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{{Short description|Germanic god associated with thunder}}
{{About|the Norse god|the Marvel Comics superhero|Thor (Marvel Comics)|the 2011 Marvel Cinematic Universe film|Thor (film){{!}}''Thor'' (film)|other uses}}
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{{Unreliable sources|date=August 2025}}
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[[File:Mårten Eskil Winge - Tor's Fight with the Giants - Google Art Project.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|''[[Thor's Fight with the Giants]]'' (''Tors strid med jättarna'')  by {{lang|sv|[[Mårten Eskil Winge]]|italic=no}} (1872).]]
'''Thor''' (from {{langx|non|Þórr}}) is a prominent [[list of thunder gods|god]] in [[Germanic paganism]]. In [[Norse mythology]], he is a hammer-wielding [[æsir|god]] associated with thunder, storms, strength, protection, fertility, farmers, and free people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-Germanic-deity|title=Thor|work=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]]|author=Tikkanen, Amy|language=en-GB|url-status=live|date=6 September 2024|access-date=1 July 2025|archive-date=1 July 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250701140850/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-Germanic-deity}}</ref><ref name=SwedishMuseum>{{cite web|url=https://historiska.se/norse-mythology/thor-en/|title=Thor – a temperamental thunder-god|publisher=[[Swedish History Museum]]|language=sw|url-status=live|access-date=1 July 2025|archive-date=1 July 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250701141128/https://historiska.se/norse-mythology/thor-en/}}</ref> Besides [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|Þórr}}, the deity occurs in [[Old English]] as '''{{lang|ang|Thunor}}''', in [[Old Frisian]] as '''''{{lang|ofs|Thuner}}''''', in [[Old Saxon]] as '''''{{lang|osx|Thunar}}''''', and in [[Old High German]] as '''{{lang|goh|Donar}}''', all ultimately stemming from the [[Proto-Germanic]] [[theonym]] '''{{lang|gem-x-proto|Þun(a)raz}}''', meaning 'Thunder'.

Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the [[recorded history]] of the [[Germanic peoples]], from the [[Roman Empire|Roman occupation]] of regions of {{lang|la|[[Germania]]|italic=no}}, to the Germanic expansions of the [[Migration Period]], to his high popularity during the [[Viking Age]], when, in the face of the process of the [[Christianization of Scandinavia]], emblems of his hammer, {{lang|is|[[Mjölnir]]|italic=no}}, were worn and [[Norse paganism|Norse pagan]] [[personal name]]s containing the name of the god bear witness to his popularity.

Narratives featuring Thor are most prominently attested in Old Norse, where Thor appears throughout [[Norse mythology]]. In stories recorded in medieval [[Iceland]], Thor bears at least [[List of names of Thor|fifteen names]], is the husband of the golden-haired goddess {{lang|non|[[Sif]]|italic=no}} and the lover of the {{lang|non|[[jötunn]] [[Járnsaxa]]|italic=no}}. With {{lang|non|Sif|italic=no}}, Thor fathered the goddess (and possible [[valkyrie]]) {{lang|non|[[Þrúðr]]|italic=no}}; with {{lang|non|Járnsaxa|italic=no}}, he fathered {{lang|non|[[Móði and Magni|Magni]]|italic=no}}; with a mother whose name is not recorded, he fathered {{lang|non|[[Móði and Magni|Móði]]|italic=no}}, and he is the stepfather of the god {{lang|non|[[Ullr]]|italic=no}}. Thor is the son of [[Odin]] and [[Jörð]],{{sfn|Lindow|2002|p=205}} by way of his father Odin, he has [[sons of Odin|numerous brothers]], including {{lang|non|[[Baldr]]|italic=no}}. Thor has two servants, [[Þjálfi and Röskva|{{lang|non|Þjálfi|nocat=y|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|Röskva|nocat=y|italic=no}}]], rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats, [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr|{{lang|non|Tanngrisnir|nocat=y|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|Tanngnjóstr|nocat=y|italic=no}}]] (whom he eats and resurrects), and is ascribed three dwellings ({{lang|non|[[Bilskirnir]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|non|[[Þrúðheimr]]|italic=no}}, and {{lang|non|[[Þrúðvangr]]|italic=no}}). Thor wields the hammer {{lang|is|[[Mjölnir]]|italic=no}}, wears the belt {{lang|non|[[Megingjörð]]|italic=no}} and the iron gloves {{lang|non|[[Járngreipr]]|italic=no}}, and owns the staff {{lang|non|[[Gríðr#Prose Edda|Gríðarvölr]]|italic=no}}. Thor's exploits, including his relentless slaughter of his foes and fierce battles with the monstrous serpent {{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]|italic=no}}—and their foretold mutual deaths during the events of {{lang|non|[[Ragnarök]]|italic=no}}—are recorded throughout sources for Norse mythology.

Into the modern period, Thor continued to be acknowledged in folklore throughout [[Germanic-speaking Europe]]. Thor is frequently referred to in place names, the day of the week [[Thursday]] bears his name (modern English ''Thursday'' derives from Old English {{lang|ang|thunresdaeġ}}, 'Thunor's day'), and names stemming from the pagan period containing his own continue to be used today, particularly in Scandinavia. Thor has inspired numerous works of art and references to Thor appear in modern popular culture. Like other Germanic deities, veneration of Thor is revived in the modern period in [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Heathenry]].

==Name==
The name ''Thor'' is derived from Norse mythology. Its medieval Germanic equivalents or cognates are ''{{lang|goh|Donar}}'' ([[Old High German]]), ''{{lang|ang|Þunor}}'' ([[Old English]]), ''{{lang|ofs|Thuner}}'' ([[Old Frisian]]), ''{{lang|osx|Thunar}}'' ([[Old Saxon]]), and ''{{lang|non|Þórr}}'' ([[Old Norse]]),<ref>{{harvnb|de Vries|1962|p=618}}; {{harvnb|Orel|2003|p=429}}</ref> the latter of which inspired the modern English form ''Thor''.<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', s.v. ''Thor''.</ref>

=== Etymology ===
Though Old Norse ''{{lang|non|Þórr}}'' has only one syllable, it comes from an earlier [[Proto-Norse]] two-syllable form which can be [[Linguistic reconstruction|reconstructed]] as *''{{lang|non|Þonarr}}'' (from an earlier *''{{lang|non|Þunaraz}}'') and/or *''{{lang|non|Þunurr}}'' (from *''{{lang|non|Þunuraz}}''), evidenced by the poems ''[[Hymiskviða]]'' and ''[[Þórsdrápa]]'', and modern [[Elfdalian]] {{lang|ovd|tųosdag}} 'Thursday', through the common Old Norse development of the sequence ''-unr-'' to ''-ór-''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Þorgeirsson |first=Haukur |date=1 December 2023 |title=The Name of Thor and the Transmission of Old Norse poetry |journal=Neophilologus |language=en |volume=107 |issue=4 |pages=701–713 |doi=10.1007/s11061-023-09773-w |s2cid=261040519 |issn=1572-8668}}</ref>

All Germanic forms of Thor's name descend from [[Proto-Germanic]], but there is debate as to precisely what form the name took at that early stage. The form {{lang|gem-x-proto|Þunuraz}} is suggested by Elfdalian {{lang|ovd|tųosdag}} ('Thursday') and by a [[runic inscription]] from around 700 from Hallbjäns in [[Sundre, Gotland]], which includes the sequence ''þunurþurus''.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=709–11}} Alternatively, the form {{lang|gem-x-proto|Þunaraz}} is attractive because it is identical to the name of the ancient Celtic god ''[[Taranis|Taranus]]'' (by [[Metathesis (linguistics)|metathesis]]—switch of sounds—of an earlier {{lang|cel-x-proto|*Tonaros}}, attested in the dative ''tanaro'' and the [[Gaulish]] river name ''[[Tanaro (river)|Tanarus]]'').<ref>{{harvnb|Orel|2003|p=429}}, {{harvnb|Delamarre|2003|p=290}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Birkhan |first=Helmut |title=Germanen und Kelten bis zum Ausgang der Römerzeit |publisher=Böhlau |year=1970 |pages=316–332}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Finally, the form {{lang|gem-x-proto|Þunraz}} has also been suggested by Hjalmar Lindroth (1917) and has the attraction of clearly containing the sequence ''-unr-'', needed to explain the later form ''Þórr'', although the similarity with Celtic theonym *''Tonaros'' is lost.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=708}} According to [[John T. Koch]], the form {{lang|gem-x-proto|Þunraz}} is from earlier [[Germanic parent language|pre-Germanic]] stage that predates [[Grimm's law]].{{Sfn|Koch|2020|pp=142–144}}

These Proto-Germanic forms are probably further related to the common [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root for 'thunder' {{lang|ine-x-proto|*(s)tenh₂-}}, also attested in the Latin epithet [[Jupiter Tonans|''Tonans'']] (attached to [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]]) and the Vedic ''stanáyati'' ("thunders").<ref>{{harvnb|Delamarre|2003|p=290}}; {{harvnb|Matasović|2009|p=384}}; {{harvnb|Koch|2020|pp=142–144}}.</ref> Scholar Peter Jackson argues that those theonyms may have emerged as the result of the fossilization of an original [[epithet]] (or [[epiclesis]], i.e. [[invocation]]al name) of the Proto-Indo-European thunder-god {{lang|ine-x-proto|[[Perkwunos|Perk<sup>w</sup>unos]]}}, since the Vedic weather-god [[Parjanya]] is also called {{transliteration|sa|stanayitnú-}} ('Thunderer').<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jackson|first=Peter|date=2002|title=Light from Distant Asterisks. Towards a Description of the Indo-European Religious Heritage|journal=Numen|volume=49|issue=1|pages=61–102|doi=10.1163/15685270252772777|issn=0029-5973|jstor=3270472}}</ref>

