See Also

Thor

Thor is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder Thunder

Thunder is, even today, not completely understood by modern science.... 

 in Norse Mythology Norse mythology

Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian [i] religion [i], beliefs ... 

 and more generally Germanic mythology. He is the son of Odin Odin

Odin is considered the chief god [i] in Norse mythology [i] and Norse paganism [i], like the Anglo-Saxon [i] ... 

 and Jord. During Ragnark, Thor will kill and be killed by Jrmungandr.

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Thor is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder Thunder

Thunder is, even today, not completely understood by modern science.... 

 in Norse Mythology Norse mythology

Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian [i] religion [i], beliefs ... 

 and more generally Germanic mythology. He is the son of Odin Odin

Odin is considered the chief god [i] in Norse mythology [i] and Norse paganism [i], like the Anglo-Saxon [i] ... 

 and Jord. During Ragnarök Ragnarök

In Norse mythology [i], Ragnark is the battle [i] at the end of the world [i]. ... 

, Thor will kill and be killed by Jörmungandr Jörmungandr

Jrmungandr , alternately referred to as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is a sea serpent [i] ... 

.

Characteristics

Thor features strongly in the Prose Edda Prose Edda

The Prose Edda, known also as the Younger Edda or Snorri's Edda is an Iceland [i]ic manual o ... 

 of Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson

Snorri Sturluson was an Iceland [i]ic historian, poet and politician. ... 

, in which Thor's many conflicts with the race of giants are a main source of plots. Thor is one of the most powerful Norse gods. He uses his superior power to protect Asgard and Midgard. He is also known as the God of Thunder

Family

Thor is the son of Odin Odin

Odin is considered the chief god [i] in Norse mythology [i] and Norse paganism [i], like the Anglo-Saxon [i] ... 

  and the giantess Jörd . His wife is called Sif Sif

For other uses, see SIF [i].
... 

, and little is known of her except that she has golden hair, which was made for her by the dwarfs after Loki Loki

[i], a son of the [[Jotun|giants]... 

 had cut off her hair. With his mistress, the giantess Jarnsaxa, Thor had his sons Magni and Modi, and with Sif Sif

For other uses, see SIF [i].
... 

 he had his daughter Thrud. The prologue of the Prose Edda Prose Edda

The Prose Edda, known also as the Younger Edda or Snorri's Edda is an Iceland [i]ic manual o ... 

 also indicates he has a son by Sif named Lóriði, along with an additional 17 generations of descendants but the prologue is apocryphal and was meant to give a plausible explanation on how the Aesir came to be worshipped even though they were not gods in order to appease the church. Thor also has a stepson called Ull Ullr

In Norse mythology [i], Ullr [i] is a son of Sif [i] and a stepson of Thor [i]. ... 

 who is a son of Sif Sif

For other uses, see SIF [i].
... 

. Skáldskaparmál mentions a figure named Hlóra who was Thor's foster mother, although no additional information concerning her is provided.

Possessions

Thor travels in a chariot drawn by the goat Domestic goat

The domestic goat is a domesticated [i] subspecies of the wild goat [i] of southwest Asia [i] and easte ... 

s Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr and with his servant and messenger Thjálfi Thjálfi

... 

 and his sister Röskva. The skaldic poem Haustlöng Haustlöng

... 

relates that the earth was scorched and the mountains cracked as Thor travelled in his wagon. According to the Prose Edda, when Thor is hungry he can roast the goats for a meal. When he wants to continue his travels, Thor only needs to touch the remains of the goats and they will be instantly restored to full health to resume their duties, assuming that the bones have not been broken.

Thor owns a short-handled war hammer War hammer

A war hammer is an archaic weapon [i] of war [i] intended for close combat, the design of which resemble... 

, Mjolnir Mjolnir

In Norse mythology [i], Mjolnir is the hammer [i] of Thor [i], the god [i] of lightning [i], thunder [i] ... 

