By the Gods!

Thor

In honour of today’s premiere of the Marvel “Thor,” let’s give some credit to the Germanic god of thunder on whom the character is based!

The son of Odin the All-Father (and leader of the Aesir), Thor was the champion of good in Norse/German mythology. Riding his chariot pulled by goats through the sky, long red beard and hair blowing in the wind, Thor wields the magic hammer Mjollnir and brings the pain to Frost Giants. The name “Thor” means thunder, and “Mjollnir” may have once meant lightning. 

Things that Thor loves: contests of strength, eating enormous amounts of food in one sitting (a whole ox, for example), drinking like a champ (at one time he drank so much that he lowered sea levels all over the earth), and as aforementioned, cracking Frost Giant skulls. The Frost Giants were the adversaries of the Aesir, and were generally gigantic, angry, and immensely strong. They all hated Thor, because he kept taking out their champions in duels and contests, one by one reducing their numbers and building his own prestige.

Though you might know Loki, the trickster, as an enemy of the Aesir (which he did eventually become), he and Thor used to have adventures together back in the good ol’ days. They have a complex relationship now, I suppose. I mean, sure, Loki did try and get Thor killed a few times, but it was all in the spirit of fun!

That should tide you over for now. Go out and see the movie (I’m checking it out tonight!) and try to spot the differences between Norse and Marvel mythos; Thor wasn’t a natural blonde, guys. 

Gungnir

Gungnir was the magic spear of Odin, the mighty chief of the Aesir. It was forged by the dwarfs, the sons of Ivaldi, who dwelt in mountains and beneath the earth. They were master craftsmen, and forged many magic knick-knacks for the Germanic gods.

On this occasion, they had been ordered to make a wig of spun gold as a replacement for the golden hair of Thor’s wife, Sif, that had been cut off as a joke by Loki, who was never as funny as he thought he was. Having made the wig without any issue, the dwarfs thought they’d use the furnace, already working, to make some additional godly gear. They made a magic ship for Frey that could be folded up small enough to fit in a pocket, and for Odin, the powerful spear, Gungnir.

Gungnir was remarkably slender, that it could be thrown great distances, and yet so strong it was nigh unbreakable. It was blessed with spells to ensure that it would never miss its mark when thrown. When Odin hung himself on the cosmic tree Yggdrasil for nine nights in order to obtain wisdom, he was, just like Jesus of Nazareth, stabbed with a spear. Patterns! Keep your eye out for them. Cultural diffusion  suggests that similarities in myth aren’t just coincidences! People hear a story, and make it their own. Keep that in mind when perusing this here blog!

It was required, in Germanic custom, that a spear should be thrown over the heads of an enemy force before battle commenced, as an entreaty for Odin’s aid.