Thor he is a god of Norse mythology associated with thunder and battle. His cult was very popular among the peasants.
It is necessary to clarify that there are few primary sources about Thor and thus, several information about his life were added and omitted over time.
Thor Origin
Thor is a god who has enormous strength and wields the hammer mjolnir, an instrument capable of spraying a mountain.
Therefore, to carry it, Thor needed to wear a belt called megingjord and special iron gloves, known as Járngreipr. Everyone knew Thor was using his weapon when he was thundering.
Described as a strong, red-haired, bearded man with his inseparable hammer, Thor is linked to strength, protection, storms, healing and fertility.
Thor story
Thor is a god who travels the skies with his chariot pulled by two goats. despite living in Asgard, he is always occupied in disputes with the giants, enemies of the gods, from which he emerges victorious. He also has a huge appetite and is said to be able to eat an entire ox during a meal.
Due to their bravery, Vikings used to make hammer-shaped pendants in order to be protected by Thor.
Family
Thor is son of god Odin, the most important within Norse mythology and its woman, Jordan. This is considered the personification of the earth and was revered for her maternal and matriarchal figure.
In some traditions, Thor is the brother of Meilli, bucket and valid.
In Meilli, little is known. However, bucket is considered a minor deity, in which his mother, Frigg, she did everything possible to protect him from death.
as to valid, neither is it possible to prove whether he is a literary figure or whether he was effectively adored by the Nordic peoples.
Marriage and Children
Thor married Sif, the goddess of golden hair, and was the mother of her two daughters: Thrud and Lorrine.
Ancient poems only tell the saga of Thrud, a beautiful goddess, who was considered “ruler of time”. When angry there were black clouds and rain, but when she was in a good mood, the sky was clear and radiant.
It is likely that she also acted as a Valkyrie and thus brought the warriors who had been killed on the battlefield.
From the union of Thor with the giantess Jarnsaxa were generated Magni, which means "strength", and mod, which is "courage".
Symbols and Feasts Consecrated to Thor
Thor's symbol is the hammer and lightning, which was produced when the god used his weapon. Furthermore, the oak was consecrated to him.
Your party, Thorrablot, was celebrated on January 19, in the middle of winter, when families gathered to eat special dishes. In Iceland, this celebration was revived in the 19th century by the independence movement and is now widely celebrated in this country.
In any case, the ancient Nordic peoples were in the habit of dedicating one day a week to each god. Thus, the Germanic name of Thor, ended up entering the English language as “Thursday", Thursday.
Thor's death
Thor's death will happen during the Ragnarok. This is a great battle in which the gods, dwarves, monsters, giants will participate and will mark the end of time.
Thor will be killed by defeating the serpent of Midgard, a creature that lives in the oceans and has grown so large that it is capable of biting its own tail. The thunder god will be slain by this animal.
However, Ragnarök does not mean the end of time, just the beginning of a new cycle for humanity.
Thor in Comics and Cinema
Likewise, in the 20th century, Thor became a mass phenomenon when an American company dedicated him to comics and she included him in her superhero group. For this reason, elements have been added to his biography that do not belong to the original story.
We see, then, that Thor was transformed into a good and selfless being, something that was completely unknown to polytheistic mythologies. In them, the gods imitated humans in their virtues and defects.
Let's look at two examples:
- When the Loki, the cheating god, cut his wife's hair Sif in play, Thor beats him up and makes him repair the damage.
- In the absence of Thor, the dwarf Alvis got engaged to your daughter Thrud. To avoid marriage, Thor challenges him to a riddle contest and when he beats him, turns him to stone.
read more:
- Germanic Peoples
- Scandinavia
- Paganism
- the Vikings
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