, which, when thrown at a target, returns magically to the owner. To wield Mjolnir, Thor wears the belt Megingjord, which boosts the wearer's strength and a pair of special iron gloves to lift the hammer.

The strike of the hammer caused thunderclaps, and indeed, the name of this deity has produced the word for thunder in most Germanic languages Germanic languages

The Germanic languages are a group of related languages constituting a branch of the Indo-European language family [i] ... 

. With the hammer, Thor performs his giant-killing duties.

Thor lives in the palace Bilskirnir in the kingdom Thrudheim or Thrúdvangar.

Surviving representations


Stories and myths

Most of the surviving myths centre on Thor's exploits, and from this and inscriptions on monuments we know that Thor was very much the favorite deity of ancient Scandinavia Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a region [i] in Northern Europe [i]. ... 

ns.

According to one myth in the Prose Edda, Loki Loki

[i], a son of the [[Jotun|giants]... 

 was flying as a hawk Hawk

The term hawk refers to birds of prey [i] in any of three senses:
... 

 one day and was captured by Geirrod. Geirrod, who hated Thor, demanded that Loki bring his enemy to Geirrod's castle. Loki agreed to lead Thor to the trap. Grid was a giantess at whose home they stopped on the way to Geirrod's. She waited until Loki left the room then told Thor what was happening and gave him her iron Iron

Iron is a chemical element [i] with the symbol Fe and atomic number [i] 26. ... 

 gloves and magical belt and staff. Thor killed Geirrod and all other frost giants he could find .



According to Alvíssmál, Thor's daughter, Thrud, was promised to Alvis, a dwarf. Thor devised a plan to stop Alvis from marrying his daughter. He told Alvis that, because of his small height, he had to prove his wisdom. Alvis agreed and Thor made the tests last until after the sun had risen--all dwarves turned to stone when exposed to sunlight, so Alvis was petrified and Thrud remained unmarried.

Thor was once outwitted by a giant king, Útgarða-Loki Útgarða-Loki

In Norse mythology [i], tgara-Loki was the ruler of the castle tgarir [i] in Jtunheimr [i]. ... 

. The king, using his magic, tricked Thor. The king raced Thought itself against Thor's fast servant, Þjálfi. Then, Thor was challenged by Útgarða-Loki Útgarða-Loki

In Norse mythology [i], tgara-Loki was the ruler of the castle tgarir [i] in Jtunheimr [i]. ... 

 to an eating contest with one of his servants. Thor lost, eventually. The servant even ate up the trough containing the food. The servant was an illusion of "Fire", no living thing being able to equal the consumption rate of Fire. He called Thor weak when he only lifted the paw of a cat, the cat being the illusion of the Midgard Serpent Jörmungandr

Jrmungandr , alternately referred to as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is a sea serpent [i] ... 

. Thor was challenged to a drinking contest, and could not empty a horn which was filled not with mead but was connected to the ocean. This action started tidal changes. And here, Thor wrestled an old woman, who was Old Age, something no one could beat, to one knee. It was only later that Thor was told that he had in fact performed impressively doing as well as he did with those challenges.

Þunor gave his name to the Old English Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language [i] that was spoken in parts of what is now England [i] ... 

 day Þunresdæg, meaning the day of Þunor, known in Modern English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

 as Thursday. Þunor is also the source of the modern word thunder Thunder

Thunder is, even today, not completely understood by modern science.... 

. Many writers identified Thor with Jupiter Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet [i] from the Sun [i] and the largest [i] within the solar system [i] ... 

. The comparison can be borne: both are gods of the sky that control thunder and lightning, are children of the mother Earth and were at some time considered the most powerful of the gods. The oak tree was sacred to both gods and they had mysterious powers. Thor is to kill the Midgard Serpent Jörmungandr

Jrmungandr , alternately referred to as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is a sea serpent [i] ... 

 and Jupiter, the dragon Typhon Typhon

In Greek mythology [i], Typhon was the final son of Gaia [i], the Earth, this time by Tartarus [i], ... 

