Norse mythology part 4 - Thor the thunder god

Norse mythology part 4 - Thor the thundergod

Please remember that all the stories got layers of interpretation just like the bible. The first and obvious layer is “the story for campfire”, the next layer usually reflect or tells something about human behavior. Yet another layer links the gods and giants to natural powers such as thunder, comets and volcanoes. The deeper layer’s is knowledge of technological or scientific value, these layers is hard to reach unless you understand the society of that time and speak old norse. In this episode I’ll introduce you to one of the deeper layers in part 3. There’s a lot of names in this text, it is not important to catch them all, the important will be mentioned again.

Part 1: Introduction

Thor is the son of Odin and Jord, the earth goddess. And was the strongest of the Aesir. Thor married the golden haired Sif and had a mistress named Jarnsaxa (the “iron cutlass”), with whom he has two sons Magni and Modi and he’s daughter Trud.

Thor is usually portayed as a large, powerful man with a red beard, flowing hair and a hearty enjoyment of food and drink. Despite he’s ferocious appearance, he was very popular as the protector of the gods and the humans against the forces of evil. He was foremost of the gods to common man, who would call on him to ensure fertility.


Thor was well known for he’s quick and hot temper. This was often vented on the giants. He’s main weapon was he’s mighty hammer Mjøllnir which could create lightning and would return to Thor’s hand when thrown much like a boomerang. To use he’s hammer Thor needed he’s power belt and iron gloves.


The Norse believed that during a thunderstorm Thor rode through the heavens in he’s chariot pulled by the flying magical goats Tanngrisni (“Gap-tooth”) and Tanngnost (“tooth grinder”). These goats had more uses than pulling the chariot across the heaven. Now and then Thor would slay the goats and make a feast from the meat, then he would pack all the unbroken bones into the goats fur and the next day the goats would be resurrected. There’s a story about Loki and how he tricks a boy into breaking one of the goats legs to get some marrow, making the goat limb the next day which off cause ignite Thor’s fury.

Part 2: Stories & legends

There’s loads of myth’s about Thor and he’s bad temper, I’ll represent two here and maybe add some more later in the thread unless other beats me to it. First one is a story about Thor and a Giant who goes fishing, the second is a great story about how Thor got he’s hammer, that one on video.

Thor Goes Fishing

Thor had many adventures and one of them involved a fishing trip with the giant named Hymir. Thor had disguised himself as a young lad.

He asked Hymir if he could accompany him on his fishing trip. Hymir was not exactly overjoyed, but agreed to let him tag along.

He warned Thor that he could get scared in the boat at sea. Thor still insisted on coming.
When Thor asked Hymir about getting bait, Hymir got cranky. He told Thor to get his own fishing bait.

Thor went out to Hymir’s pasture. He grabbed a huge black ox and quickly killed the ox and snaps off the head. Thor took the head to use as bait.
Hymir and Thor started to row out to sea. Every time Hymir wanted to stop, Thor insisted they row even further from land, continuing into darker and less known waters.

Finally Thor was satisfied and started fishing using the ox head as bait. Almost immediately Thor felt a mighty force pulling fiercely on his fishing line. Thor used all his strength and started to haul in the line.

The catch was enormous. It was none other than the Midgard Serpent (Jormungand) who had taken the bait.

By this time Hymir was terrified.

The Midgard Serpent was the most dreaded creature to any fisherman.

Thor kept pulling, the serpent roared and waters of the ocean foamed.

Thor was by now back to being the thunder god and had grown in size and strength.
Hymir was now scared out of his wits. He grapped his knife and cut Thor’s fishing line off.

The Midgard Serpent sank back into the ocean very much alive. Thor smacked Hymir hard for what he had done. Hymir fell overboard. Thor himself waded ashore.


How Thor got he's hammer

Part 3: Did Vikings know about electricity and Earth’s magnetic field?

This is an interesting interpret from an insightful girl who Link Thor to Earth’s magnetic field and explain how the vikings may have known about the concept of electricity.

According to her Thor means thunder or “Son of the Earth”.
Thor is the masculine god of Asgard and is married to Sif which means lightning. They live inside something called Drurdvanger “The power field”.
Thor’s mission or main occupation is protecting the Earth from Utgartr (out-yard or the outside world). Normally Thor use he’s great hammer Mjøllnir which she interpret into “the grinder”.

So the thunder and lightning in the power field protects the Earth from outside forces according to the interpretation. Did the Vikings know about Earth’s magnetic field?

Part 4: Questions about the Vikings for Ancient Aliens.

Was Thor’s chariot some kind of spaceship? (created loud thunder and lightning in the sky)

What about the goat’s, did the god’s have a regenerating salve for severe damage/death?

…was the goats chimera’s (like the middle earth worm)?

Was Thor’s hammer a Alien weapon?

Did the Vikings know about Earth’s magnetic field?

Next interesting idea is that maybe the Vikings discovered electricity. Thor need he’s iron power belt and iron gloves to control he’s hammer and generate ligning?

You need two polar opposites to generate electricity, did the Vikings know this?

The Ship that can shrink into a pocket is kind of interesting too, do they use a "dimensional bag" or do they shrink/inflate the ship?


