Thor, the god of thunder, is one of the most important and present figures in Norse mythology.
Due to the media coverage, Thor almost became synonymous with Norse mythology and Viking
culture.
He was a major god in all branches of the Germanic peoples before they converted to
Christianity, even though he reached his peak in Scandinavia in the late Viking Age.
Thor is the archetype of the loyal and honorable warrior.
The ideal to which all men strive.
He is the tireless defender of the gods Aesir and their fortress Asgard, always being ready
to face the giants, the enemies of the gods.
No one is better suited as the defender of Gods than Thor.
His courage and sense of duty are unshakable.
His physical strength is unrivaled.
He also has a power belt called Megingjörð, that doubles his power when he wears it.
But his most powerful weapon is the hammer Mjolnir, which means "the Thunder".
He rarely ventures anywhere without this magical weapon.
For those in Scandinavia, just as the thunder was the personification of Thor, the lightning
was the embodiment of his hammer, which he uses to kill giants as he travels through
the sky in his chariot.
Thor is the enemy of Jormungand, the huge sea monster that surrounds Midgard, the human
world.
At one point in the mythical cycle, he tries to take the monster out of the ocean on a
fishing trip.
Thor and Jormungand will face off during Ragnarok, the apocalypse in Norse mythology, and kill
each other.
Given Thor's constant struggle with the forces of chaos and destruction represented by giants,
it is somewhat ironic that he has giant blood also.
His father, Odin, is half-giant, and his mother, Jord, has giant descendants.
But these descendants are common among gods and show the relationship between gods and
giants.
His divine activities were doubled by his human activities where he came to the aid
of those in need of protection.
He also confers sacredness and sanctifies places, things, and events.
Numerous runic inscriptions survived during the time.
Inscriptions telling us that he sanctified their words and purpose; At the same time,
Thor was called to bless the weddings.
Thor's hammer could be used for blessings but also for destruction.
Therefore, the two properties, as acts of purification and destruction, had power over
the elements, but also over people.
Thor could kill, but also bring to life with the help of his hammer.
In addition to his role as a model warrior and defender of the social order, Thor played
a major role in promoting agriculture and fertility.
Many inscriptions tell us that he had a particular habit to bless the lands of the farmers.
This was another extension of his role as god of the sky, especially associated with
the rain that makes crops grow.
The German historian, Adam of Bremen, notes in the 11th century that Thor ruled over air,
thunder and lightning, winds and rains, good weather and harvests.
Thor's wife, Sif, has golden hair like the crops ready to be harvested.
Their marriage is a hierogamy, a divine marriage between the god of the sky and the mother
of the earth.
Their communion will lead to prosperity.
Thor's worship has archaeological evidence.
It can be traced back to the Bronze Age, and his cult has undergone many changes in time
and space.
He has always had connections with the function of God of the crops and fertility.
This will make him the most popular god in Scandinavia during the Viking colonies.
But his role can be better understood in opposition to that of Odin, his father.
Stories and myths speak of the opposition between the two great gods of the Norse pantheon.
Odin was revered by the nobles and the ones who fell in battle, and Thor's was mainly
revered among farmers, laborers, and slaves.
There is a story in Norse mythology in which Odin blesses a favorite hero, and each blessing
is accompanied by a curse from Thor.
Later sources from the Viking Age, show Thor as the favorite god of the Vikings.
Thor appears as the supreme god of Icelandic farmers, but also as the patron and guardian
of the settlement, stability, and law.
This was the legend of Thor; the god of thunder, the god of the sky, the god of the weather,
the god of the crops and fertility of the land, the god of the law, and the most beloved
god of all Gods in Norse Mythology.
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