Thor the god of Thunder

Thor is the Germanic/Norse god of thunders, storms and rain! Well he doesn't need much introductions, he is the most famous god of all the Norse pantheon, he is the god that people gave much importance to, for his bravery, his many adventures and for being one of the gods most close to the human kind and also a great friend of the peoples of Midgard. Recently the Marvel movies about Thor widened the interests of the populations in knowing who this god is, suffice to say that the real on from the Norse myths is very different from the Marvel one and it is important to state this this fact, for the real Thor is of great importance to all and there is more in him than all the stories we are all used to listen. I feel the need to make a post about him, because to the Neo-pagans he has become a cliche figure, people don't know his true nature, nor they give him the proper value, for many.. he is just the symbol Mjölnir neckless around the neck.. we mustn't forget his true powers and how important he is.

Thor was one of the most popular gods among the Germanic/Norse tribes, famous as he was, we nowadays see the great importance he had once, for his hammer is the symbol most used as a genetic symbol of modern Heathens, Asatru and other followers of the Norse/Germanic paganism. In England he was known as Thunor and to the Germans he was Donar, also the Saami people whorshiped a figure carved in a trunk of Oak with a hammer in hand, called the Old thunderer father, this might have been the first source of Thor when the Scandinavians got in contact with the Saami, or maybe the first source could have been the celtic god Sucellos, very much famour in Gaul ( Modern France ), Britain and Lusitânia ( Modern Portugal ), a god whose name means "the good striker", often said to be a deity of agriculture and forests, yet no one knows his true powers and purposes, but what is known it that he was a long haired bearded figure carrying a hammer in his left hand, this was actually his main attribute, this hammer.
Important as Thor was, we got the weekend name "Thursday" from his own name, meaning "Thor's Day". He is also a Deity of fertility, bringing us closer to the Celtic source of the god Sucellos from agriculture, but also a deity of strength. Just as the Greek thunder-god Zeus, Thor is also associated with the oak tree, once again this brings us to the Celtic god Sucellos, for being on of the important gods of Lusitânia ( Modern Portugal ) a land filled with Oaks from which people made all kinds of objects from it's bark and it was also a very sacred tree for the Lusitanian people, for when a child was born, the placenta was thought to be the double of the baby, a part from him and his spirit, the protective natural cloak, and so the placenta was placed underneath an Oak Tree so that the person would always have a part of him/her connected to nature and the magical/healing/protective powers of the Spirits of the Oak tree. The Oak tree is also associated with Thor because its bark is a poor conductor of lightning, unlike other trees, oaks explode when they are struck by lightning, creating a field of flamming wooden bits that usually were collected and used to start fires, this might have been the first controlled fire that humankind has experienced in primordial times, so this gives us the hint that the gods of thunder are older than they seem, way back before history was recorded. This may be why Thor is associated with giving to humans their first warmth and safety.
Thor is the patron of common man, in other meanings, the ancient times farmers. He is the champion of Asgard, with the power of his hammer and his utmost bravery, he is sent to deal with all kind of troubles that threaten Asgard. He is a very tall god with immense strength, taking after his mother, the giantess Jord goddess of the Earth, he is also red haired and red bearded, not like the Marvel Thor people recently are so used to. We see in him the true spirit of a common Norse Warrior, impulsive and honest, quick to party and also quick to anger, he likes to drink a lot, bue everyone can count on him when it is needed, he is completely reliable. His primary concerns are with honesty and honor, keeping promises and making sure that others keep theirs, it is important for him that when someone does something, anything, whatever one might do, must be with whole their hearts. meaning that we must be ready to defend what is most important for us, keeping our promises and commitments, being loyal to those we love and to our friends.
As i have mention it, he is the son of Jord, the first lover of Odin, his wife is Sif and with her he has a daughter called Thrud. He also has two sons with the giantess Jarnsaxa, which are Magni and Modi. Thor also has a younger brother by a different father, Meile. He is also the stepfather of Ullr, born from Sif's first marriage. The image we are used to think of when talking about Thor, is him riding a chariot pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr, with his hammer Mjölnir.
It is seldom mentioned, but one of Odin's lover, the giantess Grid, gave to Thor a magical belt of strength called Mengingjord, a pair of magical iron gloves named Jarngreipr, and also a magical staff called Gridavolr.
The famous Asgard Hall named Bilskimir is Thor's Hall, the largest building in all the Nine realms with six hundred and forty four rooms, there are many servents in his Halls and the chief servants are Thjalfi/Thjalfr and Roskva, tow of the three children of Aurvandil, Thor's hunting companion and Sif's former husband with this giantess wife Groa. In other stories, Thjalfr and Roskva are the children of a pair of farmers or peasants who give Thor shelter for a night and accidentally hurt one of his goats, and so Thor took the children as servents in payment.
There is an interesting fact that most people don't know, but Thor can shift from ordinary human size to being as huge as any giant, this is how he manages the fight giants so often. However, one of the side effects of this talent is that even when is in the ordinary size of a human ( about six feet tall ) he weighs as much as he would weight if he was in the giant size ( about twenty feet tall ). It is because of this fact that he is the only god who cannot cross the rainbow bridge Bifrost, and must get in and out of Asgard through the river Thund Thvitr that surronds it.

