| Thor | |
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 Thor’s Battle Against the Jötnar, by Mårten Eskil Winge, 1872. | |
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Real Name |
Þórr, Þunor, Thor |
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First Appearance |
Norse Myth |
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Created by |
Norse Folklore |
Mythological Origin
The Norse god of thunder, Thor is the son of Odin and the giantess Jörd. His wife is Sif and he had a mistress the giantess Járnsaxa. Thor had two sons, Magni and Modi, and he had a daughter named Thrud. He resides in his hall known as the Bilskirnir which is located in Asgard. the two most famous myths about Thor are the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, but he also mentioned in numerous Sagas.
Powers and Abilities
He wield the short-handled hammer, Mjöllnir. His hammer can be thrown like a boomerang and has the power to throw lightning bolts. In order to lift his hammer, Thor wears the belt Megingjord, which gives the wearer super strength and a pair of special iron gloves, Járngreipr. He drives a chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr.
Public domain literary appearances
- Germania, by Tacitus, ca. 98. Due to interpretatio romana, Tacitus refers to Thor with the name of the Greco‐Roman demigod Hercules.
- Old Saxon baptismal vow, 9th Century.
- Kentish Royal Legend, 11th Century. Thunor kills two young princes and is later swallowed up by the earth.
- Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum, by Adam of Bremen, 11th Century.
- Poetic Edda, 13th Century.
- Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson, 13th Century.
- Heimskringla, by Snorri Sturluson, ca. 1230.
- A Description of the Northern Peoples, by Olaus Magnus, 1555, first translated into English 1658.
- “The Saga of King Olaf,” in Tales of a Wayside Inn, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863. (Internet Archive)
- In the Days of Giants: A Book of Norse Tales, by Abbie Farwell Brown, 1902. (Internet Archive)
Public Domain Golden Age Appearances
- Humdinger #3, 5: Retelling of ancient Norse myths about Thor and Loki.
- Jumbo Comics #139: Thor and his fellow Asgardians team-up with time-traveler Stuart Taylor to defeat Loki and his giant allies.
- Hit Comics #51: Kid Eternity summoned Thor to help him fight crime.
- Nickel Comics #1: Warlock invoked the power of Thor to defeat the vampire Baron Gath.
- Wham Comics #1:Craig Carter could summon Thor and other mythological figures using his magic ring.
- Whiz Comics #50: Ibis the Invincible also summons Thor to help defeat a villain. In this case it was Loki who had kidnapped Taia.
- Crack Comics #48: "Jack the Giant Killer" makes his beanstalk grow with the help of Thor, God of Thunder.
- Air Fighters #5: The Iron Ace battles a version of Thor that was sympathetic to the Nazi cause.
- Weird Comics #1-5: Believing that the world needed a defender, Thor bestowed upon the human Grant Farrel his own powers, which Grant used to become Thor (Fox) ,a crime fighter.
Public Domain Silver Age Appearances
- Out of This World #11: Charlton's version of Thor was a normal Scandinavian man whose heroic actions became legend.
Notes
- While the original Thor is in the public domain the modern versions used by Marvel, DC, Image, and etc. are NOT in the public domain.
- See also this article on the subject.