The potentially perfect match between the thunder-gods *''Tonaros'' and *''Þunaraz'', which both go back to a common form *''ton(a)ros'' ~ *''tṇros'', is notable in the context of early Celtic–Germanic linguistic contacts, especially when added to other inherited terms with thunder attributes, such as *''[[Mjölnir|Meldunjaz]]''–*''meldo-'' (from *''meldh''- 'lightning, hammer', i.e. {{lang|ine-x-proto|*Perk<sup>w</sup>unos}}' weapon) and *''[[Fjörgyn|Fergunja]]''–*''[[Hercynian Forest|Fercunyā]]'' (from {{lang|ine-x-proto|*perk<sup>w</sup>un-iyā}} 'wooded mountains', i.e. *Perk<sup>w</sup>unos' realm).{{sfn|Koch|2020|pp=142–144}}

=== Name of the weeks ===
The English [[weekday]] name ''[[Thursday]]'' comes from Old English {{lang|ang|Þunresdæg}}, meaning 'day of Þunor', with influence from Old Norse {{lang|non|Þórsdagr}}. The name is [[cognate]] with Old High German {{Lang|goh|Donarestag}}. All of these terms derive from a Late Proto-Germanic weekday name along the lines of {{lang|gem-x-proto|Þunaresdagaz}} ('Day of {{lang|gem-x-proto|Þun(a)raz}}'), a [[calque]] of Latin {{lang|la|Iovis dies}} ('Day of [[Jove]]'; compare modern Italian {{lang|it|giovedì}}, French {{lang|fr|jeudi}}, Spanish {{lang|es|jueves}}). By employing a practice known as {{lang|la|[[interpretatio germanica]]}} during the [[Roman Empire period|Roman period]], ancient Germanic peoples adopted the Latin weekly calendar and replaced the names of Roman gods with their own.{{sfn|Simek|2007}}<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', s.v. "Thursday (''n.'' & ''adv.''), Etymology," September 2023, {{doi|10.1093/OED/8603919228}}.</ref>

=== Personal names ===
Beginning in the [[Viking Age]], [[personal name]]s containing the [[theonym]] {{lang|non|Þórr}} are recorded with great frequency, whereas no examples are known prior to this period. {{lang|non|Þórr}}-based names may have flourished during the Viking Age as a defiant response to attempts at Christianization, similar to the widespread Viking Age practice of wearing Thor's hammer pendants.{{Sfn|Simek|2007|p=321}}

==Historical attestations==
===Roman era===
[[File:AE 1971,282 Vorderansicht.jpg|thumb|257x257px|Altar stone for Hercules Magusanus from Bonn, dated 226 AD.{{Sfn|Roymans|2009|p=227}}]]
The earliest records of the Germanic peoples were recorded by the Romans, and in these works Thor is frequently referred to—via a process known as {{lang|la|[[interpretatio romana]]}} (where characteristics perceived to be similar by Romans result in identification of a non-Roman god as a Roman deity)—as either the Roman god [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] (also known as ''Jove'') or the [[Classical mythology|Greco-Roman]] [[god]] [[Hercules]].{{cn|date=August 2025}}

The first clear example of this occurs in the Roman historian [[Tacitus]]'s late first-century work {{lang|la|[[Germania (book)|Germania]]|italic=yes}}, where, writing about the religion of the {{lang|la|[[Suebi]]|italic=no}} (a confederation of [[Germanic peoples]]), he comments that "among the gods Mercury is the one they principally worship. They regard it as a religious duty to offer to him, on fixed days, human as well as other sacrificial victims. Hercules and Mars they appease by animal offerings of the permitted kind" and adds that a portion of the {{lang|la|Suebi|italic=no}} also venerate "[[Isis]]".<ref name="BIRLEY42">Birley (1999:42).</ref> In this instance, Tacitus refers to the god [[Odin]] as "[[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]", Thor as "Hercules", and the god {{lang|non|[[Týr]]|italic=no}} as "[[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]", and the identity of the [[Isis]] of the Suebi has been debated. In Thor's case, the identification with the god Hercules is likely at least in part due to similarities between Thor's hammer and Hercules' club.<ref name="BIRLEY107">Birley (1999:107).</ref> In his ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'', Tacitus again refers to the veneration of "Hercules" by the Germanic peoples; he records a wood beyond the river [[Weser]] (in what is now northwestern [[Germany]]) as dedicated to him.<ref name="BIRLEY41">Birley (1999:42 and 106–107).</ref> A deity known as [[Hercules Magusanus]] was venerated in [[Germania Inferior]]; due to the Roman identification of Thor with Hercules, [[Rudolf Simek]] has suggested that ''Magusanus'' was originally an epithet attached to the [[Proto-Germanic]] deity *''Þunraz''.{{Sfn|Simek|1984|pp=172–173}}

===Post-Roman era{{anchor|Post-Roman_era}}===
{{Redirect|Donar}}
{{Redirect|Thunor|the genus of shrimp|Alpheus (crustacean)}}
[[File:Bonifacius by Emil Doepler.jpg|thumb|[[Boniface]] bears his crucifix after felling Thor's Oak in ''Bonifacius'' (1905) by [[Emil Doepler]]]]
The first recorded instance of the name of the god appears upon the [[Nordendorf fibulae]], a piece of jewelry created during the [[Migration Period]] and found in [[Bavaria]]. The item bears an [[Elder Futhark]] inscribed with the name {{lang|goh|Þonar}} (i.e. {{lang|goh|Donar}}), the southern Germanic form of Thor's name.<ref name="SIMEK235-236">Simek (2007:235–236).</ref>

Around the second half of the 8th century, Old English texts mention {{lang|ang|Thunor}} ({{lang|ang|Þunor}}), which likely refers to a [[Anglo-Saxon paganism|Saxon]] version of the god. In relation, {{lang|ang|Thunor}} is sometimes used in Old English texts to gloss ''Jupiter'', the god may be referenced in the poem ''[[Solomon and Saturn]]'', where the thunder strikes the devil with a "fiery axe", and the Old English expression {{lang|ang|þunorrād}} ("thunder ride") may refer to the god's thunderous, goat-led chariot.<ref name="TURVILLE99">Turville-Petre (1964:99)</ref><ref name="THUNOR">See North (1998:238–241) for {{lang|ang|þunnorad}} and tales regarding {{lang|ang|Thunor}}.</ref>

A 9th-century AD codex from [[Mainz]], Germany, known as the ''[[Old Saxon Baptismal Vow]]'', records the name of three Old Saxon gods, {{lang|osx|UUôden}} (Old Saxon "[[Wodan]]"){{Clarify|reason=Wōdan and UUôden are just two spellings for the same name. We should remove one and let the Odin main page go into more detail.|date=July 2021}}, {{lang|osx|[[Seaxnēat|Saxnôte]]}}, and {{lang|osx|Thunaer}}, by way of their renunciation as demons in a formula to be repeated by Germanic pagans formally [[christianization of the Germanic peoples|converting to Christianity]].<ref name="SIMEK276">Simek (2007:276).</ref>

According to a near-contemporary account, the Christian missionary [[Saint Boniface]] felled an [[oak tree]] dedicated to "Jove" in the 8th century, the [[Donar's Oak]] in the region of [[Hesse]], [[Germany]].<ref name="SIMEK238">Simek (2007:238) and Robinson (1916:63).</ref>

The [[Kentish royal legend]], probably 11th-century, contains the story of a villainous reeve of [[Ecgberht of Kent]] called Thunor, who is swallowed up by the earth at a place from then on known as {{lang|ang|þunores hlæwe}} (Old English 'Thunor's mound'). [[Gabriel Turville-Petre]] saw this as an invented origin for the placename demonstrating loss of memory that Thunor had been a god's name.<ref>Turville-Petre (1964:99–100); variant texts in mss. [[Stowe 944]], Cotton Caligula A. xiv, London, Lambeth Palace 427.</ref>

[[File:Olaus Magnus - On the three Main Gods of the Geats.jpg|thumb|16th-century depiction of Norse gods from [[Olaus Magnus]]'s ''[[A Description of the Northern Peoples]]''; from left to right, [[Frigg]], Thor and Odin]]

===Viking age===
In the 11th century, chronicler [[Adam of Bremen]] records in his {{lang|la|[[Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum]]|italic=yes}} that a statue of Thor, who Adam describes as "mightiest", sits in the [[Temple at Uppsala]] in the center of a triple throne (flanked by [[Woden]] and "Fricco") located in {{lang|sv|[[Gamla Uppsala]]|italic=no}}, [[Sweden]]. Adam details that "Thor, they reckon, rules the sky; he governs thunder and lightning, winds and storms, fine weather and fertility" and that "Thor, with his mace, looks like Jupiter". Adam details that the people of {{lang|sv|Uppsala|italic=no}} had appointed [[gothi|priests]] to each of the gods, and that the priests were to offer up [[blót|sacrifices]]. In Thor's case, he continues, these sacrifices were done when plague or famine threatened.<ref name="ORCHARD168-169">Orchard (1997:168–169).</ref> Earlier in the same work, Adam relays that in 1030 an English preacher, Wulfred, was [[lynching|lynched]] by assembled Germanic pagans for "profaning" a representation of Thor.<ref name="NORTH236">North (1998:236).</ref>