Thor is the most famous of all gods because there are more stories and myths about him than any other god in the Norse mythology, maybe perhaps Loki, but even so, the two of them were traveling companions for quite some time in many adventures.

Note: The artwork to illustrate this post is a painting of an Oak three made by me with the title Þórs Eik Tré which means "Thor's Oak Three" in old Nose. If you have any questions for me or if you want to see my artistic works, check out my Facebook page and make a Like if you can by following this link --> http://www.facebook.com/ArithHarger

Working with the gods: Jord

Note: Photo Taken by Ana Teresa, you can see her photography works at this [Link]

There has always been a goddess of the earth in many cultures, or at least in the cultures which are not based in the abrahamic beliefs. The Germanic/Norse cultures also have a goddess of the earth, of the northern land, most of the time people forget about her or do not mention her at all, but she is the morther of one of the most famous gods of the Norse pantheon, she is mother to Thor.

Jord is the Goddess of the Earth, and the living grounds beneath our feet, she gave birth to many children, she gave life to us an all living creatures, the place whence we came and were we will go back some day. She is the very symbol of fertility, however, she is not a goddess of agriculture, she is the goddess of all the place there are not under any human control, the goddess of the mountains, fields, every tree, every rock and moss on it, the verdant meadows and other lands with a pure wild spirit. She is also the mother of the Land-spirits or the Landvaettir. She reigns over all the uncivilized places.
Jord means "earth", and she is the daughter of Nott, the goddess of night which i have already written about her in here. Her powers as you might guess, are connected with the forever fertile soils, from where life emerges and grows, the beauty of nature at it's best. She lives in Jotunheim, and she is the spirit with great fertile powers, even more powerful than all the Vanir gods. She causes the wild fruits to grow and mature, and the seeds carried by the wind with Kari's help, the god of winds.
She is also known as Fjorgyn and Hlodyn, although the first name is sometimes refered to a parent of Frigga, so probably she may be the daughter of Jord, or her father is somehow connected with Jord.
She gives in people, the love for natural things, the happy feeling of freedom, the beauty of all living things and the magical wild world, the love that she instills in people is also the love for our own body, how we are physically, accepting how we are, this doesn't mean of course being in an unhealthy physical state and don't give a damn about it, on the contrary, to love our physical self, we must take care of us, of our own body, eating healthy, exercising the body etc. that is the true love one can have for himself, taking a good care of ourselves. Most of the time Jord is seen as a large woman, physicaly strong, as most goddesses of the earth are seen, but once again, this doesn't mean she is a fat figure, unhealthy and in danger to die because of all the problems obesity can bring to the body, in truth the shape of her body is naturally large because that is her physiognomy, such as a being from the Jotnar kin might be, she is a Jotun, so its natural to see her as a large figure because she is a Jotun of the Earth, a giant. Also she has that physical appearance as a symbol of fertility, to all pregnant women and mothers, or soon-to-be mother and nursing mother, as such, she can be called by those in need of fertility in their own body, in the family, in their livestock, in the garden or land. She can also be called for healing the land and the earth it self. She can be called by the environmentalists to help in their hard work, for the safety of the wild nature and to restore order in places that were badly damaged by us humans.

If you have any questions for me or if you want to take a look at my artistic works, check my Facebook page and make a like if you can in here --> http://www.facebook.com/ArithHarger

Nott - goddess of the night

Nott is the goddess of the night in the Northern and Germanic pantheon, she is Mani's herald and she rides a black horse called Hrimfaxi. She is the granddaughter of Bergelmir whose son is Norfi, the famous giant who designed Asgard, Thrymheim and the halls of Utgard-Loki. Her first husband was a Jotun called Nagifari and together they had a son called Aud. Her second husband was Annar, a water-giant, and they had a daughter called Jord the mother of Thor. Her third husband is Delling, a red Alfar and their son is Daeg, the god of Day. Nott is a very old giantess, one of the oldest as a matter of fact. There are rumors that she had an affair with the old Vanir god Frodi, and with that union they had Njord, the god of sailors and seas. As her story is told and the many children she had, we can see she is not a maternal goddess, leaving her children to be raised by the fathers. But she is a very wise goddess and can be called by those who are in the dark, seaching for answers.