VI. Gods of Rome‎ > ‎

6.09 Thor (Hathor)


In Norse mythology, Thor (Old High GermanDonar”) is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, and the protection of mankind (i.e., the “Line of Man”). Thor is the son of the Norse god Odin and is ascribed three abodes (i.e., “Bilskirnir”, “Þrúðheimr”, and “Þrúðvangr”), otherwise known as the three dens or homes of Rome (i.e., Island of Crete, Island of Sicily, and the Island of Greenland). Because Thor is a Greco-Roman deity, he is prominently mentioned throughout the recorded history of the Roman occupation of Germania as well as the Viking Age. In Norse mythology, Thor bears at least fourteen names and is generally described as fierce-eyed, red-haired and red-bearded. Thor has red hair because after the Romans moved to Greenland, they interbred with the native giants of Greenland and therefore exhibit white skin, blue or green eyes, and red hair. In other words, the Romans have the luck (i.e., look) of the Irish. The number “14” equates to “X” in the Roman Score (i.e., the Roman alphabet) while the letter “N” in the Roman English alphabet. Acronymically speaking, the letter “X” equates to “death” while the letter “N” equates to “North”, the direction to Greenland. Consequently, Thor's exploits, include the relentless slaughter of his foes and fierce battles with the monstrous serpent Jörmungandr who grew so large that he was able to surround the earth and grasp his own tail. The Midgard Serpent (i.e., Jörmungandr) myth is an apparent reference to cannon laden Greco-Roman dragon ships which encircled Greenland, guarding it from the underworld. In what appears to be a referenced to the giants of Greenland, the poem Poetic Edda entitled “Þrymskviða” states that the giant “Þrymr” stole Mjölnir (i.e., Thor’s hammer) and then demands the goddess Freyja in exchange. After an unsuccessful hostage negotiation, Thor rips destroys Þrymr and his giant cohorts. Tributes to Thor’s name and likeness are found throughout modern art, cartoons, comics, culture, film, literature, television series, and video games (see below), making him possible the most celebrated of all the Greco-Roman gods. Grammatical tributes to Thor are found throughout the English lexicon (e.g., author, authority, there, etc.), the most prominent of which is "Thursday" (i.e., “Thor’s Day”) and the number “three”. The consonant letters of "T" and "R" found in the name of Thor (T+R) are evident today in the official name of at least 5 languages originating out of Europe, all of which are close in proximity to Greenland (e.g., Norwegian/Bokmål (torsdag); Norwegian/Nynorsk (torsdag); Danish (torsdag); Swedish (torsdag); and Finnish (torstai).

Symbols of Thor

Thor, who is most often associated with thunder and lightning, wields a mountain-crushing hammer entitled Mjölnir, wears the belt Megingjörð, the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the staff Gríðarvölr. Similar to the lightning bolts wielded by Zeus, Thor is associated with lighting because it’s a symbolic metaphor for Roman gunpowder, the single greatest reason for the rise of the Roman Empire. Mjölnir, which is interpreted as meaning "That which smashes", is depicted in Norse mythology as one of the most fearsome weapons, capable of leveling mountains. In the Old Norse texts, Mjölnir is identified as “hamarr” or “hammer", a word that which also means "stone, rock, cliff", a possible reference to the rock of Greenland, otherwise known as the North Pole. Consequently, a Thor-like hammer is found in the coat of arms of Belize, New Zealand, Transnistria, the seal of Niue, as well as on the flag of the former Soviet Union. Thor’s Mjölnir (i.e., hammer) is also found in the coat of arms of the Torsås Municipality in Sweden. Interestingly, in May of 2013, the "Hammer of Thor" was added to the list of United States Department of Veterans Affairs’ emblems for headstones and markers. The swastika (i.e., Nazi) symbol has long been identified as a sacred symbol of Thor. According to Germanic paganism and Celtic paganism scholar Hilda Ellis Davidson, "The protective sign of [Thor's] hammer...seems to have been used by the the form of the swastika". Since World War II, the swastika has been associated with Nazism, the “Master Race” and fascism, all which were originally spawned by the Romans in Greenland. Similar to the Norse god Odin, Thor is associated with oak trees for they are used to hang the bleeding victims used in Roman blood sacrifices.

Thor in Film
The likeness or character of
Thor is portrayed in numerous films and television series, including but not limited to: Films:  The Incredible Hulk Returns” (1998); Thor (2011); Thor: Tales of Asgard” (2011); Almighty Thor” (2011); The Avengers” (2012); Thor: The Dark World” (2013); and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015); Television Series:The Marvel Super Heroes” (1966), a television series featuring “The Mighty Thor”; Spider-Man” (1981-1982); “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” (1981-1983); Phecda Gamma Thor, a character from “Saint Seiya” (1986-1990); X-Men” (1992-1997); “Fantastic Four” (1994-1996); “The Incredible Hulk” (1996-1997); Thor, an extraterrestrial alien character in “Stargate SG-1” (1997-2007); The Avengers: United They Stand” (1999-2000); “The Super Hero Squad Show” (2009-2011): Nurse Jackie” (2009-Present); The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes” (2010-2013); “Ultimate Spider-Man” (2012-Present); Avengers Assemble” (2013-Present); “Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel” (2013); “Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload” (2013); Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.” and (2013-2014); “Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers” (2014-Present). Lastly, “Thor is a character found throughout “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” (1978-Present).