Two objects with [[runic alphabet|runic]] inscriptions invoking Thor date from the 11th century, one from [[England]] and one from Sweden. The first, the [[Canterbury Charm]] from [[Canterbury]], [[England]], calls upon Thor to heal a wound by banishing a {{lang|non|[[jötunn|thurs]]}}.<ref name="MCLEOD-MEES-120">McLeod, Mees (2006:120).</ref> The second, the [[Kvinneby amulet]], invokes protection by both Thor and his hammer.<ref name="MCLEOD-MEES-28">McLeod, Mees (2006:28).</ref>

On four (or possibly five) [[runestone]]s, an invocation to Thor appears that reads "May Thor hallow (these [[runic alphabet|runes]]/this monument)!" The invocation appears thrice in Denmark ([[DR 110]], [[Glavendrup stone|DR 209]], and [[Sønder Kirkeby Runestone|DR 220]]), and a single time in {{lang|sv|[[Västergötland]]|italic=no}} ([[Velanda Runestone|VG 150]]), Sweden. A fifth appearance may possibly occur on a runestone found in {{lang|sv|[[Södermanland]]|italic=no}}, Sweden ([[Sö 140]]), but the reading is contested.<ref name="SAWYER128">Sawyer (2003:128).</ref>

Pictorial representations of Thor's hammer appear on a total of five runestones found in Denmark ([[Laeborg Runestone|DR 26]] and [[Danish Runic Inscription 120|DR 120]]) and in the Swedish counties of {{lang|sv|Västergötland|italic=no}} ([[Bjärby Runestones#Vg 113|VG 113]]) and {{lang|sv|Södermanland|italic=no}}  ([[Södermanland Runic Inscription 86|Sö 86]] and [[Stenkvista runestone|Sö 111]]).<ref name="SAWYER128" /> It is also seen on runestone [[Danish Runic Inscription 48|DR 48]].{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} The design is believed to be a heathen response to Christian runestones, which often have a cross at the centre. One of the stones, [[Södermanland Runic Inscription 86|Sö 86]], shows a face or mask above the hammer. [[Anders Hultgård]] has argued that this is the face of Thor.<ref>McKinnell, Simek, Düwel (2004:122–123).</ref> At least three stones depict Thor fishing for the serpent {{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]|italic=no}}: the [[Hørdum stone|{{lang|da|Hørdum|nocat=yes|italic=no}} stone]] in {{lang|da|[[Thy (district)|Thy]]|italic=no}}, Denmark, the [[Altuna Runestone]] in {{lang|sv|Altuna|italic=no}}, Sweden and the [[Gosforth Cross]] in [[Gosforth, Cumbria|Gosforth]], England. [[Sune Lindqvist]] argued in the 1930s that the image stone [[Ardre image stones|Ardre VIII]] on {{lang|sv|[[Gotland]]|italic=no}} depicts two scenes from the story: Thor ripping the head of Hymir's ox and Thor and Hymir in the boat,<ref>Lindqvist (1933:102–103).</ref> but this has been disputed.<ref>Meulengracht Sørensen (1986:262, 269).</ref>

===Image gallery===
<gallery>
File:Runestone from Sønder Kirkby, Falster, Denmark.jpg|The [[Sønder Kirkeby Runestone|{{lang|da|Sønder Kirkeby|nocat=yes|italic=no}} Runestone]] (DR 220), a runestone from Denmark bearing the "May Thor hallow these runes!" inscription
File:Sö 111, Stenkvista.jpg|A runestone from {{lang|sv|Södermanland|italic=no}}, Sweden bearing a depiction of Thor's hammer
File:U1161 Altunastenen Tors fiskafänge 2.jpg|The [[Altuna stone]] from Sweden, one of four stones depicting Thor's fishing trip
File:Altunastenen U 1161 (Raä-nr Altuna 42-1) Tor detalj 0440.jpg|Closeup of Thor with {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}} depicted on the Altuna stone.
File:Gosforth fishing.jpg|The [[Gosforth Cross|Gosforth depiction]], one of four stones depicting Thor's fishing trip
File:Vg150 Väne-Åsaka 8 Velandastenen Thor vigi.jpg|Runes ({{script|Runr|{{lang|non| ᛭ᚦᚢᚱ᛬ᚢᛁᚴᛁ᛭|italic=no}}}}) '''{{lang|non|× þur : uiki ×}}''' on the [[Velanda Runestone]], Sweden, meaning "may {{lang|non|Þórr|italic=no}} [[wikt:hallow|hallow]]".
File:Thor and Jörmungandr by Frølich.svg|''Thor and Jörmungandr'' by Lorenz Frølich
</gallery>

===Post-Viking age===
In the 12th century, more than a century after Norway was "officially" Christianized, Thor was still being invoked by the population, as evidenced by a stick bearing a runic message found among the [[Bryggen inscriptions]] in [[Bergen]], [[Norway]]. On the stick, both Thor and Odin are called upon for help; Thor is asked to "receive" the reader, and Odin to "own" them.<ref name="MCLEOD-MEES-30">McLeod, Mees (2006:30).</ref>

====''Poetic Edda''====
In the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', compiled during the 13th century from traditional source material reaching into the pagan period, Thor appears (or is mentioned) in the poems {{lang|non|[[Völuspá]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Grímnismál]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Skírnismál]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Hárbarðsljóð]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Hymiskviða]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Lokasenna]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Þrymskviða]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Alvíssmál]]|italic=yes}}, and {{lang|non|[[Hyndluljóð]]|italic=yes}}.<ref name="LARRINGTON320">Larrington (1999:320).</ref>
[[File:The death of Thor and Jörmungandr by Frølich.jpg|thumb|The foretold death of Thor as depicted by {{lang|da|[[Lorenz Frølich]]|italic=no}} (1895)]]
[[File:Thor und die Midgardsschlange.jpg|thumb|''Thor and the Midgard Serpent'' (by {{lang|de|[[Emil Doepler]]|italic=no}}, 1905)]]
In the poem {{lang|non|Völuspá|italic=yes}}, a dead {{lang|non|[[völva]]|italic=no}} recounts the history of the universe and foretells the future to the disguised god Odin, including the death of Thor. Thor, she foretells, will do battle with the [[jörmungandr|great serpent]] during the immense mythic war waged at {{lang|non|[[Ragnarök]]|italic=no}}, and there he will slay the monstrous snake, yet after he will only be able to take nine steps before succumbing to the venom of the beast:{{cn|date=August 2025}}

:{|
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|
<poem><small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] translation:</small>
Then comes the mighty son of [[Hlôdyn]]:
(Odin's son goes with the monster to fight);
[[Midgard|Midgârd]]'s [[List of names of Thor|Veor]] in his rage will slay the worm.
Nine feet will go [[Fjörgyn and Fjörgynn|Fiörgyn's]] son,
bowed by the serpent, who feared no foe.
All men will their homes forsake.<ref name="THORPE7">Thorpe (1907:7).</ref></poem>
|
<poem><small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] translation:</small>
Hither there comes the son of Hlothyn,
The bright snake gapes to heaven above;
...
Against the serpent goes Othin's son.
In anger smites the warder of earth,—
Forth from their homes must all men flee;—
Nine paces fares the son of Fjorgyn,
And, slain by the serpent, fearless he sinks.<ref name="BELLOWS23">Bellows (1923:23).</ref></poem>
|
|}

Afterwards, says the {{lang|non|völva|italic=no}}, the sky will turn black before fire engulfs the world, the stars will disappear, flames will dance before the sky, steam will rise, the world will be covered in water and then it will be raised again, green and fertile.<ref name="LARRINGTON11-12">Larrington (1999:11–12).</ref>

[[File:Thor wades while the æsir ride by Frølich.jpg|thumb|Thor wades through a river while the {{lang|non|[[Æsir]]|italic=no}} ride across the bridge {{lang|non|[[Bifröst]]|italic=no}}, by {{lang|da|Frølich|italic=no}} (1895)]]

In the poem {{lang|non|[[Grímnismál]]|italic=yes}}, the god Odin, in disguise as {{lang|non|[[List of names of Odin|Grímnir]]}}, and tortured, starved and thirsty, imparts in the young {{lang|non|[[Agnarr Geirröðsson|Agnar]]|italic=no}} cosmological lore, including that Thor resides in {{lang|non|[[Þrúðheimr]]|italic=no}}, and that, every day, Thor wades through the rivers [[Körmt and Örmt|{{lang|non|Körmt|nocat=y|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|Örmt|nocat=y|italic=no}}]], and the two {{lang|non|[[Kerlaugar]]|italic=no}}. There, {{lang|non|Grímnir|italic=no}} says, Thor sits as judge at the immense cosmological world tree, {{lang|non|[[Yggdrasil]]|italic=no}}.<ref name="LARRINGTON57">Larrington (1999:57).</ref>

In {{lang|non|[[Skírnismál]]|italic=yes}}, the god {{lang|non|[[Freyr]]|italic=no}}'s messenger, {{lang|non|[[Skírnir]]|italic=no}}, threatens the fair {{lang|non|[[Gerðr]]|italic=no}}, with whom {{lang|non|Freyr|italic=no}} is smitten, with numerous threats and curses, including that Thor, {{lang|non|Freyr|italic=no}}, and Odin will be angry with her, and that she risks their "potent wrath".<ref name="LARRINGTON66">Larrington (1999:66).</ref>

