The Organisation and Religion to Re-unite All Religions

 

THOR
GREAT GOD OF THUNDER

 

Thor- other wise known as the Viking thunder God. Son of Odin, and a member of the Aesir.  He smashed giant’s head with his mighty hammer.  The day Thursday honours him and still called Donnerstag in Germany (donner=thunder).  Thor was a main enemy of giants. He used his mighty hammer MJOLLNIR a lot.  To wield this weapon he needed iron gloves and belt of strength.  MJOLLNIR would return to Thor's hand after being thrown and was symbolic of lightening. Thor would ride around middle-earth in his wagon (chariot) drawn by two goats; his abode was Thruthheim (land of strength) and his hall, Bilskinnir.  His wife was SIF (fertility goddess).  SIF has two sons, MAGNI and MADI.

Thor was foremost of the GODS to the common man, who would call on him to ensure fertility, and widely worshipped.  Hammer shaped amulets, a symbol of Thor because it was his weapon, were worn about the neck well into the christianisation of Scandinavia .  They were moulded from that time which contained both cross and hammer shapes, side by side.  His name occurs in numerous place names, and it was his statue, which was central in the great temple at Uppsala .

Thursday is named for him. The Romans also associated him with Jupiter. Therefore also parallel to Zeus.  They were all the wielder of lightening bolts.  Some claim that Odin is the horse equivalent to Jupiter/Zeus, however, one needs look not much further than the name given to the fourth day of the week by the Romans and then to its English equivalent to see that the ancients equated Odin with Mercury/Hermes.

So you see Thor was the God of war, thunder and strength.  Thor destroyed a lot of enemies of the Gods with his magic hammer.  He was a protector of humans and Gods from evil and giants.

Written by Lisa Tarrance