The Myth Of Thor, God Of Thunder

The myth of Thor is one of the oldest in the world and also one of the most famous in Norse culture. So profound was the incidence of this myth that it survived the Christianization of the Scandinavian countries. In fact, in the XXI century he has believers who see him as a sacred figure in the so-called “neopaganism”.

One of the most striking aspects of the Thor myth is that this god had influence over many different areas at the same time. Although he stood out for his facet of a reckless and bellicose warrior, the truth is that aspects as dissimilar as protection, climate, justice, Lydia and travel were also devoted to him.

Likewise, the myth of Thor describes this character as a  wise and thoughtful god , very skilled in mind games. On the other hand, he was associated with fertility, since he was the god of lightning, the bringer of rain and indispensable for the crops to flourish and the wine to mature. As was customary among the gods, Thor also had magical powers.

The origin of the myth of Thor

The myth of Thor says that this character was the son of Odin, supreme god of the Norse. His mother was the goddess Jöro, the personification of the Earth. The father, also called Wotan, was a complex and ambivalent being. He was associated with poetry and inspiration, but at the same time with fury and madness.

Thor, on the other hand, was a more consistent figure. Perhaps for this reason, despite not being the supreme god, his cult was more widespread than that of Odin. The latter had three children: Vali, Balder and Tho, the most prominent of them all. As a whole, the gods had been created from the elm and ash trees.

Unlike other mythologies, in the Norse and Germanic the gods were mortal and were dominated by the force of destiny , which was called “Ragnarök”. This is a great end-of-the-universe battle in which the gods must face the ice giants, their eternal rivals. They must fight to the death and from the survivors the new world will be born.

Thor, a god with powers

The myth of Thor indicates that this god married Sif, goddess of fidelity and crops. It is said about her that she had long golden hair and that this unleashed the envy of Loki, the god of fraud. He took advantage of his sleep and cut his braids, but was surprised by Thor. Loki, scared, commissioned some dwarves to make a golden hair for Sif, which would grow as natural hair.

Thor had two sons, Modi and Magni, and a daughter, Thrudr. The god of thunder was made famous by his magic hammer, called Mjolnir. This one had been made by some dwarves who, bothered by a blowfly, made the mistake of leaving it too short a handle.

The hammer had the property of never missing the mark and always returning to the hands of its owner. Thor wore iron gloves so as not to be hurt by the magic weapon. Likewise, the hammer could be picked up and carried secretly. He fired lightning bolts and the myth of Thor indicates that he was also a symbol and an amulet.

Thor was riding in a chariot pulled by two goats: Gnash Teeth and Shining Teeth. They had the peculiarity that the god could roast them and eat them if he was hungry. All he had to do was leave his bones intact. Then, with a single touch of his magic hammer, the animals came to life and took their original form. In this way, the god of thunder was also the creator of life.

An unexpected end

Thor had a great dislike for giants and dwarves. One of the latter wanted to marry his daughter. His name was ‘Alviss’, which meant ‘he who knows all things’. The god of thunder told him that he would give his daughter if she answered all the questions he asked. Alviss accepted and thus hours and hours passed, until the sunlight came, and it turned him to stone.

The myth of Thor tells that the god also possessed a belt that doubled his strength. With these great powers he lived great adventures and stood out for his courage and fierceness in combat. However, he had to face a giant snake and this marked his end.

The serpent, sired by Loki, Thor’s old enemy, launched a savage attack on the god. He managed to put his poison on it. Thor throws his hammer at him and manages to kill the beast, but it was too late: he was poisoned. Thus he died and passed into eternity at the same time.