Skadi

Skadi
from Goddesses and Heroines
Exerpt from Goddess & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan

The goddess for whom Scandinavia was named dwelled high in the snow-covered mountains; her favorite occupations were skiing and snowshoeing through her domain.
The goddess for whom Scandinavia was named dwelled high in the snow-covered mountains; her favorite occupations were skiing and snowshoeing through her domain. But when the gods caused the death of her father Thjassi, Skadi armed herself and traveled to their home at Asgard, intent on vengeance. Even alone, she was more than a match for the gods, and they were forced to make peace with her.
Skadi demanded two things: that they make her laugh and that she be allowed to choose a mate from among them. The first condition was accomplished by the trickster Loki, who tied his testicles to the beard of a billy goat. It was a contest of screeching, until the rope snapped and Loki landed, screaming with pain, on Skadi's knee. She laughed.
Next, all the gods lined up, and Skadi's eyes were masked. She intended to select her mate simply by examining his legs from the knees down. When she'd found the strongest-thinking them the beautiful Balder's legs-she flung off her mask and found she'd picked the sea god Njord. So she went off to live in the god's ocean home.
She was miserable there. "I couldn't sleep a wink," Skadi said in a famous eddic poem, "on the bed of the sea, for the calling of gulls and mews." The couple moved to Thrymheim, Skadi's mountain palace, but the water god was as unhappy there as Skadi had been in the water. Thereupon they agreed on an equitable dissolution, and Skadi took a new mate, more suitable to her lifestyle: Ullr, the god of skis.
Text found HERE

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Skadi, Snow-Shoe Goddess
"When wolves howl upon the mountain heights,
Swift beneath the northern lights,
Skadi comes skimming o'er the snow."

Early Norse myths talk about a ancient elemental deity known as Kari, who actually was the wind that blew down from the mountains. Kari was said to have mixed with mist and frost, and fathered Ymir, who was the first of the Giants. Ymir, in turn, spawned a race of His own kind. Unfortunately Ymir was slain by His own descendents and almost all the remaining Giants then drowned in Ymir's blood. The two who survived were exiled to a remote area of the world, located in the extreme northern reaches - an area of mountains, rocky wastes and snow that was called Jotunheim (from the word 'jotun' that meant 'devourer'.) In Jotunheim grows a huge, dense and mist-shrouded forest called 'Iarnvith' or Ironwood. Jotunheim is separated from Asgard by the river Iving, which never freezes over.

Because of the remoteness of the area, the two remaining Giants multiplied and reformed their race. Soon Jotunheim had three strongholds: Utgard, the chief city of Jotunheim; Gastropnir, home of the Rock Giantess Menglad; and Thrymheim ("house of uproar"), the mountain stronghold of the Frost Giant Thiassi (also called Thiazi, Thjatsi or Thjazi). Thiassi was well versed in magick and was a master shape-shifter who could turn Himself into almost any animal, although He most often assumed the shape of a huge eagle with sharp talons. In this form, Thiassi would leave the safety of Jotunheim and travel into the rest of the world. On one such foray, He made the mistake of stealing an oxen from the God Loki, who happened to be slumming about in the world of men. In the fight that followed, Thiassi was burned to death by the rest of the gods. Odin then took the eyes from the dead Frost Giant and flung them up into heaven where they shone thereafter as stars.

Thiassi had a daughter, the Frost Giantess Skadi (also spelled Skaoi, Skadhi or Skade). When her father Thiassi was slain by the gods, Skadi wanted to take revenge. Skadi left Jotunheim and traveled to Asgard to challenge the gods. The gods thought it wiser to reconcile and offered Her a marriage with one of Them. She was free to marry any god, but while She made Her choice She was only allowed to see the feet of the potential candidates. She noticed a very elegant pair of feet and, convinced that their owner was the fair god Balder (who was called 'the beautiful'), She choose them. Unfortunately for Her, those feet belonged to the older god Njord (also spelled Njordh). Njord is the god of winds, sea and fire and the guardian of all who make their living from the sea.

The marriage between Njord and Skadi was not a happy one. She wanted to live where Her father had lived, in Thrymheim in the snowy mountains, and Njord wanted to live in Noatun, His palace by the sea. So They agreed to spend the first nine days in the mountains and the following nine days by the sea. Njord hated the nine days He spent in the mountains and complained about the shriek of the winds and the howling of the wolves. And when Skadi spent the nine days by the sea She hated the yammering of the gulls each day at dawn.

Since the living arrangement did not work out, Njord and Skadi eventually separated. Skadi returned to Her beloved snowy home Thrymheim. It is said that later Skadi became friendly with Odin and had a few children with him; and also that She married the god Ull (also spelled Ullr), the god of justice and dueling.

Today Skadi lives at Thrymheim in the remote area of Jotunheim, happily traveling about in the winter wilderness on skies or snowshoes. As a Frost Giantess, Skadi is the embodiment of a winter goddess.

Skadi is associated with snow-shoes, skis, winter, frost, ice, snow, and wolves. Skadi is a good goddess to call upon for help in doing protective magick, or if you desire to reclaim your own wild nature and to go outside your own limits and boundaries. © 1999, 2000, 2001 by Sarah Nunn
FROM: HERE

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Skadi, Winter Goddess
I've often thought of Skadi as the winter aspect of the great Huntress.
Her place is the wild, frozen North where she hunts with her wolf pack -
very appropriate for a frost giant and warrior goddess. Skadi once
challenged the gods of Asgard after Thor killed her father. In Norse
tradition a wrongful death requires a weregild (payment) to be given to
the wronged party. Skadi demanded marriage to one of the gods in payment.
She was granted this, but Odin restricted her in that she had to be
blindfolded and pick her husband by his feet. Skadi greatly desired to
have the beautiful god Balder as her husband. Believing that Balder would
naturally have the most beautiful feet, Skadi made her choice, only to
discover her new husband was the elder god Njord.
The marriage was not a success, as Skadi detested Njord's home by the
sea. He felt much the same about her beloved winter mountains, so they
parted.
Skadi is the patroness of hunters, skiers, female soldiers. Animals
associated with Skadi are the wolf and the poisonous snake. Call upon
Skadi when you are in need of justice or righteous vengeance, particularly
where an injury to your family is concerned.
FROM: HERE
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Skadi is the Goddess of Winter and of the Hunt. She is married to Njord, the gloomy Sea God, noted for his beautiful bare feet (which is how Skadi came to choose him for her mate.) Supposedly the bare foot is an ancient Norse symbol of fertility. The marriage wasn't too happy, though, because she really wanted Baldur for her husband. She is the goddess of Justice, Vengeance, and Righteous Anger, and is the deity who delivers the sentence upon Loki to be bound underground with a serpent dripping poison upon his face in payment for his crimes. Skadi's character is represented in two of Hans Christian Anderson's tales: "The Snow Queen" and "The Ice Princess."
FROM: Norse Gods and Goddesses
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A call to the Goddess--

Skadhi, shining snowshoe goddess,
Ice-bright beauty,
With winter's white the earth you warded.
Wise bride of gods;
Now comes springtide, snows are melting,
Soil awaits the plow;
Free frozen hearts, make us fruitful,
Skadhi, I summon thee!

