What comes to your mind when you think of or hear the name Thor? The answer that most of you will come up with, is perhaps this: A well-built man with God-like features, piercing blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Well, this is Chris Hemsworth, who, portrays the fictional superhero Thor in the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. This hammer-wielding, mighty hero has been created out of the Marvel Comics character of the same name and the Norse God of Thunder. The latest movie in the Thor series, known as Thor: Love and Thunder, is set to release on 8th July. So far, Hemsworth has appeared as Thor in these MCU films: Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). As we wait eagerly for the latest Thor movie, let’s dig a little deeper into this mythological character, worshipped as God by the Norsemen or Vikings, the North Germanic ethnolinguistic group that used to live in the Early Middle Ages.
Who is Thor?
If you go through Norse mythology, you will come across a fierce-eyed deity with red hair and beard. Yes, that is Thor for you, the son of Odin, another Norse worshipped for wisdom and healing. Thor is married Sif, a golden-haired goddess of fertility.
Well, what makes Thor so popular among the Vikings? Here is an interesting anecdote that that seems quite credible. Being seafaring warriors, Vikings constantly had to summon a god to help them win their battles and they chose Thor, as their ultimate saviour. The Norsemen also used to associate Thor with fertility, strength, storms and sacred groves. In fact, the Vikings regarded him as the upholder of law and order. Known for his physical strength and courage, the God of Thunder is believed to have the ability to overthrow any evil warrior, with his magical hammer, Mjolnir.
Mythology springs quite a few surprises at us. Here is one. Thor has equivalents in Greek and Roman mythologies too. In Roman mythology, his equivalents are Jupiter (known for his knowledge and power) and Hercules (known for his strength), while in Greek mythology, Zeus (the sky god) is considered to be his parallel.
How did Thor create thunder?
Vikings believe that Thor created thunder by riding over clouds in his chariot while swinging his magical hammer. As soon as he struck one of his enemies, he was able to summon lightning and create thunder. During this episode, Thor split several mountain ranges in halves. No wonder his name has been derived from the Old Norse word ‘punar’ meaning ‘thunder.’! Till date, Thor is summoned every Thursday, as in Old Norse, this day literally translates to ‘Punar’s day.’
Mjolnir: Thor’s magical hammer
While Thor’s magical hammer is known to many of you who love to delve into mythology, few of you are aware that it is not only a devastating weapon. Thor used to bless with his Mjolnir too! In fact, the Vikings believed in the power of this hammer so much that they wore its miniatures as pendants, especially while going for wars. Do you know where the word Mjolnir comes from? It probably has its roots in Russian word ‘molnija’ meaning ‘lightning’. This eventually came to mean the ‘lightning-maker.’
Quick fact: Apart from Mjolnir, Thor also used to have other weapons. One among them was a belt called Megingjoro (meaning power and strength) and the other was a pair of iron gloves called Jarnglofr.