. Tacitus Tacitus

Publius Cornelius Tacitus is one of the important historian [i]s of Roman Antiquity [i]. ... 

 identified Thor with the Greco-Roman hero-god Hercules Hercules

Hercules is the Latin [i] name used in Rome [i] for a hero corresponding to the Greek mythological [i] ... 

 because of his force, aspect, weapon and his role as protector of the world.

Norse literature

The two biggest works are the Elder Edda and the Younger Edda . Thor is a very common figure, probably more common than Odin.

Thor appears as a central figure in the following works of Norse literature:
  • Þórsdrápa
  • Hárbarðsljóð which details a contest between Thor and Odin Odin

    Odin is considered the chief god [i] in Norse mythology [i] and Norse paganism [i], like the Anglo-Saxon [i] ... 

     in the guise of Harbarth as to who is the most accomplished.


Thor also appears in:
  • Gylfaginning Gylfaginning

    Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi [i], is the first part of Snorri Sturluson [i]'s Prose Edda [i] ... 

  • Grímnismál
  • Hymiskviða Hymiskviða

    Hymiskvia is one of the Eddic poems [i]. ... 

  • Þrymskviða Þrymskviða

    ... 

  • Alvíssmál
  • Lokasenna Lokasenna

    Lokasenna is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda [i]. ... 

  • Völuspá Völuspá

    Vlusp is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda [i]. ... 

  • Njáls saga
  • Gautreks saga
  • Eiríksmál
  • Ragnarsdrápa Ragnarsdrápa

    ... 

  • Eyrbyggja saga
  • Húsdrápa Húsdrápa

    ... 

  • Kjalnesinga saga
  • Haustlöng Haustlöng

    ... 

  • Fóstbrœðra saga
  • Fljótsdæla saga
  • Hallfreðar saga
  • Heimskringla Heimskringla

    Heimskringla is the Old Norse [i] name of a collection of kings' sagas [i] recorded i ... 

  • Landnámabók Landnámabók

    ... 

  • Flateyjarbók Flateyjarbók

    The Flatey Book, is one of the most important medieval Icelandic manuscript [i]s. ... 

  • Gesta Danorum Gesta Danorum

    Gesta Danorum is a work of Danish [i] history, by 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus [i] at ... 

  • Nordendorf fibula
  • Saxon baptismal vow
  • Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum

Archaeological finds


A seated bronze statue of Thor from about AD 1000 10th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 10th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

  was recovered at a farm near Akureyri Akureyri

Akureyri is a town located in the northern part of Iceland [i]; it is the second largest urban center af ... 

, Iceland and is a featured display at the National Museum of Iceland. Thor is holding Mjolnir Mjolnir

In Norse mythology [i], Mjolnir is the hammer [i] of Thor [i], the god [i] of lightning [i], thunder [i] ... 

, sculptured in the typically Icelandic cross-like shape.

Named after Thor


Locations

  • The placename 'Thurso' is derived from the name 'Thor'.
  • The placenames 'Þórsberg', 'Þórey', 'Þórsnes', 'Þórshof' and 'Þórsland' are derived from the name 'Thor'.
  • The placenames 'Torsaker', 'Torslunda', 'Torsvi', 'Torshof' and 'Torsharg' are derived from the name of Thor.
  • The placenames 'Þórshöfn', 'Þórsnes' and 'Þórsmörk' are derived from the name of Thor.
  • The placename 'Tórshavn' means Thor's harbour.
  • The placename 'Thor's Beach' a sandy beach in the Slocan Valley, in the Kooteney's of British Columbia, Canada.