<snip>

When wolves howl upon the mountain heights,
Swift beneath the Northern Lights,
Skadhi comes skimming o'er the snow;
When it goes,
Her sweet buds will swell the bough,
Earth shall open to the plough.

<snip>

It is night, and the air is chill. . . A wind from the glacier swirls around you, sweeping the night sky clean of all but the stars. They glitter in the darkness like chips of ice; with each breath, frost hangs in the air, but the furs you are wearing keep you warm.
In the distance, you can hear the call of a wolf, most lonely of sounds. You stand on a white slope; above you lift the mountains of Jotunheim where the frost-giants dwell, icy crags wind-sculpted into fantastic forms, trees of ice, frozen waterfalls. Upon the height a fortress clings, white walls gleaming in the starlight. A dark forest laps the slopes below.
Suddenly, a bluish radiance ripples above you as if a ribbon of light had been shaken across the sky. It shivers again, glows purple, lemon yellow, pale green. The crystal walls of the castle glimmer with rainbow refractions. Then the color fades; the night is dark once more. The howling of the wolves sounds again, closer. You still, listening. Are they coming this way? Suddenly you are aware of how alone you are in this waste of rock and snow.
You hasten towards the nearest patch of forest, sliding into the shadow of the tall evergreens. Peering from its shadow, you see a dark shape loping across the snow. In a moment it is followed by another. More come after-- grey wolves, white wolves, black wolves, running light-footed across the snow. You hold your breath, wanting to run with them, afraid to be seen.
As the last wolf passes another figure appears, tall beyond the height of mortals, clad in a white fur cloak with black boots and gloves and black hair flowing behind her. Swiftly she strides, her snowshoes bearing her across the surface of the snow. She carries a bow. Closer and closer she comes, running with the wolves. You shrink into the shadow of the tree. Her face is smooth, her gaze ice-chill. As she nears, she pauses, that icy gaze passes across the wood and your heart stills. Has she seen you? Then her lips draw back in silent laughter, she leaps forward and speeds away down the slope, and a desire you cannot resist draws you after her....
FOR THE REST: Skadhi: Wilderness Woman


Links--
The Marriage of Skadi and Njord
Skadi, Goddess of WinterPantheon.org 'Skadi'
Women in Norse Myths
Someone's personal vision of Skadi
Skadhi: Wilderness Woman-- ritual, info and other things
Skadi
An artist's painting of her

Hel/Hela

Hel ("the Hidden" from the word hel,"to conceal") is the Norse goddess of the dead, ruler of the nine worlds of the Land of Mist, Niflheim or Niflhel, located in the far north-- a cold, damp place that is home to frost giants and dwarves. The name Hel was applied both to the Queen of the Underworld and the land itself, and it is thought that the land gave the Queen Her name. In the late Christianized form of the myth, when Hel became Hell, she was said to be the daughter of Loki, who was equated with Lucifer.
In appearance She is said to be a fearsome sight: She is described as being piebald, with a face half-human and half blank, or more usually, half alive and half dead. It is told that when She was born, disease first came into the world. She was said to sweep through towns and cities bringing plague: if she used a rake, some would survive; if a broom, none would.
When the beloved Baldar was killed through Loki's treachery, the entire world begged Her to release him from death. Hel agreed, but only if every creature on earth truly mourned for him. So beloved was Baldar that everything--gods, humans, animals, trees, stones--wept for him. All except an old giantess, called Thokk, who was Loki in disguise.
Hel in a reading can represent a time of simultaneous endings and beginnings, the point at which the circle is completed. She can also indicate integrity, as opposites unite to form a stronger whole.
Alternate spellings: Hella
FROM: Hel ( *ahem* anyway)

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In Norse mythology, Hel (sometimes Anglicized or Latinized as Hela) is the queen of Hel, the Norse underworld.
In the Gylfaginning, she is described as the daughter of Loki and Angrboða – a giantess (gýgr, see jotun) – and thus sister of the Fenrisulfr and the sea serpent Jörmungandr. Since her father is often described as a god, although both his parents were giants, the same might be said of Hel.
When Odin became aware of the existence of Loki's children, he banished them to remote places. Hel he cast down to her realm in the underworld and gave her authority over all those in the nine worlds who do not die gloriously in battle but of sickness or of old age.
Hel builds the ship Naglfar from the nail clippings of the dead, to be used against the Æsir at Ragnarök.

Hon á þar mikla bólstaði ok eru garðar hennar forkunnar hávir ok grindr stórar. Éljúðnir heitir salr hennar, Hungr diskr hennar, Sultr knífr hennar, Ganglati þrællinn, Ganglöt ambátt, Fallandaforað þresköldr hennar er inn gengr, Kör sæing, Blíkjandaböl ársali hennar. Hon er blá hálf en hálf með hörundarlit, því er hon auðkend ok heldr gnúpleit ok grimmlig.
TRANSLATION--
She has great possessions there; her walls are exceeding high and her gates great. Her hall is called Sleet-Cold; her dish, Hunger; Famine is her knife; Idler, her thrall; Sloven, her maidservant; Pit of Stumbling, her threshold, by which one enters; Disease, her bed; Gleaming Bale, her bed-hangings. She is half blue-black and half flesh-color (by which she is easily recognized), and very lowering and fierce.
—Brodeur translation

The path to Hel is known as the Helveg and their gates Helgrindr or Nágrind ("Corpse Gate"). Here Garm is fastened, Hel's watchdog, who is bloody both on chest and neck.
Heimskringla relates that she procured herself a spouse by having the Swedish king Dyggve die a natural death.
Her name is the source of the English word hell.
FROM: Hel (being) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Hel was the daughter of the trickster God Loki. Her siblings were the Fenris wolf and Jormungand the serpent. Hel is described as being half alive, and half corpse (or sometimes simply as half white and half black). In many ways, she is similar to the Greek goddess, Hecate. Hel is called upon for magick, divination and she was the guardian of the crossroads.
Though the Christian version of the underworld gets its name from this Norse Goddess, the realm that she actually ruled was quite different from the fire & brimstone Hell. The underworld of Norse myth was actually called Niflheim and there went the souls of those who died, but not in battle (usually of old age, accident or disease). Hel ruled here from her own hall, Helheim. Sometimes the names Niflheim and Helheim are used interchangeably, and then her hall is called Sleet-Den.
Though her role might seem unpleasant, she was happy when given the Underworld as her kingdom. In thanks, it was Hel who gave Odin his pair of ravens, Huginn and Muninn.
Due to her remote and lonely home, she was not part of many Norse myths and therefore has little detail surrounding her.
FROM: Hel - Norse Goddess

