Thor
Thor, from Old Norse: Þórr, is a prominent
god in Norse mythology and Germanic
paganism. He is a hammer-wielding god
associated with lightning, thunder, storms,
sacred groves and trees, strength, the
protection of humankind, hallowing, and
fertility. Besides Old Norse Þórr, the deity
occurs in Old English as Þunor (“Thunor”),
in Old Frisian as Thuner, in Old Saxon as
Thunar, and in Old High German as Donar,
all ultimately stemming from the Proto-
Germanic theonym *Þun (a)raz, meaning
‘Thunder’.
Thor is a prominently mentioned god
throughout the recorded history of the
Germanic peoples, from the Roman
occupation of regions of Germania, to the
Germanic expansions of the Migration
Period, to his high popularity during the
Viking Age, when, in the face of the
process of the Christianization of
Scandinavia, emblems of his hammer,
Mjölnir, were worn and Norse pagan
personal names containing the name of
the god bear witness to his popularity.