Thor, in Norse mythology , is the god of thunder and strength . He is one of the most venerated Nordic Gods, if not the most appreciated by the living. Many temples have been erected to his worship, and his name is borrowed, even today, to baptize newborns. But then who really is the god Thor?
Where does Thor live and who is the god?
Where does Thor live?
With his long hair and red beard , Thor is often depicted aged by age. The god of thunder and strength is part of the Aesir and lives in Asgard , in a dwelling called Bilskirnir (understand "sparkling shine"). The palace includes no less than 540 rooms, where the god lives with his family.
Who is Thor?
He is the son of the goddess Jörd and the god Odin . With Sif, his golden-haired consort , he begets Thrud , the goddess of vigor. In some writings, it is said that Thor has at least one other child with the giantess Jarnsaxa, whom he would have had as a mistress: Magni.
Thor is arguably the most powerful of the gods . With his powers, linked to the sky, he can bring rain, storms and lightning . Thanks to his hammer, he can both build and deconstruct the world.
Thanks to his physical strength , his courage and his great sense of duty, it is to the God of Thunder, a true warrior, that the protection of Asgard and Midgard falls.
Thor's Attributes
When he is not in Asgard, the god Thor rides around in his chariot drawn by his two goats , named Tanngniost (meaning "who grinds his teeth") and Tanngrisnir (meaning "who shows his teeth"). These goats are actually magical. Thor can knock them out, cook them, and eat them. Once done, the god only needs to keep their skin and bones intact to resurrect the beasts.
When traveling, the Norse god may be accompanied by his two servants, Thjalfi and Roskva , both brother and sister.
Thor also possesses a belt of strength, called Megingiord . When the god wears it, then its strength is increased tenfold.
Attached to this belt, his weapon never leaves him. This is the Mjöllnir hammer . If he throws it, regardless of the path the hammer takes or the power with which it is thrown, it always returns to the god's hand . Without ever being chipped. To use his hammer Mjöllnir, Thor must have in his hands his iron gloves called Jarngreipr.
Who Forged Thor's Hammer?
Mjöllnir, Thor's precious hammer, is crafted from the hands of two dwarves . The story begins when Loki has just cut the golden hair of Sif, Thor's wife. To make amends, he goes to the dwarves of Nidavellir , to collect some spare hair there. He gets them, but doesn't just leave with Sif's new hair. The two dwarves also design Thor's hammer, as well as the Draupnir and the Gungnir .
A god at the heart of a true cult
Thor is one of the most revered Nordic Gods, whether in Sweden, Norway or Denmark. Thor is both the protector of craftsmen, blacksmiths and peasants . But not only. The newlyweds also come to venerate him to ask for his blessing and fertility . The god Thor is also venerated during sea travel or various challenges to achieve.
Many amulets, engravings and writings have been found, proving the true cult that the Scandinavians devoted to the god Thor. Certain temples also, like that of Uppsala which is at the same time dedicated to the worship of Thor, Freyr and Odin.
The legends around Thor
The stories about Thor are many and it would be impossible to tell them all. But among these, some stand out for their importance.
Thor and Sif's beautiful hair
Thor is married to Sif, a fertility goddess with long golden hair . During the sleep of the latter, the god Loki enters the room of the goddess to cut her beautiful hair . Hair which represents wheat, crops and harvests, which therefore cease at the very moment when it is cut. The next day, at the sight of his wife with an almost bare skull, Thor comes out of his hinges and promises the deceitful Loki to smash his skull if he does not quickly repair his fault. It is therefore towards the Dwarves Eitri and Brokk that Loki goes, asking them to spin the gold to replace the hair of Sif . And the goddess finally regains her golden hair.
Thor and the Death of Balder
Following yet another deceit by the god Loki, Balder is assassinated by his brother Hodr. After the funeral of the latter, Loki flees and goes to hide in the mountains. When the Ases, in search of him, reach him, the clever god is transformed into a salmon and throws himself into the river. The Aesir first try to capture it using a fishing net. Then it is finally Thor who manages, with his bare hands, to capture Loki by grabbing him by the tail. The Aesir take him to a cave, where his punishment is inflicted on him.
The Flight of Thor's Hammer
It is upon waking up, one fine day, that Thor notices the disappearance of his hammer, Mjöllnir . He tells the god Loki about it and asks him for help in finding him. Loki then flies to the world of giants and there encounters Thymr, who confesses to having stolen Mjöllnir . What does he want in return? The hand of the pretty goddess Freyja. Obviously, she refuses to give her hand to the giant. It is a completely different subterfuge which is then chosen to recover the hammer. Thor disguises himself as a bride and, accompanied by Loki himself disguises as a servant, goes to the world of the giants where a banquet awaits him. When Thrymr demands that the hammer be brought to him to bless the marriage, Thor seizes it and slaughters the giant before doing the same with the rest of his family.
Thor and Jörmungand
The Midgard Serpent is Thor's greatest enemy . They will, in all and for all, meet three times.
The first encounter takes place in the hall of the giant Utgarda-Loki . The giants and the Gods are invited there and Utgarda-Loki, that day, is in a very mocking mood. He then asks Thor to lift a cat as high as he can, which is actually revealed to be Jörmungand . Thor only learns of the trickery later, after being laughed at by everyone.
The second encounter takes place during a fishing trip . Thor has, for a long time, the real desire to measure himself against the monster . He then manages to find a boat and set off on the waves in search of the sea serpent. He throws a line in the water with an ox's head as a hook . And, while the snake bites the bait and rises to the surface, the giant Ymir , also aboard the boat, takes fright and cuts the fishing line . Thor was therefore unable, that day, to kill his great enemy.
Finally, the third encounter between Thor and Jörmungand takes place during the final battle, Ragnarök .
Thor's death during Ragnarök
Like many of the Norse Gods, Thor dies in Ragnarök , the great final battle. During this prophetic end of the world where the Gods face Loki, giants and chaos, Thor fights his great enemy, the Midgard Serpent.
Facing Jörmungand, Thor ended up delivering a final blow . He thus kills the monster , but in turn succumbs after taking nine steps, poisoned by the animal's venom .
The birth of Thor in the Marvels
It's Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby who bring Thor to life in the Marvels. In the comics, Thor is the son of Odin and the giantess Gaea . He was born in a cave in Norway before being taken by Odin to Asgard to be raised there by Frigga. But growing up, the young boy becomes arrogant and Odin decides to send him to Earth to punish him. He then arrives in the body of a crippled doctor, Donald Blake.