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Hel
from Goddesses and Heroines
Exerpt from Goddess & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan

The goddess who gave her name to the Christian place of eternal punishment was the Scandinavian ruler of the misty world under the earth. Her name means the "one who covers up" or the "one who hides," and the ones Hel hid in her nine-circled realm were those who died of disease or old age. Those who died heroically, in battle or by other violence, were carried off by the Valkyries to the heavenly halls of Freya or Odin.
Hel was the daughter of the giant woman Angerboda and was thought to be an ugly pinto woman, half black and half white, who rode up to earth to enfold the dying in her horrible arms and to rest her drooping head against theirs. Down in her nine-ringed realm, where the inhabitants kept up a constant wail, Hel lived in a miserable palace called Sleet-Cold, where the walls were built of worms and human bones. She ate with a knife and fork called Famine from a plate named Hunger. Her slave, Senility, served her, as did her maidservant, Dotage. When she slept, it was on her cot, Bedridden, covered by curtains named Woefully Pale.
The entry to her queendom was guarded by the hell-hound, Garm; before you reached the threshold you had to travel to Helvig ("Troublesome Road") to Hel, past the strange guardian maiden, Modgud. Some scholars say the conception of Hel is more ancient than the heroic myth of Valhalla, the hall of dead heroes.
FROM: Hel

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"Thaukt will wail With dry tears Baldur's bale-fire. Let Hela keep her own." (from The Death of Baldur)
In Norse mythology, Hel (also known as Hell, Hela or Hella) is the ruler of Helheim, the realm of the dead. She is the youngest child of the God Loki (Loki is a giant who became a member of the Aesir when Odin made Loki His blood brother. Loki is the god of mischief, a trickster, and very cunning.) and the giantess Angurboda. Hel has two brothers: Fenrir (Fenris-wolf) and Jormungand (Midgard serpent). Hel is usually described as a horrible hag, half alive and half dead, with a gloomy and grim expression. Her face and body are said to be those of a living woman, but Her thighs and legs are those of a corpse, mottled and moldering. Other descriptions of Her say She is half white and half black The other Gods feared the offspring of Loki and had abducted Hel and Her brothers from Angurboda's hall. They then had cast Hel into the underworld. She now resides in Helheim ("house of Hel"). This cold, dark and misty abode of the dead is located in the world of Niflheim, on the lowest level of the Norse universe. It is in this land that Hel distributes those dead who are sent to Her, the dead referred to as the 'dishonored dead'. The dead who die of old age or disease and those not killed in battle go to Helheim - while those who die bravely on the battlefield go to Valhalla. Once they enter Helheim, not even the Gods can leave the place, because the impassable river Gjoll flows from the spring Hvergelmir and encircles Helheim. The entrance to Helheim is guarded by Garm, a monstrous hound, and Modgud. The giant Hraesvelg ("corpse eater") sits at the edge of the world, overlooking Helheim. Hraesvelg has the form of an eagle and with his flapping wings he makes the wind blow. Hel built Her hall called Eljudnir (misery) in Helheim. She is tended in Her hall by a manservant and maidservant named Ganglati and Ganglot, both of who's names mean 'tardy'. They are so slow that no one can tell that they are moving. On Her table sits Hel's plate which is called Hunger, Her knife which is called Famine. In Her hall is Her bed named Sick Bed and Her bed hangings are called Glimmering Misfortune. Hel will make Her last stand at the twilight of the Gods when She brings Her hoard of dead up and out of Nifilheim to join Her father and the other giants in the final battle of Ragnarok. FROM: Hel, Ruler of Helheim

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Hel is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted Goddess aspects in history. She has been greatly perverted through the years by patriarchal domination and ultimately used by the early Christian church as a scare tactic to frighten the masses into “righteous” acts. To get the real story, we have to go back to the early Nordic people and look this death Goddess in the face.
According to Norse tradition, Hel is one of three children born to Loki, the trickster, and Angrboda, the giantess. Her body and face were described as half in light and half in darkness. She was half dead and half alive. Her face was at once beautiful to look upon and horrific in form. Her siblings were Fenrir, the wolf who would destroy Asgard during Ragnarok, and Jormungand, the Midhgard serpent who lies at the bottom of the ocean wrapped around the world with his tail in his mouth (it is he that holds the world together).
Hel is cast into the netherworld and becomes the ruler of that underworld to which souls who have not died in battle will depart. As thanks for making Her ruler of the netherworld, Hel makes a gift to Odin. She gives him two ravens, Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory). Ravens are messengers between this realm and the next, opening pathways to death’s realm.
Her realm is named for her, Hel or Helheim. Because She accepts all to Helheim, she also becomes the judge to determine the fate of each soul in the afterlife. The evil dead are banished to a realm of icy cold death (a fate that the Nordic people found much worse in telling than a lake of fire) and torture. This particular aspect of Hel’s realm was the basis for the Judeo-Christian “hell” to which sinners are banished and tortured for eternity. Unlike the Judeo-Christian concept, Helheim also served as the shelter and gathering place of souls to be reincarnated. Hel watches over those who died peacefully of old age or illness. She cares for children and women who die in childbirth. She guides those souls who do not choose the path of war and violence through the circle of death to rebirth.
Because of Hel’s special role in the deaths of mothers in childbirth and children of all ages who die, She has become, according to some sources, the special guardian of children. Mother Goose is believed to be based on Frau Holle or Frau Holda who is a kindly and wise, if slightly horrific crone who rewards the industrious and punishes the lazy. The goose aspect is from a legend tradition that says that snow is a result of Frau Holda shaking out her bed linens.
One of the stories involving Hel is the decent of Balder into Helheim. Loki arranged for Balder to die by tricking him into a rigged contest. Because the contest was hosted in Asgard, Balder could not return to that place in death. His relocation sent him to the only other realm for the dead, Hel’s domain. His arrival to Helheim was welcomed with banquet and festival, proof that not all of Hel’s realm was torturous.
Hel governs the world beyond that of the living. In magic, she makes thin the veil between worlds. Seidhr [SAY-theer] or Nordic shamans call upon Her protection and wear the helkappe, a magic mask, to render them invisible (like Hades helm of invisibility) and enable them to pass through the gateway into the realm of death and spirit. In divination, Her special symbol is Hagalaz, hail: The embodiment of the icy realm She rules. Hel stands at the crossroads in judgment of souls who pass into Her realm. In that, She is linked to Osiris and Isis as well as Hecate.
Hel has fallen from her privileged position as guardian and ruler through years of being represented as an evil, ugly entity waiting to devour and torture lost souls. Ignorance as used Her as a means of scaring children and adults into a supposedly righteous path (instead of allowing free will to guide their actions to do what is right). May we learn and dispel the slander of years by seeing Her for the protector, judge, and guide that She originally represented.
FROM: Hel has other info too. Symbols, associations. And notations from the sources of their info.
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Other sites:

• Helheim
• Helheim
• Hel
• The Norse Realm of Hel
• RealMagick Article: Hel, Hela by The Troth

And two threads about her:

• The Road to Hel
• Hel ... This post (here) has lots of info

Baldr

Balder was considered the god of light, joy, spring, and peace. He was a very popular and well-liked god and warrior. He was extremely strong and gentle-hearted, but was sometimes considered a bit slow in the head. He was actually killed by his own blind brother when Loki tricked Hodur into throwing a dart of mistletoe at him. Mistletoe was the only thing of nature that was not asked by Frigga to not harm her son.
Tribe: Aesir
Ragnorak: Balder must remain in Hel until it is over and the Earth is reborn.
Depicted: Balder is usually represented as a very handsome god of fair hair and face.
Father: Odin
Mother: Frigga
Wife: Nanna
Siblings: Hodur, Hermond, Bragi, Tyr
Children: Forseti
Other Names: Baldur, Baldr
Myths: The Death of Balder, Voluska

From: here

The god of light, joy, purity, beauty, innocence, and reconciliation. Son of Odin and Frigg, he was loved by both gods and men and was considered to be the best of the gods. He had a good character, was friendly, wise and eloquent, although he had little power. His wife was Nanna daughter of Nep, and their son was Forseti, the god of justice. Balder's hall was Breidablik ("broad splendor").

Most of the stories about Balder concern his death. He had been dreaming about his death, so Frigg extracted an oath from every creature, object and force in nature (snakes, metals, diseases, poisons, fire, etc.) that they would never harm Balder. All agreed that none of their kind would ever hurt or assist in hurting Balder. Thinking him invincible, the gods enjoyed themselves thereafter by using Balder as a target for knife-throwing and archery.

The malicious trickster, Loki, was jealous of Balder. He changed his appearance and asked Frigg if there was absolutely nothing that could harm the god of light. Frigg, suspecting nothing, answered that there was just one thing: a small tree in the west that was called mistletoe. She had thought it was too small to ask for an oath. Loki immediately left for the west and returned with the mistletoe. He tricked Balder's blind twin brother Hod into throwing a mistletoe fig (dart) at Balder. Not knowing what he did, Hod threw the fig, guided by Loki's aim. Pierced through the heart, Balder fell dead.

While the gods were lamenting Balder's death, Odin sent his other son Hermod to Hel, the goddess of death, to plead for Balder's return. Hel agreed to send Balder back to the land of the living on one condition: everything in the world, dead or alive, must weep for him. And everything wept, except for Loki, who had disguised himself as the witch Thokk. And so Balder had to remain in the underworld.

The others took the dead god, dressed him in crimson cloth, and placed him on a funeral pyre aboard his ship Ringhorn, which passed for the largest in the world. Beside him they lay the body of his wife Nanna, who had died of a broken heart. Balder's horse and his treasures were also placed on the ship. The pyre was set on fire and the ship was sent to sea by the giantess Hyrrokin.

Loki did not escape punishment for his crime and Hod was put to death by Vali, son of Odin and Rind. Vali had been born for just that purpose. After the final conflict (Ragnarok), when a new world arises from its ashes, both Balder and Hod will be reborn.

From: here

Dying god. Balder (Baldr or Balðr) was the son of Odin and Frigg. He was brother of Höd (Hod). Balder married Nanna, the daughter of Nep. They had a son, named Forseti. Balder dwelled in a palace called Breidablik with his wife, in Asgard.

Balder was the god of beauty. He was the most beloved of all the the gods. However, through the prophecy and Balder's dreams, the gods found that he would die. His mother, Frigg, set about asking and extracting an oath on all creature, plant and all inanimate materials in the world, to not harm her son. Frigg did not think of a mistletoe could harm her son, so she did not get an oath from the harmless plant. Loki managed to get the information from Frigg.


In Asgard, the gods normally played game which they thought was quite amusing. They would throw rock, spear, sword or whatever object at Balder. None of these object would harm the young god. Only Hod did not play, because he was blind. Loki came to the blind god, and asked him to play with his brother. Loki gave the mistletoe to Hod. Loki directed Hod throw. Hod threw the mistletoe at Balder with all his strength. The onlookers watched in horror when Balder, pierced by the plant, was killed instantly.

Hel, goddess of the dead, agreed to released Balder, allowing the young god to live, if every creatures would mourned, and shed tears for Balder. All the creatures in the world wept for Balder, except the giantess named Thokk or Thanks, refused to even shed a single tear for the god. Hel refused to released Balder. Loki was punished for his involvement with Balder's death. (See Death of Balder for the full story.)
Nanna was totally devastated and grief stricken. She wasted away and died.

After Ragnarok, Balder was reborn, heralding the beginning of a new age.

Balder was also worshipped by the Germans. Balder was one of the seven gods, listed in the Second Merseburg Charm, a German manuscript from c. AD 900. Balder's horse sprained its foot, and the passage was supposedly a way to cure sprain, by listing the gods' names. Other gods listed in the Charm were – Wodan (Odin), Frija (Frigg), Volla (Fulla), Phol, Sinthgunt and Sunna. The identities of the last three names are unknown, but there some speculation that Phol was another name for Balder.

From: here

Odin, the king of the Norse gods, often sat upon Hildskialf, the throne of the Aesir gods, with his companions, the two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (Memory), whispering in his ears. From this position he could look out on all of the nine worlds. Sometimes his wife Frigg would sit there, too, but she was the only other god who was so privileged. Frigg was the second and favorite wife of Odin, whose daughter she may also have been. She was the only Aesir as clever and knowledgeable about the future as Odin, although her foreknowledge did not depress her as it did her husband.

Frigg had her own palace, which was known as Fensalir, where she sat spinning clouds to float above Midgard. Fensalir also served as the afterlife home for married couples who wished to be together. It was a counterpart to the famous home of valiant warriors, Valhalla, where Odin spent much of his time -- drinking (he is said to have stopped eating when he heard about the inevitable doom of Ragnarok) with his feasting and fighting companions and the Valkyries.

