor seized Loki and was prepared to break every bone in his body. To make amends, Loki promised to travel to Svartalfheim, the home of the dwarves who lived in the caverns beneath the earth, to have new hair made for Sif.
True to his word, Loki journeyed to Svartalfheim and found the master craftsmen, the sons of Ivaldi. They not only fashioned new hair for Sif but also created two other masterpieces: the unbreakable ship Skidbladnir and the deadly spear Gungnir. However, Loki did not return to the gods immediately. He saw an opportunity and concocted a clever plan. He sought out the dwarf brothers Brokkr and Sindri, taunting them by claiming they could never craft anything as perfect as the creations of the sons of Ivaldi. Provoked by Loki's challenge, the brothers set to work and produced three masterworks of their own: Gullinbursti, a golden-haired boar that glowed in the dark, could run through any substance, and traveled faster than horses; Draupnir, a golden ring that sprouted eight identical rings every ninth night; and Mjölnir.
When Loki returned to Asgard, he presented the new hair to Sif and Mjölnir to Thor. The hammer was exceptionally heavy, and only the thunder god had the strength to wield it. The other treasures Loki distributed among Odin and Freya.
The Theft of Mjölnir
One of Thor’s more embarrassing advanture occurred when Mjölnir was stolen. Thor awoke one morning to find his mighty hammer missing. Baffled by the loss, Thor sought help from the other gods, who agreed to assist him in retrieving the hammer. Loki, borrowing Freya’s falcon cloak, flew off in search of Mjölnir. Eventually, he discovered that it was in the possession of Thrym, the king of the jötnar and ruler of Jötunheimr. Thrym refused to return the hammer unless he was given Freya’s hand in marriage, a demand that the gods found unacceptable.
Back in Asgard, Heimdall devised a cunning plan—Thor would be disguised as Freya, and Loki would accompany him as her servant. Though Thor was initially resistant to the idea.
Loki, however, relished the idea and eventually persuaded Thor to go along with the scheme. The gods dressed Thor in a bridal gown adorned with gems, draped Freya’s prized necklace Brísingamen around his neck, and covered his face with a veil. Once prepared, Thor and Loki set off for Jötunheimr and were welcomed into Thrym’s hall, with Thrym believing Thor to be his bride.
At the feast, Thor, disguised as Freya, consumed an entire ox, eight salmon, and three casks of mead. Thrym, puzzled by this uncharacteristically ravenous behavior, remarked:
"Who ever saw a bride more keenly bite?
I ne’er saw a bride with a broader bite,
Nor a maiden who drank more mead than this!"
Later, as Thrym grew more amorous, he attempted to kiss his bride but recoiled in fear upon seeing Thor’s fiery eyes.
Loki, quick to dispel Thrym’s doubts, explained that Freya had not slept in eight days out of excitement for the wedding. Satisfied, Thrym’s sister called for the marriage ceremony to begin, and Thrym brought Mjölnir to sanctify the union by placing it on Freya’s lap. At that moment, the ruse was revealed. Laughing, Thor grasped Mjölnir and slaughtered the entire wedding party, including Thrym and his sister.
The Battle with Hrungnir
The story begins with Thor away in the east, indulging in one of his favorite pastimes—slaying trolls. Meanwhile, Odin encountered Hrungnir in Jötunheimr and challenged him to a race. The contest took them all the way to the gates of Asgard, where the gods invited Hrungnir inside for a drink. As he drank, Hrungnir boasted that he would topple Valhalla, raze Asgard to the ground, slay the gods, and carry Freya away as his bride. The gods, growing weary of his insolence, summoned Thor.
Thor, as was his habit, immediately prepared to slay Hrungnir with Mjölnir. However, Hrungnir called Thor a coward for striking an unarmed opponent. Acknowledging some truth in the giant's accusation, Thor allowed Hrungnir to return to Jötunheimr to arm himself. Hrungnir then equipped himself with a massive whetstone. Enraged, Thor followed him and hurled Mjölnir at the giant from afar. Hrungnir responded by throwing his whetstone at Thor. The two weapons collided in mid-air, shattering the whetstone, but Mjölnir continued its deadly course and struck Hrungnir squarely in the head.
