Patron Deity - Thor
Thor is the mightiest champion of the Aesir Gods, the Protector and Hallower.
It is Thor who defends Midgard and Asgard from the Jötunar (Giants: often destructive
forces of entropy and chaos). The Thunder God's primary role is to maintain order and
to protect the Gods, humans, alfs, and the Earth from destruction. Thor's famous Dwarf-made
Hammer Mjollnir ("Crusher"?,"Miller"? or possibly cognate to the Russian molnya,
("lightning") has the power of Lightning, and always returns to His hand when thrown. With
its power and His enormous might, doubled by His magic Girdle of Strength, and the iron
gauntlets with which He handles Mjollnir, He prevails against His enemies, and clears
the ways of harmful wights. It is said that no thing living can stand against Thor.
Although Thor is known as the Champion of the Gods, He is not known to take part in
the battles of men on Earth. His strength comes from His holiness, which is unbearable
to ill-willed beings, and He is not a God of unprovoked aggression. One of Thor's
names is Óku-Thór (Driver-Thor), for He travels the skies and Earth in his chariot
drawn by magical goats. Rolling thunder is the sound of Thor's chariot wheels as He
rides the skies.

Thor's appearance is that of a mature man, tall, muscular, red haired and bearded,
with very intense eyes. He is often symbolically depicted with wide staring eyes,
possibly a sign of His spiritual might. Thor has a sometimes brooding, sometimes
jolly nature, much like the weather. He is known for His great appetite for food
and especially for mead, as well as for His willingness to battle giants. The Thunderer
is known for travelling in His chariot drawn by the magical goats Tanngrísnir
(Tooth-Gnasher) and Tanngnjóstr (Tooth-Grinder). If He wishes, Thor can kill and eat
these goats' flesh for dinner, and by placing their bones upon their skin, awaken
them in the morning to life by passing His hammer over them. Thor's realm in Asgard
is a place called Thrudvangr ("Plains of Strength"), and his hall is Bilskirnir. Odin
says of Thor's hall: "Five hundred apartments and yet forty more I think are in
Bilskirnir in all. Of the buildings whose roofs I know, I know my son's is the greatest"

The son of the sky God Wodan and the Goddess of Earth, Thor partakes of the nature of
both. His lightning as the link between Sky and Earth symbolises the might generated
by the meeting of opposites. Thor's mate is Sif, a Goddess about whom little lore has
survived into the Christian era. It is believed by most modern Asatruar that She is a
Goddess of the ripening grain. Her hair is golden, like the crops at harvest-tide. While
He is in some respects a sky God of storms and weather, Thor maintains His connection
to Earth in His aspect as Bringer of Fertility to crops. Thor has a powerful daughter,
Thrudr ("Strength"), by Sif, and two mighty sons by a Jotun-lover: Modi ("Bravery") and
Magni ("Main-Strength").

Agriculture is under Freyr and Freya's aegis, but is Thor's realm of activity as well.
There is folklore that links lightning to the growth of crops. The Hammer of Thor can
indeed be seen as a phallic fertility symbol, that hallows the crops to bring forth
fruits. The Thunderer's bolts bring fertility to Sif's crops, and His rains nourish
them. Thor historically was the God of farmers, the people of the Land. In a time
when fertility of the crops meant life or death for the tribe, one can see that for
the people Thor's role was a vital one indeed. One meaning of the rune Haglaz,
"hail", is fertility. If an early storm--of Thor's brewing-- brought hail, when it
melted it was thought to have a fertilising effect on the Earth. It is easy to see
why Thor's hammers became popular amulets for health and vitality. Health, wholeness
and holiness are linguistically linked in the Germanic languages, and indeed all three
may be seen as Thor's gifts.

It is intriguing that the Protector God of the Northern pantheon, the upholder of cosmic
order, is the God of Thunder and Lightning, considered by Indo-Europeans for thousands
of years to be manifestations of divinity. One does not think of Jove without His
thunderbolts, or of Thor without the accompanying roar of Thunder. The bone-shaking
vibration of thunder has from the most ancient times been seen of as the sound of ultimate
reality, communicating the most awesome truths to humankind. It is clear that to the
human psyche, regardless of culture, the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning, most
awesome of natural phenomena, are glimpses of the divine Mystery. AUM, the great mantra of
the Buddhists, is the sound of thunder proceeding from vajra, the flash of cosmic
enlightenment, and the perception at once of the harmony, wholeness, and order of all,
transcending limited perception. Holiness and the lightning's supreme power are coupled
to control the forces of chaos. It tells us much that lightning, though destructive at
times, is nonetheless an attribute of the God Protector of humanity and the defender of
life on Earth. I find this particularly relevant now, when science has advanced theory
that life on earth was caused by lightning striking the "primordial" soup of Earth's early
enzyme-laden seas.