The most handsome of the gods was born to Frigg and Odin. He was named Balder (also known as Baldur). He was a god of truth and light. Balder was also knowledgeable in healing herbs and runes, which made him a favorite among the people of Midgard. Balder lived in a palace named Breidablik with his wife Nanna (n.b. there is also a Mesopotamian goddess of this name), a vegetation goddess. It was believed that no lie could pass through the walls of Breidablik, home of the god of truth, so when Balder started having frightening nightmares about his own demise, the other Aesir gods took them seriously. Unlike gods in other pantheons, the Norse gods were not immortal. They catalogued everything that might possibly cause Balder harm, from weapons to diseases to creatures. With the list in hand, Balder's mother, Frigg, set out to exact assurances from everything in the nine worlds not to harm Balder. This wasn't hard because he was so universally loved.

When she had completed her mission, Frigg returned to Gladsheim, the gods' meeting hall, for a celebration. After a few rounds of drinks and toasts, the gods decided to test Balder's invulnerability. A pebble thrown at Balder bounced off without hurting Balder, in honor of its oath. Larger weapons were used, including Thor's axes and all refused to hurt the god.

Loki is known as a trickster god. Sometimes he was mischievous, but he hadn't really been malicious. The giants were evil, but Loki, who was the son of a giant, hadn't been known as such. It seems his self-appointed job was to stir things up when things were going well. It's a Loki-type action that one wishes to avert when telling an actor to break a leg before a performance.

Loki was disturbed by all the gaiety and decided to do something about it, so in disguise as a disgusting old hag, he went to Frigg while she was at Fensalir taking a break from the festivities. What was going on at Gladsheim, he asked her. She said it was a celebration for the god Balder. Loki-in-disguise asked why, then, were people throwing weapons at him? Frigg explained about the promises she'd exacted. Loki kept at her asking questions until she finally revealed that there was one thing she hadn't asked because she thought it too small and inconsequential. That one thing was mistletoe.

With all the information he needed, Loki set off to the forest to get himself a branch of mistletoe. He then returned to the festivities at Gladsheim and sought out Balder's blind brother, Hod, god of darkness, who was in a corner because he couldn't aim and therefore couldn't participate in the test of Balder's invulnerability. Loki told Hod he would help him take aim and handed Hod a piece of apparently innocuous mistletoe to throw.

Hodur was grateful and accepted the offer, so Loki steered Hod's arm. Hod launched the branch, which caught Balder in the chest. Balder died instantly. The gods looked towards Hod and saw Loki beside him. Before they could do anything, Loki fled away.

Celebration turned to lamentation since the most beloved of the gods had died. Odin alone was aware of how disastrous this event really was for them all, for he knew that with the loss of light and truth, the end of the world, Ragnarok, was due soon.

A funeral pyre was made that was so enormous the gods had to ask the help of the giants. They then placed their most valuable worldly possessions as gifts upon the pyre. Odin placed his golden armband Draupnir. Balder's wife fell down dead of grief at the pyre, so her body was placed beside her husband's.

[The most beautiful and beloved of the gods, Balder, son of Odin, had been slain by his blind brother wielding a misletoe shaft aimed by Loki. Balder's wife had joined him on the funeral pyre. After their funeral, they were in the world called Niflheim.]

An attempt was made to resurrect Balder, but due to more of Loki's mischief, it failed.

The goddess of death, Hel, promised that Balder could return to earth if every living creature shed tears of grief for Balder. It looked as though it would work, for everyone loved Balder, but Loki arranged for a single exception. Loki disguised himself as the giantess Thok. As Thok, Loki was too indifferent to cry. And so, Balder could not return to the land of the living. Balder and his wife remained in Niflheim.


Another son of Odin, Vali, revenged the death of Balder, but not by getting back at Loki. Instead, Vali slew his brother, the blind god Hod. Loki, who had fled the initial scene of Balder's death in Gladhseim, and then re-appeared in disguise as the giantess Thok, tried to get to safety by turning into a salmon. The salmon-Loki hid in a waterfall. But the Aesir, who knew where he was, tried to catch him in a net. Loki was too clever for that and jumped right over the net. Thor, however, was fast enough to catch the leaping fish in his bare hands. Then Loki was bound in a cave with venom dripping onto his body, which caused him to writhe in pain -- until the world's end in Ragnarok.

From: Baldr's Death

Balder was known as the 'Shinning God' or the 'Bleeding God' and was the fairest of all the gods in the Germanic pantheon. He was tragically killed by the trickery of Loki.


Balder (Baldur/Baldr) was the son of Odin and Frigg, and was looked upon with favour by all the other gods because of his gentle goodwill and fair nature. As a young man he had nightmares, which gave suggestion that he was to die at an early age. Odin travelled to the land of the dead on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, to converse with a seeress on the nature of Balder's dreams and other omens. She told him that the blind god Hodr was fated to kill Balder with a wooden branch.

On hearing this news Frigg, his mother and the queen of the gods, set up a plan to ensure that this could not happen. She travelled through all the nine worlds and extracted an oath from all things that they would not do harm to her son.

This momentous task completed, the other gods tested Balder's new found invulnerability by throwing branches and stones at him, these swerved to avoid hitting him. Jealous as ever of the love the other gods held for Balder, Loki disguised himself as a woman and approached Frigg in her hall. He conversed with her, and found that she had not bothered to extract an oath form the mistletoe plant, as she thought it too small to be of consequence.

Hearing this Loki quickly cut himself a branch of the plant, and sharpened it to a spear, he then returned to the gods and found them still throwing objects at Balder. He tricked Hodr into joining in, and gave him the mistletoe branch to throw. This passed straight through the fair god and he was killed outright.

The gods, in grief and shock at what had happened sent Hermod the swift, Balder's brother, to bargain with Hel, the queen of the underworld in the hope of restoring Balder to life. She agreed that she would release Balder only if everything in the nine worlds wept openly for him. And so it was that soon all things, trees, stones and the animals were weeping in grief. However the frost giant Thokk refused to shed a tear, and said that Hel should hold what she has. Too late the gods found out the Thokk was really Loki in disguise.

The myth of Balder has many similarities with those of divine kings, and there was a general belief that he would rise again and rule with his wife Nonna over a land of plenty. The legend of the sleeping king is found in many other mythologies, and it seems deeply rooted in early beliefs. It is possible that early Nordic converts to Christianity saw the similarities between Jesus and Balder.

The festival of the Midsummer Solstice was sacred to Balder, as was the colour white, in some stories sacred wells appeared from the hoof prints of his horse.