Though victorious, Thor did not emerge unscathed. A piece of the whetstone lodged itself in his skull. The gods called upon a healer named Gróa, the wife of Aurvandill “the Valiant,” who began to extract the stone. To encourage her, Thor recounted a story about her husband. Unfortunately, instead of inspiring her, the tale saddened Gróa, causing her to lose focus and leaving the whetstone permanently embedded in Thor’s skull, where it would remain until Ragnarök.
The Encounter with Jörmungandr
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| Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent (1790) by Henry Fuseli |
Thor harbored a deep-seated hatred for many creatures, but none more so than Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent. This monstrous sea serpent, which encircled Midgard one of the Nine Worlds and the home of humans, was one of the three fearsome offspring of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The other two were the wolf Fenrir and Hel, who ruled over a grim underworld also called Hel, where the souls of the dead gathered. After Jörmungandr's birth, Odin cast the creature into the seas surrounding Midgard. Over time, the serpent grew so enormous that it encircled Midgard completely, biting its own tail.
Thor and Jörmungandr clashed on several occasions, but their most famous encounter is in Thor's quest to find a cauldron large enough to brew beer for all the gods. Knowing that the giant Hymir owned such a cauldron, Thor set out to find him.
Upon finding Hymir, Thor persuaded the giant to go fishing with him. Thor, with Hymir's reluctant permission, used the head of the giant’s best ox as bait. While at sea, Hymir caught several whales, but Thor ensnared something far more formidable—Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent. Elated, Thor dragged the serpent onto the deck of the ship and struck it with Mjölnir. However, the sources differ on what happened next. According to other sources Jörmungandr managed to wriggle free and escape back into the ocean. In contrast, some sources suggests that Hymir cut the line, allowing the serpent to slip away. Regardless of the specifics, the serpent survived, ensuring that Thor and Jörmungandr would meet again.
The story concludes with Hymir attacking Thor, who promptly killed the giant in retaliation.
The Serpent at Ragnarök
Thor and Jörmungandr were destined to face each other one final time during Ragnarök, the prophesied end of days in Norse mythology. According to the Völuspá, a key source of these predictions in the Poetic Edda, Ragnarök would commence when Jörmungandr uncoiled itself from around Midgard and slithered onto dry land. The serpent would join its brother Fenrir, who would set the world ablaze, while Jörmungandr unleashed a deadly torrent of poison into the air.
During this apocalyptic battle, Thor and Jörmungandr would confront each other once more. Though Thor would ultimately slay the serpent, he would be mortally wounded by its venom. The prophecy foretells that Thor would take nine steps after killing Jörmungandr before succumbing to the serpent's poison and dying:
Pop Culture
Thor's enduring popularity is evident across centuries. In the pre-Viking and Viking eras, Thor was a central figure in Norse mythology, revered for his strength and role as a protector. Nineteenth-century folklorist Joseph Grimm highlighted Thor's continued significance in Scandinavian folklore, where he was believed to ward off trolls and other jötnar with his lightning.
During the 19th century, as Germanic and Scandinavian myths were revived to support nationalist movements, Thor was prominently featured in art and literature. Writers and poets from various countries, including Danish Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Englishman Rudyard Kipling, incorporated Thor into their works, further cementing his role in the cultural imagination of Western and Northern Europe.
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| Marvel Thor |
Thor's popularity surged in the 20th and 21st centuries with the rise of Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Marvel adapted Thor with certain changes—such as giving him blonde hair and a beard instead of the red hair and beard described in Norse mythology, and portraying Loki as his adopted brother rather than his often-ambiguous mythological counterpart—the core attributes of Thor remained true to his mythic origins. Marvel’s Thor is brave, powerful, and fond of his hammer and beer, maintaining his status as the quintessential Norse hero.