Thor is the main character of {{lang|non|[[Hárbarðsljóð]]|italic=yes}}, where, after traveling "from the east", he comes to an inlet where he encounters a ferryman who gives his name as {{lang|non|[[Hárbarðr]]|italic=no}} (Odin, again in disguise), and attempts to hail a ride from him. The ferryman, shouting from the inlet, is immediately rude and obnoxious to Thor and refuses to ferry him. At first, Thor holds his tongue, but {{lang|non|Hárbarðr|italic=no}} only becomes more aggressive, and the poem soon becomes a {{lang|non|[[flyting]]|italic=no}} match between Thor and {{lang|non|Hárbarðr|italic=no}}, all the while revealing lore about the two, including Thor's killing of several {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}} in "the east" and women on {{lang|non|Hlesey|italic=no}} (now the Danish island of {{lang|da|[[Læsø]]|italic=no}}). In the end, Thor ends up walking instead.<ref name="LARRINGTON69-75">Larrington (1999:69–75).</ref>
[[File:Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr by Frølich.jpg|thumb|{{lang|non|[[Týr]]|italic=no}} looks on as Thor discovers that one of [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr|his goats]] is lame, by {{lang|da|Frølich|italic=no}} (1895)]]
Thor is again the main character in the poem {{lang|non|[[Hymiskviða]]|italic=yes}}, where, after the gods have been hunting and have eaten their prey, they have an urge to drink. They "sh[ake] the twigs" and interpret what they say. The gods decide that they would find suitable cauldrons at {{lang|non|[[Ægir]]|italic=no}}'s home. Thor arrives at {{lang|non|Ægir|italic=no}}'s home and finds him to be cheerful, looks into his eyes, and tells him that he must prepare feasts for the gods. Annoyed, {{lang|non|Ægir|italic=no}} tells Thor that the gods must first bring to him a suitable cauldron to brew ale in. The gods search but find no such cauldron anywhere. However, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} tells Thor that he may have a solution; east of {{lang|non|[[Élivágar]]|italic=no}} lives {{lang|non|[[Hymir]]|italic=no}}, and he owns such a deep kettle.<ref name="LARRINGTON78-79">Larrington (1999:78–79).</ref>

So, after Thor secures his goats at {{lang|non|[[Egil (Hymiskvida)|Egil]]|italic=no}}'s home, Thor and {{lang|non|[[Týr]]|italic=no}} go to {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}}'s hall in search of a [[cauldron]] large enough to brew [[ale]] for them all. They arrive, and {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} sees his nine-hundred-headed grandmother and his gold-clad mother, the latter of which welcomes them with a horn. After {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}}—who is not happy to see Thor—comes in from the cold outdoors, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s mother helps them find a properly strong cauldron. Thor eats a big meal of two oxen (all the rest eat but one), and then goes to sleep. In the morning, he awakes and informs {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}} that he wants to go fishing the following evening, and that he will catch plenty of food, but that he needs bait. {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}} tells him to go get some bait from his pasture, which he expects should not be a problem for Thor. Thor goes out, finds {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}}'s best ox, and rips its head off.<ref name="LARRINGTON78-80">Larrington (1999:79–80).</ref>

After a [[lacuna (manuscripts)|lacuna]] in the manuscript of the poem, {{lang|non|Hymiskviða|italic=yes}} abruptly picks up again with Thor and {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}} in a boat, out at sea. {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}} catches a few [[whale]]s at once, and Thor baits his line with the head of the ox. Thor casts his line and the monstrous serpent {{lang|non|Jörmungandr|italic=no}} bites. Thor pulls the serpent on board, and violently slams him in the head with his hammer. {{lang|non|Jörmungandr|italic=no}} shrieks, and a noisy commotion is heard from underwater before another lacuna appears in the manuscript.<ref name="LARRINGTON81">Larrington (1999:81).</ref>

After the second lacuna, {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}} is sitting in the boat, unhappy and totally silent, as they row back to shore. On shore, {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}} suggests that Thor should help him carry a whale back to his farm. Thor picks both the boat and the whales up, and carries it all back to {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}}'s farm. After Thor successfully smashes a crystal goblet by throwing it at {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}}'s head on {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s mother's suggestion, Thor and {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} are given the cauldron. {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} cannot lift it, but Thor manages to roll it, and so with it they leave. Some distance from {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}}'s home, an army of many-headed beings led by {{lang|non|Hymir|italic=no}} attacks the two, but are killed by the hammer of Thor. Although one of [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr|his goats]] is lame in the leg, the two manage to bring the cauldron back, have plenty of ale, and so, from then on, return to {{langx|non|Týr||Ægir|italic=no}}'s for more every winter.<ref name="LARRINGTON82-83">Larrington (1999:82–83).</ref>

[[File:Loki leaves the hall and threatens the Æsir with fire by Frølich.jpg|thumb|Thor raises his hammer as Loki leaves {{lang|non|[[Ægir]]|italic=no}}'s hall, by {{lang|da|Frølich|italic=no}} (1895)]]

In the poem {{lang|non|[[Lokasenna]]|italic=yes}}, the half-god [[Loki]] angrily [[flyting|flites]] with the gods in the sea entity {{lang|non|[[Ægir]]|italic=no}}'s hall. Thor does not attend the event, however, as he is away in the east for unspecified purposes. Towards the end of the poem, the flyting turns to {{lang|non|[[Sif]]|italic=no}}, Thor's wife, whom Loki then claims to have slept with. The god {{lang|non|[[Freyr]]|italic=no}}'s servant {{lang|non|[[Beyla]]|italic=no}} interjects, and says that, since all of the mountains are shaking, she thinks that Thor is on his way home. {{lang|non|Beyla|italic=no}} adds that Thor will bring peace to the quarrel, to which Loki responds with insults.<ref name="LARRINGTON84-94">Larrington (1999:84 and 94).</ref>

Thor arrives and tells Loki to be silent, and threatens to rip Loki's head from his body with his hammer. Loki asks Thor why he is so angry, and comments that Thor will not be so daring to fight "the wolf" ({{lang|non|[[Fenrir]]|italic=no}}) when it eats Odin (a reference to the foretold events of {{lang|non|[[Ragnarök]]|italic=no}}). Thor again tells him to be silent, and threatens to throw him into the sky, where he will never be seen again. Loki says that Thor should not brag of his time in the east, as he once crouched in fear in the thumb of a glove (a story involving deception by the magic of {{lang|non|[[Útgarða-Loki]]|italic=no}}, recounted in the ''Prose Edda'' book {{lang|non|Gylfaginning|italic=yes}})—which, he comments, "was hardly like Thor". Thor again tells him to be silent, threatening to break every bone in Loki's body. Loki responds that he intends to live a while yet, and again insults Thor with references to his encounter with {{lang|non|Útgarða-Loki|italic=no}}. Thor responds with a fourth call to be silent, and threatens to send Loki to {{lang|non|[[Hel (location)|Hel]]|italic=no}}. At Thor's final threat, Loki gives in, commenting that only for Thor will he leave the hall, for "I know alone that you do strike", and the poem continues.<ref name="LARRINGTON94-95">Larrington (1999:94–95).</ref>
[[File:Ah, what a lovely maid it is! by Elmer Boyd Smith.jpg|thumb|''Ah, what a lovely maid it is!'' (1902) by [[Elmer Boyd Smith]]: Thor is unhappily dressed by the goddess {{lang|non|[[Freyja]]|italic=no}} and her attendants as herself]]
In the comedic poem {{lang|non|[[Þrymskviða]]|italic=yes}}, Thor again plays a central role. In the poem, Thor wakes and finds that his powerful hammer, {{lang|is|[[Mjölnir]]|italic=no}}, is missing. Thor turns to Loki, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. The two go to the dwelling of the goddess {{lang|non|[[Freyja]]|italic=no}}, and so that he may attempt to find {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}}, Thor asks her if he may borrow her feather cloak. {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} agrees, and says she would lend it to Thor even if it were made of silver or gold, and Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling.<ref name="LARRINGTON97">Larrington (1999:97).</ref>

In {{lang|non|[[Jötunheimr]]|italic=no}}, the {{lang|non|jötunn|italic=no}} {{lang|non|[[Þrymr]]|italic=no}} sits on a [[tumulus|barrow]], plaiting golden collars for his female dogs, and trimming the manes of his horses. {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} sees Loki, and asks what could be amiss among the {{lang|non|[[Æsir]]|italic=no}} and the [[elf#Norse mythology|elves]]; why is Loki alone in {{lang|non|Jötunheimr|italic=no}}? Loki responds that he has bad news for both the elves and the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}}—that Thor's hammer, {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}}, is gone. {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} says that he has hidden {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}} eight leagues beneath the earth, from which it will be retrieved, but only if {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} is brought to him as his wife. Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from {{lang|non|Jötunheimr|italic=no}} and back to the court of the gods.<ref name="LARRINGTON97-98">Larrington (1999:97–98).</ref>

Thor asks Loki if his efforts were successful, and that Loki should tell him while he is still in the air as "tales often escape a sitting man, and the man lying down often barks out lies." Loki states that it was indeed an effort, and also a success, for he has discovered that {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} has the hammer, but that it cannot be retrieved unless {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} is brought to {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} as his wife. The two return to {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} and tell her to put on a bridal head dress, as they will drive her to {{lang|non|Jötunheimr|italic=no}}. {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}, indignant and angry, goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}} to tremble in her anger, and her necklace, the famed {{lang|non|[[Brísingamen]]|italic=no}}, falls from her. {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} pointedly refuses.<ref name="LARRINGTON98">Larrington (1999:98).</ref>

As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a [[thing (assembly)|thing]] to discuss and debate the matter. At the thing, the god {{lang|non|[[Heimdallr]]|italic=no}} puts forth the suggestion that, in place of {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}, Thor should be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, women's clothing down to his knees, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace {{lang|non|Brísingamen|italic=no}}. Thor rejects the idea, yet Loki interjects that this will be the only way to get back {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}}. Loki points out that, without {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}}, the {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}} will be able to invade and settle in [[Asgard]]. The gods dress Thor as a bride, and Loki states that he will go with Thor as his maid, and that the two shall drive to {{lang|non|Jötunheimr|italic=no}} together.<ref name="LARRINGTON99">Larrington (1999:99).</ref>