From: here

Other sites:
Balder - Death of Balder from Bulfinch
Some info
The myth of Balder - Mistletoes
Baldr info and myths
Death of Balder
Wikipedia
Summary

Sól/Sunna

Sól (Old Norse "Sun"[1]) or Sunna (Old High German "Sun") is the Sun personified in Germanic mythology. One of the two Old High German Merseburg Incantations, written in the 9th or 10th century CE, attests that Sunna is the sister of Sinthgunt. In Norse mythology, Sól is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson.

In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda she is described as the sister of the personified moon, Máni, is the daughter of Mundilfari, is at times referred to as Álfröðull, and is foretold to be killed by a monstrous wolf during the events of Ragnarök, though beforehand she will have given birth to a daughter who continues her mother's course through the heavens. In the Prose Edda, she is additionally described as the wife of Glenr. As a proper noun, Sól appears throughout Old Norse literature. Scholars have produced theories about the development of the goddess from potential Nordic Bronze Age and Proto-Indo-European roots.

Poetic Edda

In stanza 23 of the poem Vafþrúðnismál, the god Odin tasks the jötunn Vafþrúðnir with a question about the origins of the sun and the moon. Vafþrúðnir responds that Mundilfari is the father of both Sól and Máni, and that they must pass through the heavens every day to count the years for man:

Mundilfæri hight he, who the moon's father is,
and eke the sun's; round heaven journey each day they must,
to count years for men.[3]

In stanza 45 of Vafþrúðnismál, Odin asks Vafþrúðnir from where another sun will come from once Fenrir has assailed the current sun. Vafþrúðnir responds in stanza 46, stating that before Álfröðull (Sól) is assailed by Fenrir, she will bear a daughter who will ride on her mother's paths after the events of Ragnarök.[4]

In stanza 38 of the poem Grímnismál, Odin says that before the sun (referred to as "the shining god") is a shield named Svalinn, and if the shield were to fall from its frontal position, mountain and sea "would burn up". In stanza 39 Odin (disguised as Grimnir) says that both the sun and the moon are pursued through the heavens by wolves; the sun, referred to as the "bright bride" of the heavens, is pursued by Sköll, while the moon is pursued by Hati Hróðvitnisson.[5]

In stanza 15 of the poem Alvíssmál, the god Thor questions the dwarf Alvíss about the sun, asking him what the sun is called in each of the worlds. Alvíss responds that it is called "sun" by mankind, "sunshine" by the gods, "Dvalinn's deluder" by the dwarves, "everglow" by the jötnar, "the lovely wheel" by the elves, and "all-shining" by the "sons of the Æsir".[6]

Prose Edda

Sól is referenced in the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, where she is introduced in chapter 8 in a quote from stanza 5 of Völuspá. In chapter 11 of Gylfaginning, Gangleri (described as King Gylfi in disguise) asks the enthroned figure of High how the sun and moon are steered. High describes that Sól is one of the two children of Mundilfari, and states that the children were so beautiful they were named after the sun (Sól) and the moon (Máni). Mundilfari has Sól married to a man named Glenr.[7]

High says that the gods were "angered by this arrogance" and that the gods had the two placed in the heavens. There, the children were made to drive the horses Arvak and Alsvid that drew the chariot of the sun. High says that the gods had created the chariot to illuminate the worlds from burning embers flying from the fiery world of Muspelheim. In order to cool the horses, the gods placed two bellows beneath their shoulders, and that "according to the same lore" these bellows are called Ísarnkol.[8]

In chapter 12 of Gylfaginning, Gangleri tells High that the sun moves quickly, almost as if she were moving so quickly that she fears something, that she could not go faster even if she were afraid of her own death. High responds that "It is not surprising that she moves with such speed. The one chasing her comes close, and there is no escape for her except to run." Gangleri asks who chases her, to which High responds that two wolves give chase to Sól and Máni. The first wolf, Sköll, chases Sól, and despite her fear, Sköll will eventually catch her. Hati Hróðvitnisson, the second wolf, runs ahead of Sól to chase after Máni, whom Hati Hróðvitnisson will also catch.[8] In chapter 35, Sól's status as a goddess is stated by High, along with Bil.[9]

In chapter 53, High says that after the events of Ragnarök, Sól's legacy will be continued by a daughter that is no less beautiful than she, who will follow the path she once rode, and, in support, Vafþrúðnismál stanza 47 is then quoted.[10]

In the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, Sól is first presented in chapter 93, where the kennings "daughter of Mundilfæri", "sister of Máni", "wife of Glen", "fire of sky and air" are given for her, followed by an excerpt of a work by the 11th century skald Skúli Þórsteinsson:

God-blithe bedfellow of Glen
steps to her divine sanctuary
with brightness; then descends the good
light of grey-clad moon.[11]

In chapter 56, additional names for Sól are given; "day-star", "disc", "ever-glow", "all-bright seen", "fair-wheel", "grace-shine", "Dvalinn's toy", "elf-disc", "doubt-disc", and "ruddy".[12] In chapter 58, following a list of horses, the horses Arvakr and Alsviðr are listed as drawing the sun,[13] and, in chapter 75, Sól is again included in a list of goddesses.[14]

From: Wikipedia

In Norse mythology, Sol is the sun goddess, daughter of Mundilfari. She is married to Glen. Sol rides through the sky in a chariot pulled by the horses Alsvid ("all swift") and Arvak ("early riser"). Below their shoulder-blades the gods inserted iron-cold bellows to keep them cool.

She is chased during the daytime by the wolf Skoll who tries to devour her, just like her brother Mani is chased by the wolf Hati at night. It was believed that during solar eclipses the sun was in danger of being eaten by Skoll. Both wolves are the offspring of the giantess Hrodvitnir who lives in the Iron Wood. Eventually, the wolf will catch her. The goddess Svalin stands in front of the sun and shields the earth from the full intensity of its heat.



From: Pantheon.org

Sól/Sunna Lore from Sólarljóð
translated by Benjamin Thorpe
The Song of the Sun verses 38-45

I alone knew, how on all sides my pains increased.
The maids of Hel each eve with horror bade me to their home.
The sun I saw, true star of the day, sink in its roaring home;
but Hel's grated doors on the other side I heard heavily creaking.
The sun I saw with blood-red beams beset: (fast was I then
from this world declining) mightier she appeared, in many ways, than she was before.
The sun I saw, and it seemed to me as if I saw a glorious god;
I bowed before her, for the last time, in the world of men.
The sun I saw: she beamed forth with quivering eyes, appalled and shrinking;
for my heart in great measure was dissolved in languor.
The sun I saw seldom sadder; I had then almost from the world declined;
my tongue was as wood become, and all was cold without me.
The sun I saw never after, since that gloomy day;
for the mountain-waters closed over me, and I went called from torments.


