"Thor took the hammer up and swung it around his head. As he did so he uttered a great cry. And the eyes of the Dwellers in Asgard lightened up when they saw Thor with the hammer Mjollnir in his hands: their eyes lightened up and from their lips came the cry: 'This is a wonder, a wonder indeed! With this hammer in his hand none can withstand Thor, our Champion. No greater thing has ever come into Asgard than the hammer Mjollnir."

from "Nordic Gods and Heroes" by Padraic Colum, when Thor received Mjollnir

Thor, Thiorr, Tor, Thorr, Donar, Thunar....all are names the God of Thunder was known by in ancient times, in different languages, but the deity is the same. Thor was the most loved of the Gods by those who followed the heathen religion of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The reason for this is simple: Thor was the God of the common man. Thor was then and is now the defender of both Asgard and of Midgard (earth), and he is a warrior without peer, but he still is not a God of war or battle.

Popularized by the uninitiated (and the long-running Marvel Comics? comic book by the same name), the Thunderer is often mistaken for a god of battle or war. While Thor is THE foremost warrior of all (although the other deities, Odin, Tyr, Uller, Heimdall, especially, are no slouches as warriors either, and neither is Freyja) Thor is a God who is called on for protection, health, agriculture (Thor brings the storms, which bring rain, which is essential for crops) and justice. Justice should not be confused with law, or the letter of it. In other words, Thor is concerned with fairness, moral right versus moral wrong, while Tyr is concerned with the absolutes. If you want protection from getting the shaft in dealing with another, call on Thor - if you want to win a court case, call on Tyr (and you’d better be right, or calling on him won’t help).

Thor is the son of Odin and Erda, the Earth. Thor is the God of the storms, of thunder and lightning, which can destroy, but also can create. Thor is master of the realm of Thrudvang or Thrudheim, (Strength-home), and his palace is called Bilskirnir (lightning). In Bilskirnir there are 540 halls, with enough room for all who followed Thor throughout their lives, and here, whether in life a man was a slave or rich, all are treated equally.

Thor was married to the giantess, Iarnsaxa, who bore him sons, named Modi, which means courage, and Magni, which means might. Thor’s second wife is the Goddess Sif, who also bore him 2 children named Lorride, and a daughter named Thrudh, which means strength. Thor’s doom (destiny) is to kill Jormungand, the Midgard serpent, on the plain of Vigard at Ragnarok, but in the process he will die from the serpent’s poison. In it’s death throes, Jormungand will spew poison, and Thor will take 9 steps backward, and fall.

Magni and Modi though, will inherit the gifts of Thor and succeed him (along with Balder and several others who will survive Ragnarok) in the new world that is born out of Ragnarok’s destruction of the old.

While Thor is the mightiest of all the Gods, his might is further enhanced by his girdle of strength, Megingjard. Thor gets around the 9 worlds either walking, or in his chariot pulled by his two goats, Tanngniostr and Tanngrisnr.

However, Thor’s best known tool is his mighty war hammer, Mjollnir. Mjollnir was forged by the swart elf (dwarf), Sindri, whose brother Brock was in a contest to see whether the dwarves that were in Loki’s employ or Sindri could fashion the most amazing and wonderful things that the Dweller’s of Asgard have ever seen. Mjollnir was Sindri’s finest work, and Brock won the contest versus Loki, and should have received Loki’s head. He had to settle for sewing Loki’s mouth shut.

Mjollnir is the weapon wielded by Thor to protect Asgard and Midgard. In Thor’s hands, Mjollnir IS the lightning and thunder that gives the thurses (giants/jotuns) nightmares. Of all the symbols of the religion of the Northern peoples, no symbol is holier than Mjollnir. Thor’s hammer is the symbol of the religion of Asatru, both in the Viking Age, and today. If you see a person wearing a hammer pendant on a neck chain, chances are better than good that he or she is one of the Folk.

Thor’s favorite activity, when not smiting giants, is feasting and drinking with those he loves best, and who love him best.

Tag: Thor, god of thunder