After riding together in Thor's [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr|goat-driven chariot]], the two, disguised, arrive in {{lang|non|Jötunheimr|italic=no}}. {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} commands the {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}} in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} has arrived to be his wife. {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} recounts his treasured animals and objects, stating that {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} was all that he was missing in his wealth.<ref name="LARRINGTON100">Larrington (1999:100).</ref>

Early in the evening, the disguised Loki and Thor meet with {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} and the assembled {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}}. Thor eats and drinks ferociously, consuming entire animals and three casks of [[mead]]. {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} finds the behavior at odds with his impression of {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}, and Loki, sitting before {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} and appearing as a "very shrewd maid", makes the excuse that "{{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}'s" behaviour is due to her having not consumed anything for eight entire days before arriving due to her eagerness to arrive. {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}} then lifts "{{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}'s" veil and wants to kiss "her". Terrifying eyes stare back at him, seemingly burning with fire. Loki says that this is because "{{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}" has not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.<ref name=LARRINGTON100/>

The "wretched sister" of the {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}} appears, asks for a bridal gift from "{{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}", and the {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}} bring out {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}} to "sanctify the bride", to lay it on her lap, and marry the two by "the hand" of the goddess {{lang|non|[[Vár]]|italic=no}}. Thor laughs internally when he sees the hammer, takes hold of it, strikes {{lang|non|Þrymr|italic=no}}, beats all of the {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}}, kills their "older sister", and so gets his hammer back.<ref name="LARRINGTON101">Larrington (1999:101).</ref>

[[File:Sun shines in the Hall.jpg|thumb|''Sun Shines in the Hall'' (1908) by [[W.G. Collingwood]]: Thor clasps his daughter's hand and chuckles at the "all-wise" [[dwarf (Germanic mythology)|dwarf]], whom he has outwitted]]

In the poem {{lang|non|[[Alvíssmál]]|italic=yes}}, Thor tricks a [[dwarf (Germanic mythology)|dwarf]], {{lang|non|[[Alvíss]]|italic=no}}, to his doom upon finding that he seeks to wed his daughter (unnamed, possibly {{lang|non|[[Þrúðr]]|italic=no}}). As the poem starts, Thor meets a dwarf who talks about getting married. Thor finds the dwarf repulsive and, apparently, realizes that the bride is his daughter. Thor comments that the wedding agreement was made among the gods while Thor was gone, and that the dwarf must seek his consent. To do so, Thor says, {{lang|non|Alvíss|italic=no}} must tell him what he wants to know about [[norse cosmology|all of the worlds]] that the dwarf has visited. In a long question and answer session, {{lang|non|Alvíss|italic=no}} does exactly that; he describes natural features as they are known in the languages of various races of beings in the world, and gives an amount of cosmological lore.<ref name="ALL-WISE">Larrington (1999:109–113). For {{lang|non|Þrúðr|italic=no}} hypothesis, see Orchard (1997:164–165).</ref>

However, the question and answer session turns out to be a ploy by Thor, as, although Thor comments that he has truly never seen anyone with more wisdom in their breast, Thor has managed to delay the dwarf enough for the Sun to turn him to stone; "day dawns on you now, dwarf, now sun shines on the hall".<ref name="LARRINGTON113">Larrington (1999:113).</ref>

In the poem {{lang|non|[[Hyndluljóð]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}} offers to the {{lang|non|jötunn|italic=no}} woman {{lang|non|[[Hyndla]]|italic=no}} to {{lang|non|[[blót]]|italic=no}} (sacrifice) to Thor so that she may be protected, and comments that Thor does not care much for {{lang|non|jötunn|italic=no}} women.<ref name="LARRINGTON-254">Larrington (1999:254).</ref>

====''Prose Edda'', {{lang|non|Heimskringla|italic=yes}}, and sagas====
The prologue to the ''[[Prose Edda]]'' [[euhemerism|euhemerises]] Thor as a prince of [[Troy]], and the son of [[Menon (mythology)|Menon]] by Troana, a daughter of {{lang|non|[[Priam]]|italic=no}}. Thor, also known as {{lang|non|Tror}}, is said to have married the prophetess [[Sibyl]] (identified with {{lang|non|[[Sif]]|italic=no}}). Thor is further said here to have been raised in [[Thrace]] by a chieftain named [[Lorikus]], whom he later slew to assume the title of "King of Thrace", to have had a pale complexion and hair "fairer than gold", and to have been strong enough to lift ten bearskins.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Orchard |first1=Andy |title=A Critical Companion to Beowulf |date=2003 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd |isbn=978-1-84384-029-9 |page=120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LfT460lWdWEC&pg=PA120 |language=en |access-date=28 January 2023 |archive-date=30 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130214409/https://books.google.com/books?id=LfT460lWdWEC&pg=PA120 |url-status=live }} Page 120: "He was as fair in appearance, when he came among other men, as when ivory is inlaid in oak. His hair is fairer than gold."</ref> In later sagas he is described as red-bearded,<ref name="HAIR-COLOR">On the red beard and the use of "Redbeard" as an epithet for Thor, see [[Hilda Ellis Davidson|H.R. Ellis Davidson]], ''Gods and Myths of Northern Europe'', 1964, repr. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1990, {{ISBN|0-14-013627-4}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=8RYSAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Thorhall+boasted+to+his+Christian+companions+:+Redbeard+has+got+the+better+of+your+Christ+!%22%22 p. 85] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407062850/https://books.google.com/books?id=8RYSAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Thorhall+boasted+to+his+Christian+companions+:+Redbeard+has+got+the+better+of+your+Christ+!%22%22 |date=7 April 2023 }}, citing the ''[[Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta|Saga of Olaf Tryggvason]]'' in {{lang|non|[[Flateyjarbók]]|italic=yes}}, ''[[Saga of Erik the Red]]'', and {{lang|non|[[Flóamanna saga]]|italic=yes}}.</ref> but there is no evidence for a red beard in the Eddas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gustafson |first1=Hans |title=Learning from Other Religious Traditions: Leaving Room for Holy Envy |date=16 May 2018 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-76108-4 |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=swNbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |archive-date=30 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130214407/https://books.google.com/books?id=swNbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |url-status=live |access-date=28 January 2023 |language=en |quote=It has always seemed a bit odd to me that this particular interpretation—that the major cosmological poem of Norse mythology is built on Christian motives that are never stated or alluded to in the text—has become hardwired in to the discipline of Scandinavian Studies, like the easily disprovable statement repeated by every major scholar that Thor had a red beard in the ''Eddas''.}}</ref>

The name of the {{lang|non|æsir}} is explained as "men from [[Asia Minor|Asia]]", ''Asgard'' being the "Asian city" (i.e., Troy). Alternatively, Troy is in {{lang|non|Tyrkland}} (Turkey, i.e., Asia Minor), and ''Asialand'' is [[Scythia]], where Thor founded a new city named Asgard. Odin is a remote descendant of Thor, removed by twelve generations, who led an expedition across Germany, Denmark and Sweden to Norway.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

In the ''Prose Edda'', Thor is mentioned in all four books; ''[[Prologue (Prose Edda)|Prologue]]'', {{lang|non|[[Gylfaginning]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]|italic=yes}}, and {{lang|non|[[Háttatal]]|italic=yes}}.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

In {{lang|non|[[Heimskringla]]|italic=yes}}, composed in the 13th century by {{lang|non|[[Snorri Sturluson]]|italic=no}}, Thor or statues of Thor are mentioned in {{lang|non|[[Ynglinga saga]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Hákonar saga góða]]|italic=yes}}, {{lang|non|[[Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar|Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar]]|italic=yes}}, and {{lang|non|[[Separate Saga of St. Olaf|Óláfs saga helga]]|italic=yes}}. In {{lang|non|Ynglinga saga|italic=yes}} chapter 5, a heavily euhemerized account of the gods is provided, where Thor is described as having been a {{lang|non|[[gothi]]|italic=no}}—a pagan priest—who was given by Odin (who himself is explained away as having been an exceedingly powerful magic-wielding chieftain from the east) a dwelling in the mythical location of {{lang|non|[[Þrúðvangr]]|italic=no}}, in what is now Sweden. The saga narrative adds that numerous names—at the time of the narrative, popularly in use—were derived from ''Thor''.<ref name="HOLLANDER10—11">Hollander (2007:10–11).</ref>

====Saint Olaf====
[[File:Sankt Olof i Sankt Olof.jpg|thumb|upright|Medieval depictions of Saint Olaf adopted features from Thor. This wooden statue is from Sankt Olofs kyrka in [[Scania]].]]
Around the 12th century, folk traditions and iconography of the Christianizing king [[Olaf II of Norway]] (Saint Olaf; c. 995 – 1030) absorbed elements of both Thor and Freyr.<ref name="DUMEZIL125">Dumézil (1973:125).</ref> After Olaf's death, his cult had spread quickly all over Scandinavia, where many churches were dedicated to him, as well as to other parts of Northern Europe. His cult distinctively mixed both ecclesiastical and folk elements. From Thor, he inherited the quick temper, physical strength and merits as a giant-slayer. Early depictions portray Olaf as clean-shaven, but after 1200 he appears with a red beard.{{sfn|Lindahl|McNamara|Lindow|2002|p=299}} For centuries, Olaf figured in folk traditions as a slayer of [[troll]]s and giants, and as a protector against malicious forces.{{sfn|Astås|1993|p=446}}