From: here

Sunna is the Norse Goddess of the Sun, also known as Sól, though some hold that Sól is the mother and Sunna Her daughter. In Norse mythology, the Sun is female while the Moon is male. When the world was created from the body of the dead giant Ymir by the triad of Odin, Vili, and Ve, the Sun, Moon and Stars were made from the gathered sparks that shot forth from Muspellsheim, the Land of Fire.


Sól ("Mistress Sun"), drives the chariot of the Sun across the sky every day. Pulled by the horses Allsvinn ("Very Fast") and Arvak ("Early Rising"), the Sun-chariot is pursued by the wolf Skoll. It is said that sometimes he comes so close that he is able to take a bite out of the Sun, causing an eclipse. Sol's father is Mundilfari, and She is the sister of Måni, the Moon-god, and the wife of Glaur or Glen ("Shine"). As Sunna, She is a healer.


At Ragnarok, the foretold "Twilight of the Gods" or end of the world, it is believed the Sun will finally be swallowed by Skoll. When the world is destroyed, a new world shall be born, a world of peace and love, and the Sun's bright daughter shall outshine Her mother.


Alternate names: Sól, Sun, Sunnu, Gull ("Gold").


From: here

Other Sites:

Midsummer: A Celebration of the Goddess Sunna- Beliefnet.com

Hailing the Sun--A Blot to Honor Sunna
Blessing to Sunna
Sunna Blot


Modern hymn/poem/blessing-
* Ode to Sunna Analemma McKee-Schwenke
* Prayer to Sol Haakon Donalson
* Oh Hail ! (Sunna passages) Crowfuzz
* Solar and Lunar Adorations Benedikt (Ben) Kolsson
* Sun Hail Alwynne
* Sunna, Bright Crowfuzz
* Sunna Kimberley Remen
* The Chasing of Sol Jim Davis
* Sunna-Rise Michaela Macha
* Sunna: Forgotten Goddess of the Sun Sophie Oberlander
* The Death of Mundilfari´s Daughter Richard A. Edwards
* Mundilfari´s Kin Crowfuzz
* Sunna´s Journey Kim Thornton
* The Star (dedicated to Sunna) Rob Crocker
* Sunna Kimberley Remen

On MW:
Sunna and Sol
Sunna and Manni


Solar Goddess and a male moon?
Sun Gods And Goddesses
Sun goddess

Sif

In Norse Mythology Sif is the wife of Thor and as such one could justifiably expect her to hold a high position among the Asynjur. To the contrary Sif is bearly mentioned in the Eddas. In Snorri Sturluson's 'Gylfaginning' she is not even mentioned in his list of the Norse Goddesses. Sif's name means 'relative', presumably an abbreviation of 'wife of Thor' and on this evidence some historians consider that she was invented by the late pagan poets to fill a gap in the Aesir's family tree.

However two myths survive which suggest that Sif had a more important role than simply an ornament in Bilskirnir. In 'Skaldskaparmal' (The language of Poetry) Snorri Sturluson explains why the kenning 'Sif's Hair' is used in place of the word gold. In this famous tale Loki cut off all Sif's hair for a joke but Thor became very angry and threatened to kill him. To save his own life Loki promised to get the black elves to make Sif a magical wig which would grow like her own hair. Loki succeeded in obtaining the gold wig and by trickery managed to commission many treasures including the hammer Mjolnir and the spear Gungnir. If this kenning was well established in Snorri's time it suggests that this tale is of some antiquity.

The cutting and restoration of the golden hair suggests a representation of the corn harvest, a golden crop which is cut and grows anew. If one was to read between the lines even further Sif would become a fertility goddess, similar to Demeter of classical legend. There is however a further concept to consider. It is common in early polytheistic religions for a sky god to be coupled with an earth goddess so that the two together bring fertility. Thor is the most obvious sky god among the Aesir and lightning was believed to make the fields fertile. It would therefore make sense for the remnants of the sky/earth union to exist in the marriage of Thor and Sif. It is worth remembering that the last vestige of the Earth Mother in Norse Mythology, Jord, is only mentioned in connection with her son Thor. On this evidence I consider it safe to assume that Sif is a fertility goddess, although it is unlikely that she was actively worshipped during the late Viking period.

In the second myth Sif takes a more active part. In Locasenna from the Elder Edda, Loki returns to the god's banquet after being banished for killing one of the hosts servants. Eager for revenge Loki insults the gods and goddesses, accusing the men of being cowards and the women of being flirtatious (including Gefjion goddess of virgins!). In the poem Sif approaches Loki with a mead cup saying that as she is being civil towards him, he can say no evil against her. In return Loki calls her a 'man hating woman' and accuses her of making Thor a cuckold. Whether Loki was supposed to be spreading lies or referring to lost myths is unclear, but it is interesting that Sif takes a major role in this tale when she is mentioned so little elsewhere.

Sif is described as the mother of the god Ull in several sources and he is definitely not numbered among Thor's children. Why this reference exists is a mystery, either a myth once existed to explain Ull's birth or Snorri and his colleagues were equally confused by this reference after several hundred years of Christianity.

A passing mention is made to Sif in Snorri's Skaldskaparmal where the giant Hrungnir threatens to kill the gods and drag off Freyja and Sif to his own home. Freyja is often included in the myths as being highly desirable to the giants but it is the only such reference to Sif. Freyja and Sif are both noted for their great beauty and Ellis Davidson has suggested that they are manifestations of the same goddess. I consider this to be highly unlikely as they belong to different households among the gods, the Aesir and the Vanir. These probably resulted in a merger of two different tribes of similar religions, long before the Viking Age. Far greater confusion exists over the attributes of Frigga and Freyja for the same reason.

More evidence for a cult of Sif survives in the old Lapp religion which was recorded in the seventeenth century. The Lapps worshipped a thunder god called Hora Galles, a corruption of the Norse 'Thor Karl' meaning 'Old Man Thor'. Hora Galles had a wife called Ravdna, a name which seems to be borrowed from the Norse word 'raun' the rowan tree. The Lapps believed that the red berries of the rowan were sacred to Ravdna. The use of Norse words among the Lapps is surely evidence that they were originally titles of the equivalent Norse deities. This is supported in Thor's case as the Scandinavians have used the expression 'the Old Man's out riding' to describe thundery weather to this century. The rowan is also held sacred to Thor and was named 'Thor's Salvation' as he was said to have been saved from drowning by grasping a rowan branch. It is also interesting to note that Thor's sacred colour red is also sacred to Ravdna.