As their special protector, Thor has always been the most beloved of Gods to the common folk.
He was and is much honoured among Heathens. Thor's hammer was and is used in Heathen marriage
ceremonies to bless the bride, and at funerals to hallow the pyre. On some of the ancient
rune stones, Thor is called upon to hallow the runes. A large ceremonial Thor's hammer is
used by the Goði in some Asatru kindreds to hallow ritual space, and offerings such as mead.
Small amulets of Thor's hammer were worn in Viking times for protection, to signify that Thor
was a personal friend among the Gods, and to publicly show Heathen troth. Many modern Asatruar
wear Thor's hammers today for the same reasons.

Thor is a great traveller, and is known to go on journeys to the East (Giant-land) with other
Gods. One of His companions on many of these journeys is Loki, although he is not a person
for whom Thor has an excess of affection. Loki's cunning, sneakiness, and deceitfulness are
certainly in opposition to Thor's directness and honesty. However, they seem a well matched
pair of opposites, especially when it comes to having adventures. Loki, who through cleverness
excels at both getting others into and out of trouble, and Thor, whose frank nature is both
susceptible to and immune from deceits. Their sometime partnership adds conflict and interest
to the tales we have recorded of them. When Loki does something truly terrible, however, it is
Thor to whom the Gods turn to remedy the situation. Loki respects Thor, mightiest of living
things, and does not relish the thought of having the Thunderer's hammer raised against him. It
is, after all, Thor's job to see that Jötunish chaos does not get out of hand.

Thor has a sense of humour, and is not above making Himself foolish to some extent in a good
cause. He does not brook insults, however, and especially finds the harm of innocents
unamusing. When Loki crosses the line from sarcastic to dangerous, Thor is ready to step in.
The God of Thunder dressed as a bride seems a farcical story, but it may be a memory of a more
deeply significant shamanic tale. The fact that Thor's quest for his hammer (which is an
obvious phallic symbol) involves dressing as a woman (an archetypal shamanic initiation for
males) seems to indicate that this is the case.

As with all the Norse Gods, Thor is looked upon as a friend by his devotees. Thor is dedicated
to the protection of human kind, and He is good to call upon when travelling or in dire
situations. His is the power to break through obstacles and strike to the heart of the matter.
Thor brings freshness, honesty, directness to a situation. The Well-Wisher of Men can give
clarity, and bestow spiritual enlightenment. As Thor loves companionship and feasting, He is
good to invoke at feasts, and brings jollity to celebrations. Master of powerful natural forces,
Thor is trusted and loved by the folk because He uses His awesome might to protect and keep order,
not to harm and destroy. Like His Father Odin, Thor is very concerned with preserving the Earth
and all Life.


Thors different names through out the world:

*Þunraz.........*Proto-Germanic
Thunaer......... Old Low German
Donar.........Old High German "Thunder"
Thunar.........Anglo-Saxon "Thunder"
Donner.........Modern German "Thunder"
Thor.........Modern English "Thunder"
Tor.........Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Þórr.........Old Norse (Old Icelandic) "Thunder"
Ása-Thór........."Thor of the Aesir"
Vingthór........."Consecration Thor"
Lorride.........Old Norse"?"
Hlórriþi.........Old Norse "?"
Óku-Thór.........Old Norse "Driver Thor"
Gofar.........Swedish "The Good Father"
Atli
Ásabrag
Ennilang
Eindridi
Bjorn
Hardveur
Sonnung
Veud
Rym
"Deep Thinker"
"Man's Well-Wisher"
"Reiner of Goats"
"Mjollnir's Lord"
"Bilskirnir's Lord"
"The Thunderer"
"The Son of Odin and Jord"
"Father of Magni, Modi, and Thrudr"
"Husband of Sif"
"Sif's Beloved"
"Stepfather to Ullr"
"Owner of the Girdle of Might"
"Defender of Asgard and Midgard"
"Slayer of Giants"
"Killer of Hrungnir, Geirrod, and Thrivaldi"
"Lord of Thialfi and Roskva"
"Enemy of the Midgard Serpent"
"Foster Son of Vingnir and Hlora"
"Oflugbardi's Terrifier"
"Midgard's Buckler or Shield"