===Modern folklore===
Tales about Thor, or influenced by native traditions regarding Thor, continued into the modern period, particularly in Scandinavia. Writing in the 19th century, scholar [[Jacob Grimm]] records various phrases surviving into Germanic languages that refer to the god, such as the Norwegian {{lang|no|Thorsvarme}} ("Thor's warmth") for lightning and the Swedish {{lang|sv|godgubben åfar}} ("The good old (fellow) is taking a ride") as well as the word {{wikt-lang|sv|tordön}} ("Thor's rumble" or "Thor's thunder") when it thunders. Grimm comments that, at times, Scandinavians often "no longer liked to utter the god's real name, or they wished to extol his fatherly goodness".<ref name="GRIMM166-177">Grimm (1882:166–77).</ref> In Sweden, it was probably as a euphemism that people referred to thunder as "the ride of the god"—*''ās-ækia'' (OWN: *''áss-ekja'') resulting in the modern Swedish word for thunder—''[[wikt:åska|åska]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hellquist |first=Elof |title=Svensk etymologisk ordbok |url=https://archive.org/details/svensketymologis00hell |trans-title=Swedish etymological dictionary |year=1922 |publisher=Gleerup |location=Lund |language=sv |page=[https://archive.org/details/svensketymologis00hell/page/1202/mode/2up 1202]}}</ref>

Thor remained pictured as a red-bearded figure, as evident by the Danish rhyme that yet referred to him as {{lang|da|Thor med sit lange skæg}} ("Thor with his long beard") and the [[North-Frisia]]n curse {{lang|frr|diis ruadhiiret donner regiir!}} ("let red-haired thunder see to that!").<ref name="GRIMM166-177"/>

A Scandinavian folk belief that lightning frightens away [[troll]]s and {{lang|non|jötnar|italic=no}} appears in numerous Scandinavian folktales, and may be a late reflection of Thor's role in fighting such beings. In connection, the lack of trolls and ettins in modern Scandinavia is explained as a result of the "accuracy and efficiency of the lightning strokes".<ref name="LINDOW89">See Lindow (1978:89), but noted as early as Thorpe (1851:154) who states, "The dread entertained by the Trolls for thunder dates from the time of paganism, Thor, the god of thunder, being the deadly foe of their race."</ref>

In the Netherlands, [[The Sagas of Veluwe]] has a story called ''Ontstaan van het Uddeler- en Bleeke meer'' which features Thor and his fight with the Winter Giants.<ref>Weggelaar, Eva. ''The Creation of the Uddeler- and Pale Lake – Thunar and the Winter Giants''</ref>

==Archaeological record==
===Hammer pendants, hammer coins, and Eyrarland Statue===
{{main|Mjölnir#Archaeological_record}}
Around 1000 pendants in distinctive shapes representing the hammer of Thor have been unearthed in what are today the Nordic countries, England, northern Germany, the Baltic countries, and Russia. Most have very simple designs in iron or silver. Around 100 have more advanced designs with ornaments. The pendants have been found in a variety of contexts (including at urban sites, and in hoards) and occur in a variety of shapes. Similarly, coins featuring depictions of the hammer have also been discovered.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

The [[Eyrarland Statue]], a copper alloy figure found near {{lang|is|[[Akureyri]]|italic=no}}, Iceland dating from around the 11th century, may depict Thor seated and gripping his hammer.<ref name="ORCHARD161">Orchard (1997:161).</ref>

<gallery>
File:Thor's hammer, Skåne.svg|Drawing of a silver-gilted Thor's hammer found in [[Scania]], Sweden
File:Mjollnir.png|Drawing of a 4.6&nbsp;cm gold-plated silver {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}} pendant found at {{lang|sv|Bredsätra|italic=no}} on {{lang|sv|[[Öland]]|italic=no}}, Sweden
File:Thor's hammer, Fitjar.jpg|Drawing of a silver Thor's hammer amulet found in {{lang|no|[[Fitjar]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|no|[[Hordaland]]|italic=no}}, Norway
File:Torshammare Muller 1888-1895 pl41.jpg|Drawing of Thor's hammer amulet from {{lang|da|[[Mandemark]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|da|[[Møn]]|italic=no}}, Denmark
File:Reykjavik - Thor-Figur 1.jpg|A bronze statue of a seated figure from about AD 1000 that was recovered at the Eyrarland farm in the area of [[Akureyri]], Iceland.
</gallery>

===Swastikas===
{{Further|Swastika (Germanic Iron Age)}}
[[File:Snoldelevsunwheel.jpg|thumb|Detail of swastika on the 9th century [[Snoldelev Stone]]]]
The [[swastika]] symbol has been identified as representing the hammer or lightning of Thor.<ref name="19TH-CENTURY-SCHOLARS">The symbol was identified as such since 19th century scholarship; examples include Worsaae (1882:169) and Greg (1884:6).</ref> Scholar [[Hilda Ellis Davidson]] (1965) comments on the usage of the swastika as a symbol of Thor:
<blockquote>
The protective sign of the hammer was worn by women, as we know from the fact that it has been found in women's graves. It seems to have been used by the warrior also, in the form of the swastika. ... Primarily it appears to have had connections with light and fire, and to have been linked with the sun-wheel. It may have been on account of Thor's association with lightning that this sign was used as an alternative to the hammer, for it is found on memorial stones in Scandinavia besides inscriptions to Thor. When we find it on the pommel of a warrior's sword and on his sword-belt, the assumption is that the warrior was placing himself under the Thunder God's protection.<ref name="DAVIDSON12-13">Davidson (1965:12–13).</ref>
</blockquote>

Swastikas appear on various Germanic objects stretching from the Migration Period to the Viking Age, such as the 3rd century [[Alu (runic)#Værløse Fibula|{{lang|da|Værløse|nocat=yes|italic=no}} Fibula]] (DR EM85;123) from [[Zealand]], Denmark; the [[Goths|Gothic]] spearhead from [[Brest-Litovsk]], Belarus; numerous Migration Period [[bracteate]]s; cremation urns from early [[Anglo-Saxon England]]; the 8th century [[Sæbø sword|{{lang|da|Sæbø|nocat=yes|italic=no}} sword]] from {{lang|no|[[Sogn]]|italic=no}}, Norway; and the 9th century [[Snoldelev Stone]] (DR 248) from {{lang|da|[[Ramsø]]|italic=no}}, Denmark.

==Eponymy and toponymy==
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| image1    = Thorsager-Denmark-city-limit-sign.jpg
| alt1      = 
| width1    = 
| caption1  = A city limit sign marking {{lang|da|[[Thorsager]]|italic=no}} ("Thor's Acre"), Denmark
| image2    = Thursley Village Sign - geograph.org.uk - 691939.jpg
| alt2      = 
| width2    = 
| caption2  = Sign for the village of [[Thursley]] in Surrey, England
}}

Numerous place names in [[Scandinavia]] contain the Old Norse name {{lang|non|Þórr}}. The identification of these place names as pointing to religious significance is complicated by the aforementioned common usage of {{lang|non|Þórr}} as a personal name element. Cultic significance may only be assured in place names containing the elements {{lang|non|-vé}} (signifying the location of a {{lang|non|[[vé]]|italic=no}}, a type of pagan Germanic shrine), {{lang|non|-hóf}} (a structure used for religious purposes, see [[heathen hofs]]), and {{lang|non|-lundr}} (a [[Sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology|holy grove]]). The place name {{lang|non|Þórslundr}} is recorded with particular frequency in [[Denmark]] (and has direct cognates in Norse settlements in [[Ireland]], such as {{lang|ga|Coill Tomair}}), whereas {{lang|non|Þórshof}} appears particularly often in southern [[Norway]].<ref name="SIMEK321">Simek (2007:321).</ref> {{lang|sv|[[Torsö]]|italic=no}} (''Thor's Island'') appears on the Swedish west coast. Thor also appears in many place names in [[Uppland]].{{cn|date=August 2025}}

In [[English placenames|English place names]], Old English {{lang|ang|Thunor}} (in contrast with the Old Norse form of the name, later introduced to the [[Danelaw]]) left comparatively few traces. Examples include [[Thundersley]], from *{{lang|ang|Thunores hlæw}} and ''Thurstable'' (Old English "Thunor's pillar").<ref name="SIMEK321"/> F. M. Stenton noted that such place names were apparently restricted to Saxon and Jutish territory and not found in Anglian areas.<ref name="TURVILLE99"/><ref>[[Frank Stenton|Stenton, Frank]] (1941). "The Historical Bearing of Place-Name Studies: Anglo-Saxon Heathenism". ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', 4th series, XXIII, 1–24, pp. 17– ; (1971). ''Anglo-Saxon England'', Oxford History of England 2, 1943, 3rd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971, {{ISBN|978-0-19-821716-9}}, pp. 99–100.</ref>

In what is now [[Germany]], locations named after Thor are sparsely recorded, but a number of locations called {{lang|de|Donnersberg}} (German "Donner's mountain") may derive their name from the deity {{lang|de|Donner}}, the southern Germanic form of the god's name.<ref name="SIMEK321"/>
In as late as the 19th century in [[Iceland]], a specific breed of fox was known as {{lang|is|holtaþórr}} ("Thor of the [[woodland|holt]]"), likely due to the red coat of the breed.<ref name="GRIMM177">Grimm (1882:177).</ref> In Sweden in the 19th century, smooth, wedge-shaped stones found in the earth were called {{lang|is|Thorwiggar}} ("Thor's wedges"), according to a folk belief that they were once hurled at a [[troll]] by the god Thor. (Compare [[Thunderstone (folklore)|Thunderstones]].) Similarly, [[meteorites]] may be considered memorials to Thor in folk tradition due to their sheer weight. On the Swedish island of [[Gotland]], a species of beetle (''Scarabæus stercorarius'') was named after the god; the {{lang|is|Thorbagge}}. When the beetle is found turned upside down and one flips it over, Thor's favor may be gained. In other regions of Sweden the name of the beetle appears to have been demonized with Christianization, where the insect came to be known as {{lang|is|Thordedjefvul}} or {{lang|is|Thordyfvel}} (both meaning "Thor-devil").<ref name="THORPE-1851-51-54">Thorpe (1851:51–54).</ref>

