Thor

Thor's battle against the giants, by Mårten Eskil Winge, 1872

Thor (Old Norse: Þórr) is the god of thunder and lightning in Norse mythology, associated with strength, storms, hallowing, sacred groves and tress and fertility. He is the son of Odin and Jörð, the personification of the Earth, and is the strongest of the Æsir.

The champion of Asgard, Thor is said to protect both it and Midgard from the likes of the jǫtnar, a race of beings native to Jötunheimr. He is known in Old English as Þunor (Thunor) and in Old High German as Donar (runic þonar ᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱ), all of which stem from the Proto-Germanic *Þunraz, meaning "thunder".

The modern English weekday Thursday (from Old English Þūnresdæg, “Thunor’s [Thor’s] day”) bears the god's name.

Family

Thor is the son of Odin, chief of the Æsir, and Jörð, the living personification of the Earth. He is the eldest of Odin's sons and is the half-brother of Baldr, Höðr, Víðarr, and Váli.

He is married to the golden-haired goddess Sif, with whom he has a daughter, Þrúðr. With his jötunn lover Járnsaxa, Thor has two sons, Móði and Magni. He has a stepson, Ullr, who is Sif's son by a previous marriage.pop

Possessions

According to writings known as sagas, Thor wielded a short-handled war hammer, Mjolnir. It was fashioned for him by the dwarven brothers Eitri and Brokkr, and is said to be the most powerful weapon in all the Nine Worlds, capable of crushing even mountains. When Thor threw the hammer, it magically returned to the god's hand.

Other attributes of Thor include a pair of gauntlets known as Járngreipr, which he is required to wear in order to wield Mjölnir, a belt, Megingjörð, which doubles his strength when he wears it, and a staff, Gríðarvölr, which, along with Járngreipr, was given to him by the jötunn Gríðr. Thor was believed to travel in a chariot drawn by two goats named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. Thor also has red hair unlike most believe because of marvels Thor,

Thor Media

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  Altar stone for Hercules Magusanus from Bonn, dated 226 AD.

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  Boniface bears his crucifix after felling Thor's Oak in Bonifacius (1905) by Emil Doepler

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  16th-century depiction of Norse gods from Olaus Magnus's A Description of the Northern Peoples; from left to right, Frigg, Thor and Odin

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  Thor and the Midgard Serpent (by Emil Doepler, 1905)

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  Thor wades through a river while the Æsir ride across the bridge Bifröst, by Frølich (1895)

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  Thor raises his hammer as Loki leaves Ægir's hall, by Frølich (1895)

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  Ah, what a lovely maid it is! (1902) by Elmer Boyd Smith: Thor is unhappily dressed by the goddess Freyja and her attendants as herself