Thor in Literature
References and depictions of
Thor are found in various poems and books, including but not limited to: “Thors reise til Jotunheim”, “Hammeren hentes”, “Thors fiskeri”, and “Thor besøger Hymir” (1807) by Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger; Nordens Guder” (1819) by Adam Gottlob OehlenschlägerMythologierne eller Gudatvisten” (1820) by J. M. Stiernstolpe; Nordens Mythologie eller Sinnbilled-Sprog (1832) by N. F. S. Grundtvig; Harmen” by Thor Thorild; “Der Mythus von Thor” (1836) by Ludwig Uhland; “Thors Trunk” (1859) by Wilhelm Hertz; “Letters of Travel (1892-1913) by Rudyard Kipling; “Der Hammer Thors” (1915) by W. Schulte v. Brühl; “Herr Dunnar und die Bauern” (1937) by Hans Friedrich Blunck; Wir und Sie”, (1976), by F. J. Klopstock; Die Heimholung des Hammers“ (1977) by H. C. Artmann; and "Cold Iron" and “Rewards and Fairies” (1910) by Rudyard Kipling.

Thor in Video Games

The likeness or character or Thor is found in numerous video games, including but not limited to: “Gauntlet” (1985); Avengers in Galactic Storm (1995); “Marvel Super Heroes” (1995-2012); “Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1995-2012); “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance” (2006);  LittleBigPlanet” (2008); “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2” (2009); “Marvel Super Hero Squad” (2009); StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty” (2010); Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet” (2010-2011); “Marvel Pinball” (2010-2013);Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat” (2011); “Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds” (2011); “Thor: God of Thunder” (2011); “Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3” (2011-2012); “Marvel Super Hero Squad Online” (2011-2012); “Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth” (2012); “Marvel: Avengers Alliance” (2012-2014); “Marvel Heroes” (2013); “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” (2013-2014); and “Marvel Avengers Alliance Tactics” (2014). 

Thor in Art
The image of
Thor has been depicted in numerous drawings, painting, music, and sculptures, including but not limited to: Drawings: “Thors Kampf mit den Riesen” (1880), by M. E. Winge; “Odin, Thor und Magni” (1883), by K. Ehrenberg's; “Thor bei dem Riesen Þrym als Braut verkleidet” (1901) by E. Doepler; “Thor bei Hymir (1901) by E. Doepler; “Thor bei Skrymir (1901) by E. Doepler; “Thor den Fluß Wimur durchwatend (1901) by E. Doepler; “Thor den Hrungnir bekämpfend” (1901) by E. Doepler; “Thor; Thor und die Midgardschlange” (1901) by E. Doepler; “Thor and the Mountain and Sif and Thor” (1909), by J. C. Dollman; Thors Schatten” (1914), by E. Pottner; and “Die Heimholung des Hammer” (1977), by H. C. Artmann; Music:Thor” (1976-Present), a Canadian heavy metal band; “Thor” (2009), an album by “Wizard”; and “Thor” (2011), a soundtrack to the motion picture by the same name; Paintings: “Thor in Hymirs Boot bekämpft die Midgardschlange” (1780) by Henry Fuseli; and “Thor” (Unknown), by G. Poppe; Statues: “Thor” (1821-1822), by H. E. Freund; “Thor” (1844), by B. E. Fogelberg; and “Thor” (Unknown), by H. Natter.


Similar to most other Greco-Roman gods and goddesses, Thor has counterparts in other religions and mythologies. "Hathor", who is depicted as "Mistress of the West", is the Egyptian goddess of music, dance, foreign lands and fertility. Like Thor, Hathor was worshipped in Canaan, a Biblical code word for Greenland. The name of “Hathor” (H+T+H+R) and Thor (T+H+R) are consonantly identical, minus the letter “H” which is generally silent and equates to “infinity” and “forever”. Hathor was commonly identified as a cow whose four legs which may equate to the four-armed swastika identified with Thor. The notion that Hathor has the same bloodthirsty qualities as Thor is depicted in an Egyptian myth which states that Ra communicated through Hathor's third Eye that some people in the land were planning to assassinate him. Consequently, Hathor became so angry that she became Sekhmet, a war goddess to destroy them. As Sekhmet, Hathor became bloodthirsty and the slaughter was great because she could not be stopped. Similar to the Egyptian goddess Isis, a sun is depicted atop the head of Hathor, a symbolic reference to Roman gunpowder which gave the Greco-Roman Empire unrivaled naval supremacy. Hathor is generally depicted holding the “ankh” which is alleged to be an Egyptian hieroglyphic character that is known as “key of life”. Although being “Egyptian” in origin, the “ankh” features the arrow shape of the Island of Rhodes intersected with the Greek cross of Tau which also doubles as the Crete-shaped fasces. The Temple of Hathor at Dendera in Egypt coincidently exhibits Greek columns, further confirming that Ancient Egypt is just political cover for the Greoc-Roman Empire. Lastly, according to “The Lost Gods Of England” (1957) by historian Brian Branston, "the description and exploits of the Hindu god Indra fit Norse Thor exactly: both have red hair and a red beard; both are great trenchermen and smiters of tremendous blows; both are equipped with thunderbolts; both are serpent slayers; and both are protectors of mankind against their enemies”. Whether other gods besides Hathor and Indra share Thor-like qualities is not known, but it’s highly likely. In reality, most if not all of the gods and goddesses found in Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Sumerian, Hindu, Viking and Norse mythologies are Greco-Roman in nature.

