picture by Michael Rechlin
THOR The God Of Thunder
Thor is one of the most powerful of the Norse gods, and probably the most popular. He is the god of the common man, and the protector of gods and mortals alike against evil. There are many tales of his giant-slayings. Some of his more celebrated kills are Geirrod, Hymir, Hrungnir, Thjazi, and Thrym. Thor is the son of Odin and the giantess Jord, and is married to Sif. He appears as a large, strong man with a red beard and fierce eyes.
During a thunderstorm Thor is believed to be riding through the heavens on his chariot which is pulled by two goats, Tanngrisni and Tanngnost. Lightning flashes each time he throws his mighty hammer Mjollnir. He wears the belt Megingjard which doubles his already amazing strength and wears a pair of iron gloves which are needed to hold his hammer. His domain is Thrudvangar and his great hall is Bilskirnir. This great hall had 540 rooms and was considered the largest building ever built. At the day of Ragnarok, Thor will kill Jormungand the Midgard Serpent, but will die from it’s poison. His sons Magni and Modi will inherit his hammer after his death. He also has a daughter named Thrud. Thursday is named after Thor.
The statue on the left if from northern Iceland and probably represents Thor holding
his hammer. On the right is a picture of a pendant that represents Thor's Hammer. They
were worn as protection from evil.