In the northwest of Spain, there is a river called [[River Torío|Torío]] in the municipality of [[Cármenes]] ([[Province of León|León]]) that take name from the god Thor.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fierro |first1=Ángel |title=Arbolio. Cuentos tradicionales |date=1996 |publisher=Edilesa |location=León |isbn=84-8012-143-2 |page=59}}</ref>

==Origin, theories, and interpretations==
Thor closely resembles other Indo-European deities associated with the thunder: the [[Celtic mythology|Celtic]] [[Taranis]],<ref>De Vries (1957:111).</ref><ref name="SIMEK322">Simek (2007:322).</ref> the [[Estonian mythology|Estonian]] [[Taara]] (or Tharapita), the [[Baltic mythology|Baltic]] {{lang|lt|[[Perkūnas]]|italic=no}}, the [[Slavic mythology|Slavic]] [[Perun]],<ref>Turville-Petre (1964:96–97).</ref> and particularly the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] {{lang|sa-Latn|[[Indra]]|italic=no}}, whose thunderbolt weapon the {{lang|sa-Latn|[[vajra]]|italic=no}} is an obvious parallels noted already by [[Max Müller]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Friedrich Max Müller|author-link=Max Müller|title=Contributions to the Science of Mythology|url=https://archive.org/details/contributionsto01mlgoog|year=1897|publisher=Longmans Green|pages=[https://archive.org/details/contributionsto01mlgoog/page/n334 744]–749}}</ref> Scholars have compared Indra's slaying of {{lang|sa-Latn|[[Vritra]]|italic=no}} with Thor's battle with {{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]|italic=no}}.<ref name="SIMEK322"/> Although in the past it was suggested that Thor was an indigenous sky god or a Viking Age import into Scandinavia, these Indo-European parallels make him generally accepted today as ultimately derived from a [[Proto-Indo-European mythology|Proto-Indo-European deity]].<ref name="SIMEK322"/><ref>Dumézil (1973:17).</ref><ref>De Vries (1957:151–53)</ref><ref>Turville-Petre (1964:103–05)</ref>

In {{lang|fr|[[Georges Dumézil]]|italic=no}}'s [[trifunctional hypothesis]] of Indo-European religion, Thor represents the second function, that of strength. {{lang|fr|Dumézil|italic=no}} notes that as a result of displacements, he does not lead armies; most of the functions of Indra have been in effect taken over by Odin.<ref>{{lang|fr|Dumézil. ''Heur et malheur du guerrier''|italic=unset}}. 2nd ed. Flammarion, 1985, p.&nbsp;168 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Many scholars have noted the association of Thor with fertility, particularly in later folklore and in the reflex of him represented by the Sami {{lang|sma|[[Hora galles]]|italic=no}} ("Good-man Thor"). For {{lang|fr|Dumézil|italic=no}}, this is the preservation by peasants of only the side-effect of the god's atmospheric battles: the fertilizing rain.<ref>Dumézil (1973:71–72).</ref> Others have emphasized Thor's close connection to humanity, in all its concerns.<ref>De Vries (1957:152–53)</ref> Scholar [[Hilda Ellis Davidson]] summarizes:
<blockquote>
The cult of Thor was linked with men's habitation and possessions, and with the well-being of the family and community. This included the fruitfulness of the fields, and Thor, although pictured primarily as a [[storm god]] in the myths, was also concerned with the fertility and preservation of the seasonal round. In our own times, little stone axes from the distant past have been used as fertility symbols and placed by the farmer in the holes made by the drill to receive the first seed of spring. Thor's marriage with {{lang|non|Sif|italic=no}} of the golden hair, about which we hear little in the myths, seems to be a memory of the ancient symbol of [[hieros gamos|divine marriage]] between [[sky deity|sky god]] and [[earth goddess]], when he comes to earth in the thunderstorm and the storm brings the rain which makes the fields fertile. In this way Thor, as well as Odin, may be seen to continue the cult of the sky god which was known in the [[Nordic Bronze Age|Bronze Age]].<ref name="DAVIDSON-II-72">Davidson (1975:72).</ref>
</blockquote>

==Modern influence==
{{Further|Thor in comics}}

[[File:Johann Heinrich Füssli 011.jpg|thumb|''[[Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent]]'' (1790) by [[Henry Fuseli]]]]
[[File:Thor-aalborg-bicycle-head-badge.jpg|thumb|An early 20th century Danish bicycle [[head badge]] depicting Thor]]
In modern times, Thor continues to be referred to in art and fiction. Starting with {{lang|de|F. J. Klopstock|italic=no}}'s 1776 ode to Thor, {{lang|de|Wir und Sie|italic=yes}}, Thor has been the subject of poems in several languages, including {{lang|da|[[Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger]]|italic=no}}'s 1807 epic poem {{lang|da|Thors reise til Jotunheim|italic=yes}} and, by the same author, three more poems ({{lang|da|Hammeren hentes|italic=yes}}, {{lang|da|Thors fiskeri|italic=yes}}, and {{lang|da|Thor besøger Hymir|italic=yes}}) collected in his 1819 {{lang|da|Nordens Guder|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thors Trunk|italic=yes}} (1859) by {{lang|de|[[Wilhelm Hertz]]|italic=no}}; the 1820 satirical poem {{lang|sv|Mythologierne eller Gudatvisten|italic=yes}} by {{lang|sv|J. M. Stiernstolpe|italic=no}}; {{lang|da|Nordens Mythologie eller Sinnbilled-Sprog|italic=yes}} (1832) by {{lang|da|[[N. F. S. Grundtvig]]|italic=no}}; the poem {{lang|sv|Harmen|italic=yes}} by {{lang|sv|[[Thor Thorild]]|italic=no}}; {{lang|de|Der Mythus von Thor|italic=yes}} (1836) by {{lang|de|[[Ludwig Uhland]]|italic=no}}; {{lang|de|Der Hammer Thors|italic=yes}} (1915) by {{lang|de|W. Schulte v. Brühl|italic=no}}; {{lang|de|[[Hans Friedrich Blunck]]|italic=no}}'s {{lang|de|Herr Dunnar und die Bauern|italic=yes}} (published in {{lang|de|Märchen und Sagen|italic=yes}}, 1937); and {{lang|de|Die Heimholung des Hammers|italic=yes}} (1977) by {{lang|de|H. C. Artmann|italic=no}}.<ref name="SIMEK323">Simek (2007:323).</ref> In English he features for example in [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]]'s "The Challenge of Thor" (1863)<ref>{{harvcoltxt|Arnold|2011|p=141}}</ref> and in two works by [[Rudyard Kipling]]: ''Letters of Travel: 1892–1913''{{cn|date=July 2025}} and "Cold Iron" in ''[[Rewards and Fairies]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Coates J.|title=Thor and Tyr: Sacrifice, Necessary Suffering and the Battle against Disorder in Rewards and Fairies|journal=English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920|edition=1986;29(1)|pages=64-75|access-date=16 July 2025|url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=15811512&lang=ru&site=eds-live&scope=site}}</ref> [[L. Sprague de Camp]]'s ''[[Harold Shea]]'' met with Thor, as with other Norse gods, in the first of Shea's many fantasy adventures.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Breckenridge CK|title=The Incomplete Enchanter|journal=Critical Survey of Science Fiction & Fantasy Literature, Third Edition|date=March 2017|pages=594–596|access-date=16 July 2025|url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=127565750&site=eds-live&scope=site}}</ref>

Artists have also depicted Thor in painting and sculpture, including [[Henry Fuseli]]'s 1780 painting ''[[Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent]]''; {{lang|de|[[Hermann Ernst Freund|H. E. Freund]]|italic=no}}'s 1821–1822 statue ''Thor''; B. E. Fogelberg's 1844 marble statue ''Thor''; [[Mårten Eskil Winge]]'s 1872 painting ''[[Thor's Fight with the Giants]]''; K. Ehrenberg's 1883 drawing {{lang|de|Odin, Thor und Magni|italic=yes}}; several illustrations by {{lang|de|E. Doepler|italic=no}} published in {{lang|de|Wilhelm Ranisch|italic=no}}'s 1901 {{lang|de|Walhall|italic=yes}} (''Thor''; {{lang|de|Thor und die Midgardschlange|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor den Hrungnir bekämpfend|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor bei dem Riesen Þrym als Braut verkleidet|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor bei Hymir|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor bei Skrymir|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor den Fluß Wimur durchwatend|italic=yes}}); [[John Charles Dollman|J. C. Dollman]]'s 1909 drawings ''Thor and the Mountain'' and ''Sif and Thor''; G. Poppe's painting ''Thor''; {{lang|de|E. Pottner|italic=no}}'s 1914 drawing {{lang|de|Thors Schatten|italic=yes}}; H. Natter's marble statue ''Thor''; and U. Brember's 1977 illustrations to {{lang|de|Die Heimholung des Hammers|italic=yes}} by {{lang|de|H. C. Artmann|italic=no}}.<ref name="SIMEK323"/>