Thor in Cartoons & Comics
The likeness of
Thor is found in numerous animated films and comics, including but not limited to: Animated Films: Ultimate Avengers” (2006); “Ultimate Avengers 2” (2006); “Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008); “Hulk vs. Thor (2009); “Planet Hulk” (2010); “Thor: Tales of Asgard (2011); Legends of Valhalla: Thor (2011); and “Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher” (2014); Comics: Aside from the numerous alternative versions of Thor found throughout the comic world, “Thor is a Marvel comic book series which has bared his name and likeness since 1962. Thor is also found in a plethora of other comic books, including but not limited to: “Thor as himself in "Tor de Holbewoner" (1941) by Willy Vandersteen; “Thor” as a dog in “Manhunter” (1942-1956) by Quality Comics; “Spike and Suzy” #158 (1946-Present) by Willy Vandersteen; “Thor”, as a caveman in BC (1958-Present) by Johnny Hart; “Thor”, as himself in “Journey into Mystery #83” (1962); "De Rode Ridder": “The Hammer of Thor” #45 (1970); by Willy Vandersteen; “The Valkyrie” #63 (1974) by Willy Vandersteen; “Thor”, as himself in “Savage Dragon” (1982-Present) by Erik Larsen; Thor is a character in the Comico comic book series “Elementals #23” (1983-Present); Thôrr-Sverd: The Sword of Thor #1-3 (1987) by Vincent Creations; Valhalla” (1987-Present), a comic series by Peter Madsen; “Thor” as himself in “Weird Comics” (1988) by DC Comics; “Thor”, as himself in "Seasons of Mists" (1990-1991) in the Sandman series; “El Cazador de Aventuras” (1992) created by Jorge Lucas; “Thor”, as himself in “Youngblood” (1992-Present) by Rob Liefeld; “Thor”, as himself in “Kindly Ones” (1993-1995) in the in the Sandman series; Thor”, as himself in “The Life Eaters (2003) by David Brin; and Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers” (2011); a motion comic. Lastly, Thor will be played in the new Marvel Universe LIVE!” (2014), a comic inspired stage show.

Thor in War
The name of
Thor is found in the name and title of various military-related applications around the world, including but not limited to: Bristol Thor, ramjet engine used on the Bristol Bloodhound missile; German auxiliary cruiser Thor, a German surface raider in the Second World War; PGM-17 Thor, an American intermediate range ballistic missile; “HNoMS Thor”, Royal Norwegian Navy warships named after the Norse god of thunder; “HMS Thor”, a cancelled British T-class submarine; Project Thor, a theoretical orbital weapons system designed to launch a kinetic bombardment; Theatre History of Operations Reports (THOR), a U.S. Air Force database endeavoring to catalog every bomb dropped by the US military since World War I; “Thor”, an alternate name for the Karl-Gerät, a 600mm German mortar used in the Second World War; “Thor”, first Mark 7 nuclear bomb developed by U.S.; Thor, a satellite constellation owned by Telenor; Thor, a space rocket derived from the PGM-17; THOR/Multi Mission System (MMS), a British Army vehicle mounted Starstreak missile launcher; Thor III, a man-portable device for remote-controlled IED jamming; and Thor 1-A, a version of the Thor T/A ultralight aircraft.

Thor Worldwide
The god of
Thor is found worldwide in the names and titles of various business-related entities, cities, towns and places, as well as scientific-related entities, including but not limited to: Business: Thor, the first electric clothes washer sold commercially in the United States; CST Thor, a series of personal computers designed by Cambridge Systems Technology; Thor Equities, a private equity corporation in New York City; THOR, an electronic trading platform; Thor Industries world’s largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles; and “Thor Power Tool Company”, a former U.S. manufacturer that was party to the 1979 U.S. Supreme Court Case “Thor Power Tool Company v. Commissioner”; Places: Le Thor, a town in southern France; Mount Thor, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada; Mount Thor, Chugach Mountains, Alaska, USA; Thor, an active volcano on Jupiter's moon; Thor, Iowa, a town in the United States; Thor's Cave, a cave in England; Thorsager is a small town in Jutland, Denmark; and Thursley a civil parish in Surrey, England; and Science: THOR, a type of crash test dummy; Thor-CD, a recordable CD format proposed in 1988 by Tandy but never released in commercial version; “Thor“, a genus of shrimp; Thorium, an element; and Thor's Hero Shrew (Scutisorex thori), a species of shrew native to the Democratic Republic of Congo;