Characters - Thor

In Germanic mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humanity, as well as holiness and fertility. In addition to Old Norse Þórr, extensions of the god appear in Old English as Þunor and in Old High German as Donar. All forms of the deity stem from a common Germanic.

 

Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania to the Germanic extensions of the migration period, to his great popularity during the Viking era when he faced the trial. From the Christianization of Scandinavia, emblems of his hammer, Mjölnir, were worn and Norse pagan personal names bearing the god's name attest to his popularity.

 

Due to the nature of the Germanic corpus, stories featuring Thor are attested only in Old Norse, where Thor appears throughout Norse mythology. Norse mythology, largely recorded in Iceland based on traditional material from Scandinavia, offers numerous stories about the god. In these sources, Thor bears at least fifteen names, is the husband of the golden-haired goddess Sif, is the lover of the jötunn Járnsaxa, and is generally described as fierce-eyed, red-haired and red-bearded. With Sif Thor begat the goddess (and possibly valkyrie) Þrúðr; with Járnsaxa he begat Magni; with a mother whose name is not mentioned, he begot, and he is the stepfather of the god Ullr. Through Odin, Thor has numerous brothers, including Baldr. Thor has two servants, Þjálfi and Röskva, rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (which he eats and resurrects), and is given three dwellings (Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr and Þrúðvangr). Thor wields the mountain-crushing hammer, Mjölnir, wears the Megingjörð belt and the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the Gríðarvölr staff. Thor's exploits, including his brutal slaughter of his enemies and fierce battles with the monstrous snake Jörmungandr - and their predicted mutual death during the events in Ragnarök - are documented in Norse mythology sources.

 

In de moderne tijd bleef Thor erkend worden in de folklore op het platteland in heel Germaans sprekend Europa. Thor wordt vaak genoemd in plaatsnamen, de dag van de week donderdag draagt ??zijn naam, en namen die afkomstig zijn uit de heidense periode die de zijne bevatten, worden nog steeds gebruikt, vooral in Scandinavië. Thor heeft talloze kunstwerken geïnspireerd en verwijzingen naar Thor verschijnen in de moderne populaire cultuur. Net als andere Germaanse goden, wordt de verering van Thor nieuw leven ingeblazen in de moderne periode in Heathenry.