Misc

  • "Thor's Day" is Þórsdagr in Old Norse, Thursday Thursday

    Thursday, according to ISO 8601 [i], is the fourth day of the week, falling between Wednesday [i] and Friday [i] ... 

    in English, Donnerstag in German , Donderdag in Dutch , Torstai in Finnish, and Torsdag in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian.
  • The Galaxy NGC2359 is derived from the name of Thor, known as Thor's Helmet.
  • "Thor's Oak" was an ancient tree near Fritzlar Fritzlar

    Fritzlar is a small German [i] town in the Schwalm-Eder [i] district in north ... 

     in northern Hesse and one of the most sacred of sites of the old Germans. In 723, St. Boniface Saint Boniface

    Saint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid or Wynfrith at Crediton [i] ... 

     cut down the tree to demonstrate the superiority of the Christian god over Thor and the other Germanic/Nordic deities, an event that commonly marks the beginning of the Christianization of the non-Frankish Germans.
  • Thorium Thorium

    Thorium is a chemical element [i] in the periodic table [i] that has the symbol Th and atomic number [i] ... 

     was named after the god Thor by Jöns Jakob Berzelius Jöns Jakob Berzelius

    Jns Jakob Berzelius was a Swedish [i] chemist. ... 

    , the chemist who discovered it.

Other names

  • Ása-Þórr, which is Thor of the Æsir Æsir

    In Old Norse [i], the sir are the principal gods of the pantheon [i] of Norse mythology [i] ... 

    , the most important Norse gods
  • Öku-Þórr , a reference to the chariot, drawn by the goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr , in which he travels the earth and skies
  • Tórur
  • Tor
  • Thor )
  • Þórr
  • Þór
  • Þunor
  • Þunaer
  • Donar
  • Donner
  • Þur
  • Wigiþonar
  • Atli
  • Asabrag
  • Ennilang
  • Eindridi
  • Bjorn
  • Hlorridi
  • Hardveur
  • Vingthor
  • Sonnung
  • Veud
  • Rym
  • Gofar
  • Thunarr

See also: List of names of Thor.

Homologues


Homologues in related religions

These are homologues that were created in religions of other speakers of Indo-European languages Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages comprise a family [i] of several hundred language [i]s and ... 

.

  • Taranis
  • Indra
  • Perkunas
  • Perun Perun

    In Slavic mythology [i], Perun is the highest god [i] of the [i] and the go ... 

  • Hercules Hercules

    Hercules is the Latin [i] name used in Rome [i] for a hero corresponding to the Greek mythological [i] ... 

  • Heracles Heracles

    In Greek mythology [i], Heracles or Herakles was a divine hero [i], the son of Zeus [i] and ... 



Homologues in other religions

  • Tiermes, Tordöm or Torum . Several Finno-Ugric peoples have thunder gods with names similar to Thor. Some, like Estonian Taara even retain the connection with Thursday. One theory is that Thor is a loan from Finno-Ugric mythology, although the Hittite Hittites

    The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language [i], and established a kingdom c ... 

     Tarhunt and the Vedic Indra seem to be cognates pointing to a basis in a Proto-Indo-European religion Proto-Indo-European religion

    The existence of similarities among the deities [i] and religious practices [i] of the Indo-European [i] ... 

    , which suggests the opposite; that the god was borrowed from the Proto-Indo-Europeans by Finno-Ugric groups. It may even be seen as representing some common heritage between the two peoples.

Modern popular culture

Thor, under the German form of his name, "Donner", appears in Richard Wagner Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was an influential German [i] composer [i], conductor [i], music theorist [i] ... 

's opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen Der Ring des Nibelungen

Der Ring des Nibelungen, commonly translated into English [i] as The Ring of t ... 

. This has led to many portrayals based on Wagner's interpretation, although some are closer to pre-Wagner models. Since Wagner's time, Thor has appeared, either as himself or as the namesake of characters, in comic books, on television, in literature, and in song lyrics.

There is a very popular candy bar in Europe called a Thor bar. It contains peanut butter, caramel, wafers, and chocolate

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