In Germanic mythology and religion, Thor is the god of thunder. He is typically portrayed as red-headed and bearded, and carrying Mjolnir, a magical hammer. Depictions of Mjolnir became popular adornment for warriors during the age of the Vikings, and it is still seen today among adherents of some forms of Norse Paganism.
A son of Odin, Thor was married to a fertility goddess named Sif, although he also had a mistress, Jarnsaxa. Thor was known for protecting both gods and mortals from the powers of evil. As keeper of thunder and lightning, he was also considered integral to the agricultural cycle. If there was a drought, it wouldnt hurt to offer a libation to Thor in hopes that the rains would come.
During a thunderstorm, Thor rode through the heavens on his great chariot, pulled by two magical goats. Whenever he swung Mjolnir, lightning flashed across the sky. Mjolnir itself was such a powerful item (as dwarf-made items often are in Norse legend) that Thor needed a special belt and iron gloves to handle the hammer. After it was thrown, the hammer always returned home to Thor. In the Prose Edda, the death of Thor at Ragnarok is described.
The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote of Thor:
I am the God Thor,
I am the War God,
I am the Thunderer!
Here in my Northland,
my fastness and fortress,
reign I forever!
Here amid icebergs
rule I the nations;
This is my hammer,
Milner the mighty;
Giants and sorcerers
cannot withstand it!
Thor's influence has carried over into modern times. A day of the week is named for him (Thor's day) and there are a number of references to him in pop culture. He appears as a Marvel comic book character, and pops up alongside Loki and Odin in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, as well as Gaiman's excellent novel, American Gods . Most recently, Thor has been featured in Joanne Harris' Runemarks , a book for juvenile readers set 500 years after Ragnarok.
Thor is a really interesting character. Some sources say he is the son of Jord and Odin, and others state he is the son of Frigga and Odin. Either way, he was born of great size and strength.
While he normally carried a cool temperment, he would occasionally go into terrible rages and become very dangerous. Because of his temper, he was sent to live with Vingnir ("the winged") and Hlora ("heat"). All of the Gods were grateful that these two raised him, including Thor himself. In honor of them, he took on two names: Vingthor and Hlorridi.Once he attained his full growth and had become more tolerant and reasonable he was permitted back in Asgard, where he occupied a seat in the council. He was given the realm of Thrud-vang where he built a palace named Bilskirnir ("lightening").
He was a God of thunder, and thus was not allowed to cross the bridge Bifrost: or he would set it on fire with his presence. He carried a hammer named Mioldnir ("the crusher"). There are variations of this name and I won't repeat what Tempt already mentioned. This hammer was an emblem of thunderbolts, generally glowing red hot. Thor had a gauntlet made of iron called Iarn-greiper which let him grasp and throw the hammer. To increase his strength, he wore a belt known as Megin-giord, which was said to have magical properties.
There's much more to him, espeically if you begin to read the varying tales of heroic acts he accomplished, so on and so forth. However, all in all, concerning his personality: He's interesting.
My favorite quote on him:
" First, Thor with the bent brow, in red beard muttering low, darting fierce lightenings from eyeballs that glow, comes, while each chairiot wheel echoes in thunder peal, as his dread hammer shock makes Earth and Heaven rock, cloud rifting above, while Earth quakes below " (J.C. Jones)
Sources:
Myths of Northern Lands by H.A. Guerber
Norse Mythology: Great Stories from the Eddas by Hamilton
Thor: Ages of Thunder by Gillen, Deconnick and Lee
