History: Thor is the bloodson of Odin, lord of the gods of Asgard, and Jord, who is also known as Gaea, the elder goddess of the Earth. Odin sought to father a son whose power would derive from Earth as well as Asgard, and hence he sought to mate with Jord. Odin created a cave in Norway where Jord gave birth to Thor. Months after the infant Thor was weaned, Odin brought him to Asgard to be raised. From that time onward Odin's wife, the goddess Frigga, acted as Thor's mother. Not until recent years did Thor learn that Jord was his mother.
   A severed eye of Odin once grew to great size, achieved sentience, and informed Thor that another Thor had existed before the current Thor's birth. This previous Thor is said to have killed the Midgard Serpent, and to have been killed himself by the dying monster's venom, at Ragnarok, the destruction of a previous version of Asgard. Odin himself was killed, but a new Odin appeared in the place of several gods who survived Ragnarok, and it was this new Odin who fathered the current version of Thor.
   Possibly these previous versions of Odin and Thor were earlier physical incarnations of the Odin and Thor of today. However, this account of Thor's origin by the severed eye of Odin may very well be entirely false. The eye's motives for constructing such a story, if it is false, are unknown.
   The young Thor was raised alongside Loki, who had been adopted by Odin after Loki's father, the Frost Giant Laufey, had been killed in battle. From childhood Loki was jealous of Thor, and his hatred grew over the years to a wish to destroy him. Thus began Loki's enmity for Thor, which persists to this day.
   When Thor was eight, Odin sent him to Nidalvelir, the land of the dwarves, to bid the dwarves Brokk and Eitri to create three treasures for Asgard's ruler. Among the three treasures that Brokk and Eitri created was the uru hammer Mjolnir (although Loki sabotaged the creation of the hammer so that its handle was made too short). Odin bestowed various enchantments upon the hammer, including one that made it impossible for anyone to lift it except someone who was truly worthy of wielding it. Odin then declared that he was reserving the use of Mjolnir for Thor, who would receive it on the day that great deeds of selfless valor had proved him worthy of it.
   For years Thor strove to become strong and worthy enough to wield the hammer, and was responsible for many heroic deeds. Finally, when Thor was sixteen, Odin presented him with the hammer, declaring he was indeed worthy of it. Thor became Asqard's greatest warrior.