Thor is the Norse god of thunder and justice, the son of Odin, and nephew of Loki, one of many deities that the Vikings believe in. As the friendliest of the powerful gods, he is also the one most often prayed to. Throughout the series and franchise, he is also invoked by such phrases as, 'Oh My Thor!', 'For Thor's sake!' and 'What The Thor was that for!'
History[]
Thor is the Norse God of the sky and battle and was particularly associated with Thunder. He is the son of the Odin, king of the Aesir, and Jord, the goddess of the Earth. He is also the husband of Sif, the goddess of agriculture. In ancient Scandinavia, Thor was the most worshipped and celebrated of all the Aesir gods, being seen as both the protector of Midgard, the realm of man, and Asgard, the home of the Aesir gods.
As the protector of both realms, Thor would often defend both from the threat of the Jotnar (giants), earning him the praise of both humanity and the gods. As the god of the sky, the ancient Scandinavians would often pray to Thor for suitable weather for their crops, ensuring a plentiful harvest. This made Thor the patron god of farmers, making his role among the Norse all the more important, since the region’s bitter cold usually made it difficult for farming. Despite this, Thor was not the most intelligent of the gods, being short-tempered, prideful, stubborn, and often made snap-decisions that caused trouble for both himself and the other gods.
Thor’s greatest enemy is Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent; a giant snake that is said to be so long that it’s wrapped around the entire Earth. The serpent is also Thor’s cousin, having been born from Thor’s uncle Loki. At Ragnarok, the time in which most of the gods and men will perish in battle with the forces of evil, Thor will slay the serpent protecting the Earth but will die from its venom in the process.
Book Series[]
The Vikings have a great celebration on Thor's day Thursday.
How to Train Your Dragon[]
Vikings like Hiccup and his friends use "Thor is angry" as another way to say, "It's raining."
How to Speak Dragonese[]
Hiccup, with the help of some Nanodragons, tricked the Romans at Fort Sinister into believing that he was Thor, driving them out from the Archipelago.
| “ | MY NAME IS THOR THE THUNDERER, ANCIENT GOD OF THE VIKING TRIBES! | ” |
| — Hiccup speaking in Latin |
How to Ride a Dragon's Storm[]
At the climax of the book, Hiccup screams a challenge at the sky, which Thor seemingly answers, striking Hiccup's enemy dead with a lightning bolt. But then again, maybe that's just what happens when you stand on top of a ship's mast waving around an axe in a lightning storm.
DreamWorks Dragons (Franchise)[]
How to Train Your Dragon[]
Thor is mentioned two times in the film- by Gobber when the Vikings fight the Red Death, and by Stoick when he praises Hiccup about his success in the ring.
Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon[]
Thor about to cast his hammerheads.
Thor appears in Gobber's flashback, when Gobber is stuck at the Boneknapper's feet, after Gobber yelled, "HELP!". Thor appears and throws a mighty thunderbolt to the Earth, summoning the Hammerhead Yak and The Hammerhead Whale to help Gobber against the Boneknapper. Needless to say, Gobber's testimony of this is somewhat dubious.
Dragons: Riders of Berk[]
Stoick's first dragon, Thornado, is named after this god.
"When Lightning Strikes"[]
When a lightning storm ravages around Berk. Gobber states that Thor must be angry, and the only other time he can remember a lightning storm in Berk is during the time of Jorgern Barnstat. Stoick explains to Hiccup that he was a drifter and a thief who stole from the elderly. When he was fixing the mast of his ship to make his escape from Berk, Thor punished him by striking a thunderbolt right through his helmet. The lightning ended up setting the entire fleet of Berk in fire. And so, the villagers shipped Barnstat off the island and no one has heard a word about him since.
Thor's statue in Berk's village.
To appease the god, the teens come up with a plan to construct a magnificent statue of Thor himself, and place it in front of the Great Hall in a place of high honor. But when the lightning strikes don't stop, Mildew and the villagers believe Thor is punishing them for harboring a Night Fury, and blame Toothless. Their theory even appears to be proven when a lightning strike hits Toothless' prosthetic tail and burns it up
Later, however, it is revealed that metal was the cause of the lightning. Which led the villagers to believe Thor was actually angry at the metal. The statue was then taken to Mildew's farm, where the lightning bounced off the statue and struck Mildew.
Dragons: Defenders of Berk[]
"The Flight Stuff"[]
When Snotlout thinks he's about to die, he trains Gustav to be his replacement, and gives him a blessing as such, stating "Go with Thor, little man, for He will watch over you... with lightning bolts. And a giant hammer."
"Appetite for Destruction"[]
When islands started to disappear, Fishlegs gives his theory about why the Islands are disappearing he said the it might be Thor's rage, or Odin's rage.
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"[]
Thor's statue was then taken by the Smothering Smokebreaths when Johann brought them, discreetly, to Berk.
Games[]
Dragons: Titan Uprising[]
A Thunderclaw by the name of Valiant Vingthor is named after Thor and one of his many alternate names, "Vingthor".
Quotes[]
| “ | Thor is angry. [src] | ” |
| — Novices of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe when it rains. |
| “ | Beard of Thor, What is that?! [src] | ” |
| — Gobber when he sees the Red Death, |
| “ | Wait for it . . . [src] | ” |
| — Thor |
Trivia[]
- One of the islands in the Barbaric Archipelago is called Thor Rock Island.
- Contrary to popular belief, Thor is not the brother of Loki. This is only relative to Marvel Comics.
- "Thor" (or to use the Norse spelling, "Þórr") is literally the Old Norse word for "thunder."
- The How to Train Your Dragon version of Thor differs from the original mythological version in having blond rather than red hair and beard. This was probably due to the influence of Marvel Comics.
- Thor is invoked more than any other god in the franchise. This is likely due to the fact that Thor was the most popular of all the gods amongst the actual Vikings.
- Tom Kullersen wears a symbol of Mjölnir, Thor’s warhammer, on his jacket. The symbol is used to convey one’s devotion to Thor, with it now one of the main symbols of Asatru, the modern day worship of the Norse gods.
Gallery[]
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