You saw the title. I can bet you almost everyone reading this is picturing the blonde superhero. Well, if you weren’t, I bet you are now!
Ha ha.
Well, today I thought I’d explain the differences between the superhero and the mythological figure.
Thor (Mythology) Basics:
- Thor is the Norse thunder god.
- He is the son of Odin, the chief god. Thor is Sif’s husband. And, Thor is not Loki’s brother!
- Thor has red hair! He is not attractive, and is probably red in the face all the time.
- Thor’s hammer has a short handle.
Thor (Superhero) Basics:
- Thor is still a Norse god.
- Thor is the son of Odin and Frigga, but is not married. Sif is in the Thor movies, but is not a major character. She is depicted with dark hair. (She is a pretty cool character in the first Thor movie.) In the movies Loki is Thor’s adoptive brother.
- Thor has blonde hair! Long, blonde hair that flows in some imaginary wind. Thor also wears a superhero costume, which is red, blue and grey.
- Thor’s hammer has a super long handle!
Thor Mythological Feats:
Thor is a Norse god. He has the ability to summon thunder, not lightning. He downs part of the sea in a few gulps, wrestles with old age herself, and defeats the serpent, Jormungandr. (Spoilers!)
Thor actually is killed by the serpent, at the same time he kills it.
This is during Ragnarok, the end of the world. Vikings believed this would eventually happen. The wolf Fenrir would break it’s chains and swallow the sun and moon. Loki would turn against the gods, and help his frost giant brethren sail to Asgard, on the ship of nails. Then Hel, Norse goddess of death, would release the dead into Midgard. (Earth.) The nine worlds would be covered in ice and snow, and gods would die trying to save them. Odin would lead the Valkyries from Valhalla, (Afterlife for heroes.) and they would be slaughtered by giants. Then Odin would die while facing Fenrir. Then Thor dies, then Frey, then most of the other gods. But luckily, the giants would go down with them! Then, the only two humans left, would discover a reborn Earth, and would repopulate it. A new sun and moon would rise, and the cycle would repeat again.
Happy, huh?
While, if you watch the Thor movies, don’t worry. Ragnarok is full of superheroes and bright explosions. There are powerful weapons, a Valkyrie, another superhero the Hulk, and then Thor dies. (Ha ha. Just kidding. They wouldn’t kill off Chris Hemsworth.) In the movies and mythology, Thor is not perfect. In fact, in Norse Mythology, even the gods aren’t perfect. Far from it, actually. That is why they are so interesting to learn about.
For anyone willing to read a book on Norse Mythology, try one or all of these:
Neil Gaimon’s Norse Mythology really good! It is written in a great style, with tons of conflicted characters.
D’aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths is great as well. It could be a children’s book, I suppose, but I think it is informative and funny at the same time. I recommend it!
Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase is an awesome version of the ancient myths. It combines humor, myth, and great characters. (Go Magnus! Go Blitz, Hearth, Sam, Alex!) I definitely liked it, though if you haven’t read Riordan’s other books, read those first.
So that’s it! Thor vs. Thor. Go watch the movies, read Norse Mythology. You’ll see differences and similarities. Overall Thor is a good character. He is entertaining and funny.
One of these differences is his hair color. His wife Sif is the blonde one. She actually gets her hair chopped off by Loki. Loki begs for forgiveness, and asks dwarves to craft presents for the gods. They end up creating Thor’s hammer, and new hair for Sif. In the movie, as I mentioned, Sif is a brunette and a minor character. (Watch Thor Ragnarok for more on Thor’s hair. You’ll see similarities between him and Sif!)
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope you enjoyed reading about Thor!
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