thor 101
An illustration of Thor with his hammer Mjollnir. From the 18th-century Icelandic manuscript SÁM 66, in the care of the Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland
made wooden oak chairs with high backs, called“ high seats,” to ensure Thor’ s blessing on the house( protecting it from lightning) and the well-being and fruitfulness of the family and its lands. As well as bringing thunder and lightning and storms, Thor sent the rain that made the fields fertile.
Evidence of Thor’ s popularity is found in the name Thursday( the fifth day of the week) and in numerous English place names, such as Thundersley, in Essex; Thunderfield, Surrey; and many others in England and elsewhere.
There are many myths about Thor taken from the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. In Richard Wagner’ s opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, Thor appears as Donner. Thor is also found in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’ s“ Saga of King Olaf,” part of Tales of a Wayside Inn.
The only source of the myth of the theft of Thor’ s hammer is the poem Thrymskvitha( Lay of Thrym) from the Poetic Edda. It is considered a masterpiece of burlesque.
The Theft of Thor’ s Hammer Thor, the god of thunder, was the personification of strength and manliness. His hammer, Mjollnir, was a potent weapon, the gods’ only real defense against the giants. Thor was seldom separated from his hammer, so it is not surprising that he went into a fury when the hammer disappeared.
Loki, the trickster god, heard Thor’ s shouts and knew that for once he must be helpful rather than mischievous. He rushed to Freya, the beautiful goddess, and borrowed her suit of falcon feathers. Then Loki flew to Jotunheim, the home of the giants.
Thrym, the huge and ugly king of the Hrimmturssar, was in a good mood, plaiting gold thread to make leashes for his colossal hounds. He greeted Loki cheerfully. Loki asked him if he had stolen Thor’ s hammer, and the giant admitted that he had. With a chilling laugh, he said that he had hidden it eight miles under the earth where no one would find it. The only way to get it back would be to send him Freya as his bride.
Even Loki was shocked at the thought of sending the fair goddess to this monster. Loki flew quickly back to Asgard on his falcon wings and told Thor the news. Together they went to Freya and told her of the giant’ s request.
Freya was so furious and agitated that she broke the clasp of her golden necklace Brisinga men. Never, never would she be the bride of Thrym, she vowed.
Then all the gods got together for a meeting. They knew that it was only a matter of time until all the giants found out that Thor no longer had his hammer and then would come marching on Asgard. The gods were worried.
Only Heimdall, the watchman who stood at Bilrost, the Rainbow Bridge, and could see far into the future, remained calm. He said that Thor must be dressed as a bride and go to meet Thrym.
The gods roared with laughter at the thought of the mighty, red-bearded Thor dressed as a woman, and Thor let out a shout of rage. But gradually he saw the wisdom of the plan and allowed the goddesses to fit his large frame into a long dress and drape a veil over his shaggy head. Freya’ s necklace was repaired and placed around his thick neck, a girdle hung with jingling keys encircled his waist, and his manly chest was covered with glittering jewels.
Loki was dressed as a bridesmaid. Together the peculiar pair climbed into Thor’ s chariot, and the two billy goats took off at great speed, making the wheels rumble like thunder.