Thor

**Thor** is the Norse God of Thunder.

## **Background**

Thor bears at least fifteen names, is the husband of the golden-haired goddess Sif, is the lover of the Jotunn Járnsaxa, and is generally described as fierce eyed, with red hair and red beard. With Sif, Thor fathered the goddess Þrúðr; with Járnsaxa, he fathered Magni; with a mother whose name is not recorded, he fathered Modi, and he is the stepfather of the god Ullr. By way of Odin, Thor has numerous brothers, including Baldur. Thor has two servants, Þjálfi and Röskva, rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (that he eats and resurrects), and is ascribed three dwellings (Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr, and Þrúðvangr). Thor wields the hammer Mjölnir, wears the belt Megingjörð and the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the staff Gríðarvölr. Thor's exploits, including his relentless slaughter of his foes and fierce battles with Jormungandr—and their foretold mutual destruction during the events of Ragnarok—are recorded throughout sources for Norse mythology.

Into the modern period, Thor continued to be acknowledged in rural folklore throughout Nordic-speaking Europe.

In the poem *Lokasenna*, Loki angrily flites with the gods in the sea-god Ægir'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 Sif, Thor's wife, whom Loki then claims to have slept with. The god Freyr's servant Beyla interjects, and says that, since all of the mountains are shaking, she thinks that Thor is on his way home. Beyla adds that Thor will bring peace to the quarrel, to which Loki responds with insults.

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" (Fenrir) when it eats Odin (a reference to the foretold events of Ragnarök). 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 Útgarða-Loki, recounted in the *Prose Edda* book *Gylfaginning*)—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 Útgarða-Loki. Thor responds with a fourth call to be silent, and threatens to send Loki to Helheim. At Thor's final threat, Loki gives in.

## Personality

Thor is widely feared throughout the Nine Realms for his cruelty, violent temper, brutality while in battle. He is utterly ruthless, showing no mercy to his enemies. Typical of Norse gods, Thor possesses a sense of honour and dislikes cowardice. Thor's overall intelligence could be called into question, as many a time has Thor been made a fool of himself or made stupid, reckless mistakes. Thor seems to be genocidal in nature as many times he has massacared groups of Jotunn, most famously after retriving his stolen Mjolnir from a Jotunn king. He has also threatened Loki multiple times and often has resorted to threatening to mutilate him in some way.

## **Appearance**

Thor appears as an exceptionally tall muscular man. He possesses blue eyes, blond hair, and has a thick beard which he keeps braided. He wears a black hooded cloak fastened together with a red leather chord and armor, the latter of which consists of a decoratively embossed chestguard and matching vambraces worn over a long-sleeved shirt.

## **Known Powers and Abilities**

Being Odin's oldest son, Thor is the second most powerful of the Aesir (and maybe physically the strongest Aesir), surpassed only by his father. His power is great enough for having slaughtered many Jotunn.

* **Super Strength** - Thor is one of the strongest of known Norse Gods, surpassing that of Baldur, Magni, Modi, and Tyr. His strength is so great that he was able to singlehandedly slaughter the Jotunn to near extinction, with only Jormungandr being strong enough to match his strength; their first battle was felt across all the Nine Realms. He is capable of using his hammer to level entire mountains.
* **Super Stamina** - Thor was able to massacre entire armies without fatigue.
* **Super Speed** - Despite his larger and stocky appearance, Thor can move at incredible speeds.
* **Immortality** - Typical of a god, Thor is immortal and is immune to aging and disease.
* **Nigh Invulnerability** - Thor must have tremendous amounts of invulnerability. He is able endure attacks from Jotnar without damage, which was most likely crucial in his ability to massacre them. However, he still can be incapacitated.
* **Nigh Indestructibility** - Thor cannot be truly destroyed, however his physical form can be which will incapacitate him for millenia.
* **Regeneration** - Thor is able to rapidly regenerate any injuries he recieves in combat.
* **Electrokinesis** - Being a god of thunder, Thor has absolute control over electricity and lightning. He can channel electricity through his hammer and cause lightning to rain down just by willing it.
* **Weather Manipulation** - Thor has the ability to summon harsh thunder storms at whim.
* **Teleportation** - Thor can teleport via lightning bolts. He is capable of traveling between realms.

## **Weaknesses**

* **Other Deities** - His father Odin is capable of overpowering him.
* **Divine Weaponry** - Godly weapons are capable of causing serious damage to Thor.