Wielder of thunder, protector of humanity, friend of travelers.

Name(s): Thor is known in a number of different places by different but related names. For example, n Old High German the word for “thunder” is donar.

Parents: Odin and Jord.

Spouses: Sif.

Children: Thor’s children are sons Modi and Magni and daughter Thrud. The mother of Magni is said to be the jotun Jarnsaxa.

Affiliations: Thor is one of the Aesir.

Tales: In Þrymskviða the jotun/giant Thrym steals Thor’s hammer, and Freyja lets him and Loki borrow her feathered cloak to help with the recovery. When Thrym refuses to return the hammer unless he is given Freyja as wife, she also allows them to take her necklace Brisingamen so that Thor can disguise himself to look like her and complete the mission, while Loki takes the role of “Freyja’s” handmaid.

In Skaldskaparmal Loki cuts off Sif’s hair as a joke, and is made by Thor to pay reparations by commissioning the dwarves to make her a set of false hair made from gold as a replacement.

In Harbardsljod Thor engages in a match of insults with the ferryman Harbard (a disguised Odin).

In Hymiskvida Thor, while fishing, catches the Midgard Serpent and pulls it into the boat, but is able to send it back to the sea with his hammer.

In the Lokasenna no one can stop Loki’s series of insults until the arrival of Thor, who alone is able to deal with him.

According to the Voluspa, during Ragnarok Thor will battle the Midgard Serpent Jormundgandr; Thor will defeat the serpent but will ultimately be killed by its venom.

Literary evidence: In his Germania Tacitus describes the worship of “Hercules”; it’s believed that the Romans referred to Thor as Hercules by way of the interpretatio romana.

In Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum, Adam of Bremen describes the temple at Uppsala, which held three statues—Odin, Frey, and a large one of Thor

Historical evidence: A great number of small Thor’s hammer pendants have been found; these are believed to have been worn by Thor’s worshipers.

Hall: According to Grimnismal Thor’s hall is called Bilskirnir; in Gylfaginning this hall is said to stand in the land of Thrudvangr.

Other details: Our modern word “Thursday” bears his name—it translates to “Thor’s day.”

Thor drives a cart drawn by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, who can be killed, eaten, and brought back to life. His servants are Þjálfi and Röskva.

Thor’s greatest treasure is the hammer Mjolnir, but he has others: in Gylfaginning he is said to have a belt that doubles his already-considerable strength, and a pair of iron gloves to wear when he uses his hammer.