Norse mythology part 1 - The creation of the world and universe
Norse Mythology part 2 – The races, gods and their home
Norse mythology part 3 - Odin the allfather

pitt.edu
Thor - norse god of thunder
Norse mythology.com

My question is, with the chariot being a mostly GrecoRoman invention, at what point did it come into use in the mythology of Thor? What did Thor use before that?

s & f for you !

as a 6'6" 300 lb norwegian american with a big red beard, I really enjoyed this !

after seeing the movie I have been planning on getting a norse mythology book to brush up on my thor, but this thread did the trick !

everytime there is thunder, I say it so often now my kids beat me to it, they say, "let the giants have it thor !"


cheers !

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
My question is, with the chariot being a mostly GrecoRoman invention, at what point did it come into use in the mythology of Thor? What did Thor use before that?

the first chariot is now from slovenia. its on a stamp. 5100-5300 bp so baden culture? i would buy thor being baden.

S & F good sir! I particularly found Part 3 interesting and have watched a few more of that woman's videos and she really does put some good ideas out there and goes deeper than most academical books on Norse Gods/Mythology.

So a special thanks for bringing her to my attention

Thanks for the nice remarks.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


The Greek Roman empire which started around 150 BC did not invent the chariot, althou they may be the first culture who used it in wars. Southern Europe (Greek/Romans and later), took credit for a lot of inventions which they stole from others.

Its not easy to set a exact date on when the chariot was introduced in scandinavia, but theres a Danish artefact called "the sun chariot" which dates back into the bronzeage roughly 3200 years ago. The religions in the Pagan mythologies is introduced somewhere between 2-4000 BC depending on which parts of northen europe you visit. And The norse religion speak about chariots in the beginning of the universe, so you could speculate how far back they knew about this invention. As far as i know also the ancient egyptians used chariots, and you can find depictions of chariots in the Summerian culture, so i wouldn't credit the greek or romans.

Back to facts, here is a picture and a short video about the Sun chariot.





The vikings also visited america 6-700 years before Colombus without getting the credit. If the early pagans did traveled as far as the vikings later on, they would have been into contact with the Sumerians whos culture died around the time that the pagan began (roughly 4000 BC)

Danish national museum
Wiki

reply to post by Mimir

The Greek Roman empire which started around 150 BC did not invent the chariot, althou they may be the first culture who used it in wars

Yep, they didn't invent it the Sumerian did and it evolved into a war weapon around 2,000 BC, various folks in the Middle-East are thought to have developed the classic two-wheeled war chariot but some think Indo-Iranian tribes developed it first.

If the early pagans did traveled as far as the vikings later on, they would have been into contact with the Sumerians whos culture died around the time that the pagan began (roughly 4000 BC)

The Sumerian culture was doing just fine int 4000 BC and last several thousand years before being absorbed by the Akkadians around 1800 BC

reply to post by Hanslune


Yes, I see I were wrong about the "death-date" on Summer. The 4000BC is closer to the dawn of the summerian culture, and you'r 1800 BC is probably a lot closer to the end.
History-world write the following:

Before the Sumerians appeared on the land, it had been occupied by a non-Semitic people, referred to as Ubaidians. Their name comes from the village of Al Ubaid, in which their remains were first found by archaeologists.

The Ubaidians settled the region between 4500 and 4000 BC. They drained the marshes and introduced agriculture. They also developed trade based on small handicraft industries such as metalwork, leather goods, and pottery.

Led by Ur, the Sumerians again spread their rule far westward. During Ur's supremacy (about 2150 to 2050 BC) Sumerian culture reached its highest development. Shortly thereafter the cities lost their independence forever, and gradually the Sumerians completely disappeared as a people. Their language, however, lived on as the language of culture. Their writing, their business organization, their scientific knowledge, and their mythology and law were spread westward by the Babylonians and Assyrians.

At this point of time the pagan mythologies is well developed, but I doubt the pagans and the summer had contact, even thou it's a possibility.

The famous viking longboats that has been found is dated between 700-1000 AD. This is also the period where the vikings earned their "fame" around Europe with plunder and traderoutes. Around 1000AD Leif Ericson discover "Vinland" whats now the US. Saga's say Leif's decendant's stayed in Vinland for 4-500 years before leaving. During these hundreds of years the vikingdecendants and local Indian tribes coexisted and traded with each other. This actually means that there may have been Vikings on american soil when Christoffer Colombus "rediscovered" America.

The vikings also reached east of Moscow and Turkey passing channals throu not around Europe. The vikings was seafarers not a horsetribe.

Summerian culture
Erik den Røde (danish)

Originally posted by Mimir

At this point of time the pagan mythologies is well developed, but I doubt the pagans and the summer had contact, even thou it's a possibility.

they were worshipping the same god and goddess idols in mesopotamia and europe in the ubaid period and before. the painted pottery cultures of the two have been connected also.

by the way

the 3100bc thor 1000... a two goat powered chariot with platform for his chair

nice

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


the gods are not limited to the tools of the people who worship them

it is strange to me that people believe that Thor is just a metaphor for elector-magmatic field but would not consider that there actually is a Thor some where out there over the rainbow but there is trust me