In the fields of science and technology, Swedish chemist {{lang|sv|[[Jöns Jacob Berzelius]]|italic=no}} (1779–1848) discovered a [[chemical element]] that he named after Thor – [[thorium]].<ref name="MORRIS-2212">Morris (1992:2212).</ref> Thor is also the namesake of the [[PGM-17 Thor]] missile.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

In 1962, American comic book artist [[Jack Kirby]], [[Marvel Comics]] editor [[Stan Lee]] and his brother [[Larry Lieber]] created a feature in the comic book ''[[Journey Into Mystery]]'', a series featuring [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]] as a [[superhero]].<ref name="REYNOLDS-54">Reynolds (1994:54).</ref> This version of Thor is portrayed as a clean-shaven blonde, instead of red-haired and bearded. The magazine soon added the backup feature "Tales of Asgard" in which Kirby illustrated stories from Norse mythology; eventually, the magazine was retitled ''Thor''. Lee and Kirby included Thor as a founding member of their superhero team [[Avengers (comics)|the Avengers]]. [[Thor (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Thor]] has been portrayed in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] by Australian actor [[Chris Hemsworth]], appearing in ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', ''[[The Avengers (2012 film)|The Avengers]]'', ''[[Thor: The Dark World]]'', ''[[Avengers: Age of Ultron]]'', ''[[Doctor Strange (2016 film)|Doctor Strange]]'', ''[[Team Thor]]'', ''[[Thor: Ragnarok]]'', ''[[Avengers: Infinity War]]'', ''[[Avengers: Endgame]]'' and ''[[Thor: Love and Thunder]]''.<ref name="Den of Geek 2022">{{cite web | title=Thor: Chris Hemsworth Talks Future MCU Exit | website=Den of Geek | date=23 June 2022 | url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/thor-chris-hemsworth-mcu-exit/ | access-date=7 July 2022 | archive-date=7 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707054444/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/thor-chris-hemsworth-mcu-exit/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Thor has also been featured in comic books by other publishers. In the [[Savage Dragon]] comics, Thor is portrayed as a villain.<ref>{{cite web|title=Thor Comes — And Brings Bloodshed With Him — In Savage Dragon #257|author=Russ Burlingame|date=26 February 2021|url=https://comicbook.com/comics/news/erik-larsen-savage-dragon-257-interview/|website=[[ComicBook.com]]}}</ref> In [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[The Sandman (comic book)|Sandman]]'' comic, Thor is portrayed as a buffoon who wields a tiny toffee hammer.

First described in 2013, [[Thor's hero shrew]] (''Scutisorex thori'') is a species of [[shrew]] native to the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]]. It and its [[sister group|sister species]], the [[hero shrew]] (''Scutisorex somereni''), are the only mammal species known to have interlocking [[vertebrae]].<ref name="SHREW">Johnson (2013).</ref> The team named the shrew after Thor due to the god's association with strength.<ref name="SHREW"/>

From 2015 to 2017, a fictionalised version of Thor was a supporting character in ''[[Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard]]'', a [[trilogy]]<ref>{{Cite web|title = Rick Riordan announces 'Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard'|url = http://www.hypable.com/rick-riordan-announces-magnus-chase-and-the-gods-of-asgard/|website = Hypable|date = 23 September 2014|access-date = 29 November 2015|archive-date = 8 December 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208073024/http://www.hypable.com/rick-riordan-announces-magnus-chase-and-the-gods-of-asgard/|url-status = live}}</ref> of [[fantasy novels]] written by American author [[Rick Riordan]] and published by [[Disney Publishing Worldwide|Disney]]-[[Hachette Books#Hyperion Books|Hyperion]], set in the same [[fictional universe]] as the ''[[Camp Half-Blood Chronicles]]'', and ''[[The Kane Chronicles]]'' series by the same author. Neil Gaiman's books ''[[American Gods]]'' and ''[[Norse Mythology (book)|Norse Mythology]]'' also feature Thor.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

In January 2020, the streaming service [[Netflix]] produced [[Ragnarok (TV series)|''Ragnarok'']]. In the show, a high school student, Magne Seier, receives Thor's powers and abilities to fight the giants that are polluting Norway and murdering people. Netflix released the second season on 27 May 2021. Thor/Magne is portrayed by [[David Stakston]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sheenascott/2021/05/29/ragnarok-season-2-on-netflix-norse-mythology-retold/ |title='Ragnarok' Season 2 On Netflix: Norse Mythology Retold |work=Forbes |last=Scott |first=Sheena |date=29 May 2021 |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819154428/https://www.forbes.com/sites/sheenascott/2021/05/29/ragnarok-season-2-on-netflix-norse-mythology-retold/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Thor is also featured in a number of video games. In the 2002 [[Ensemble Studios]] game ''[[Age of Mythology]]'', Thor is one of three major gods Norse players can worship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/age-of-mythology/The_Major_Gods |title=Age of Mythology Wiki Guide: The Major Gods |work=IGN |date=23 April 2014 |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=3 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803201819/https://www.ign.com/wikis/age-of-mythology/The_Major_Gods |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/Age_of_Mythology/page/n11/mode/2up |title=Age of Mythology |page=20 |via=webarchive.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/Age_of_Mythology_Reference_Manual/page/n29/mode/2up |title=Age of Mythology Reference Guide |page=33 |via=webarchive.org}}</ref> In [[Santa Monica Studio]]'s 2018 video game ''[[God of War (2018 video game)|God of War]]'', Thor is mentioned throughout and his sons Magni and Modi are secondary antagonists. Thor makes an appearance at the end of the main storyline if certain difficulty conditions are met by the player.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gamerant.com/god-war-ragnarok-sequel-thor/|title=Everything Known About God of War's Thor Before Ragnarok Sequel|date=4 January 2021|website=Game Rant|access-date=12 September 2021|archive-date=12 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912171608/https://gamerant.com/god-war-ragnarok-sequel-thor/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/god-of-war-2018/Thor |title=God of War (2018) Wiki Guide: Thor |work=IGN |date=7 November 2022 |access-date=9 November 2022 |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407062850/https://www.ign.com/wikis/god-of-war-2018/Thor |url-status=live }}</ref> He makes a much more substantial appearance in the game's 2022 sequel ''[[God of War Ragnarök]]'' as a primary antagonist, played by [[Ryan Hurst]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-guide/23434302/norse-myth-inspiration-characters-odin-thor-freya |title=How God of War Ragnarök's characters compare to actual Norse myth |website=Polygon |date=24 April 2018 |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=9 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109222246/https://www.polygon.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-guide/23434302/norse-myth-inspiration-characters-odin-thor-freya |url-status=live }}</ref> Thor is also mentioned in [[Ubisoft]]'s 2020 game ''[[Assassin's Creed Valhalla]]'', where items of his such as Mjölnir can be found and used by the player in combat.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/assassins-creed-valhalla-thor-mjolnir-armor/ |title=Assassin's Creed Valhalla Thor armor: Where to find Thor's gear and Mjolnir |magazine=Games Radar |last=Blain |first=Louise |date=11 May 2021 |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=31 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731011633/https://www.gamesradar.com/assassins-creed-valhalla-thor-mjolnir-armor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Thor is also one of the playable gods in the [[Third-person (video games)|third-person]] [[multiplayer online battle arena]] game ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smitegame.com/gods/ |title=Gods |website=smitegame.com |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=31 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731071415/https://www.smitegame.com/gods/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Axe of Perun]]
*[[Hercules Magusanus]]
*[[Indra]]
*[[List of Germanic deities]]
*[[Perun]]
*[[Zeus]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |last1=Arnold |first1=Martin |title=Thor: Myth to Marvel |year=2011 |publisher=Continuum |isbn=978-1-4411-3715-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Astås |first1=Reidar |year=1993 |chapter=Óláfr, St. |title=Medieval Scandinavia, an Encyclopedia |editor-last=Pulsiano |editor-first=Phillip |location=NY and London |publisher=Garland |isbn=0-8240-4787-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bellows |first1=Henry Adams |author-link=Henry Adams Bellows (businessman) |year=1923 |title=The Poetic Edda |publisher=American Scandinavian Foundation}}
* {{cite book |last1=Birley |first1=Anthony R. |author-mask=[[Anthony Birley|Birley, Anthony R.]] (Trans.) |year=1999 |title=Agricola and Germany |publisher=Oxford World's Classics |isbn=978-0-19-283300-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/agricolagermany00taci}}
* Chrisholm, Hugh (Editor) (1910) [https://books.google.com/books?id=t_0tAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP1 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', vol. 9]. [[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|The Encyclopædia Britannica Co.]]
* [[Jan de Vries (linguist)|de Vries, Jan]] (1957). ''Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte'' Volume 2. 2nd ed. (repr. 1970). Grundriß der germanischen Philologie, Volume 12/II. De Gruyter. {{in lang|de}}
* {{Cite book |last=de Vries |first=Jan |title=Altnordisches Etymologisches Worterbuch |year=1962 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-05436-3 |author-link=Jan de Vries (philologist) |edition=1977}}
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{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto = yes}}
* [https://myndir.uvic.ca/ThoR01.html MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository)]—Illustrations of {{lang|non|Þórr|italic=no}} from manuscripts and early print books.

{{Þórr}}
{{Norse mythology}}
{{Anglo-SaxonPaganism}}
{{Thor}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Thor| ]]
[[Category:Æsir]]
[[Category:Dragonslayers]]
[[Category:Germanic gods]]
[[Category:Jovian deities]]
[[Category:Killed deities]]
[[Category:Mythological city founders]]
[[Category:Norse gods]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]
[[Category:Sons of Odin]]
[[Category:Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints]]
[[Category:Thunder gods]]