Sif appears to have partly filled the gap left by the Germanic earth goddess, Nerthus. She was possibly worshipped on a small scale as a patron of the harvest but to a lesser extent than Frey and Thor.

Sources
Poetic Edda, Snorri Sturluson, Trans. A Faulkes.
Poems of the Elder Edda, Trans. P Terry.
Myth and Religion of the North, Turville-Petre.
Scandinavian Mythology, H R Ellis Davidson.
Dictionary of Northern Mythology, Rudolf Simek

From: here

In Norse mythology, Sif is a goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the poetry of skalds. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Sif is the wife of the god Thor and is known for her golden hair.

In the Prose Edda, Sif is named as the mother of the goddess Þrúðr by Thor and of Ullr with a father whose name is not recorded. The Prose Edda also recounts that Sif once had her hair shorn by Loki, and that Thor forced Loki to have a golden headpiece made for Sif, resulting in not only Sif's golden tresses but also five other objects for other gods.

Scholars have proposed that Sif's hair may represent fields of golden wheat, that she may be associated with fertility, family, wedlock and/or that she is connected to rowan, and that she may appear or be referenced in the Old English poem Beowulf.

Etymology

The name Sif is the singular form of the plural Old Norse word sifjar. Sifjar only appears in singular form when referring to the goddess as a proper noun. Sifjar is cognate to the Old English sib (meaning "affinity, connection, by marriage") and in other Germanic languages: Gothic language sibbia, Old High German sibba, and German sippe. Sifjar appears not only in ancient poetry and records of law, but also in compounds (byggja sifjar means "to marry").[1] Using this etymology, scholar John Lindow gives the meanings "in-law-relationship", scholar Andy Orchard provides "relation", and scholar Rudolf Simek gives "relation by marriage".[2]

Poetic Edda

In stanza 48 of the Poetic Edda poem Hárbarðsljóð, Hárbarðr (Odin, father of Thor, in disguise) meets Thor at an inlet of a gulf. The two engage in flyting, and Hárbarðr refuses to ferry Thor across the bay. Among numerous other insults, Hárbarðr claims that Sif has a lover at home. In response, Thor says that Hárbarðr is speaking carelessly "of what seems worst to me" and also lying.[3]
Lokasenna (1895) by Lorenz Frølich.

In stanzas 53 and 54 of the poem Lokasenna, after pouring Loki a crystal cup of mead during his series of insults towards the gods, Sif states that there is nothing Loki can say only in regard to her. In response, Loki claims that Sif has had an affair with him:

Then Sif went forward and poured out mead for Loki into a crystal cup and said:

Welcome now, Loki, and take the crystal cup
full of ancient mead,
you should admit, that of the children of the Æsir,
that I alone am blameless.

He took the horn and drank it down:

That indeed you would be, if you were so,
if you were shy and fierce towards men;
I alone know, as I think I do know,
your love beside Thor,
and that was the wicked Loki.[4]

Sif does not respond, and the exchange turns to Beyla.[5] Sif is additionally mentioned in two kennings found in poems collected in the Poetic Edda; Hymiskviða (where Thor is referred to as the "Husband of Sif" thrice[6]), and Þrymskviða (where Thor is once referred to as "Husband of Sif"[7]).

Prose Edda

In the Prose Edda, Sif is mentioned once in the Prologue, in chapter 31 of Gylfaginning, and in Skáldskaparmál as a guest at Ægir's feast, the subject of a jötunn's desire, as having her hair shorn by Loki, and in various kennings.

Sif is introduced in chapter three of the Prologue section of the Prose Edda; Snorri's euhemerized account of the origins of Norse mythology. Snorri states that Thor married Sif, and that she is known as "a prophetess called Sibyl, though we know her as Sif".[8] Sif is further described as "the most loveliest of women" and with hair of gold.[8] Although he lists her own ancestors as unknown, Snorri writes that Thor and Sif produced a son by the name of Lóriði, who "took after his father".[9] Lóriði is attributed an extended genealogical list of descendants, including figures such as Godwulf and Odin (though outside of this continuity Odin is described as the father of Thor).

In chapter 31 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Ullr is referred to as a son of Sif and a stepson of Thor (though his father is not mentioned):

Ull is the name of one. The son of Sif, he is the stepson of Thor. He is so skillful a bowman and skier that no one can compete with him. He is beautiful to look at, and is an accomplished warrior. He is also a good person to pray to when in single combat.[10]

As reported in the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, Thor once engages in a duel with Hrungnir, there described as the strongest of the jötnar. Prior to this, Hrungnir had been drunkenly boasting of his desire to, amongst other things, kill all of the gods except Freyja and Sif, whom he wanted to take home with him. However, at the duel, Hrungnir is quickly killed by the enraged Thor.[11]

Further in Skáldskaparmál, Snorri relates a story where Loki cuts off Sif's hair as a prank. When Thor discovers this, he grabs hold of Loki, resulting in Loki swearing to have a headpiece made of gold to replace Sif's locks. Loki fulfills this promise by having a headpiece made by dwarves, the Sons of Ivaldi. Along with the headpiece, the dwarves produced Odin's spear, Gungnir. As the story progresses, the incident leads to the creation of the ship Skíðblaðnir and the boar Gullinbursti for Freyr, the multiplying ring Draupnir for Odin, and the mighty hammer Mjöllnir for Thor.[12]

Sif also appears in Skáldskaparmál listed as a heiti for "earth",[13] appears in a kenning for a gold-keeping woman,[14] and once for Hildr.[15] Poetic means of referring to Sif calling her "wife of Thor", "mother of Ullr", "the fair-haired deity", "rival of Járnsaxa", and as "mother of Þrúðr".[16]

From: Wiki

Sif is the Norse Goddess of the grain, who is a prophetess, and the beautiful golden-haired wife of Thor. Thor is the thunder God and frequent companion of Loki, as He makes the perfect patsy, being not too bright. Sif is of the elder race of Gods or Aesir. She is a swan-maiden, like the Valkyries, and can take that form.


By Her first marriage to the Giant Orvandil, Sif had a son named Ullr ("the Magnificent"), who is a god of winter and skiing. By Her second husband Thor, She had a daughter, Thrudr ("Might"), a Goddess of storm and clouds and one of the Valkyries, and two sons, Magni ("Might") and Modi ("Anger" or "The Brave"), who are destined to survive Ragnarok and inherit Mjollnir from Thor (though some say the Giantess Jarnsaxa "Iron Sword" is their mother).


Sif is famous for Her very long, very golden hair. One night, Loki, who just couldn't resist a little chaos and mischief, snuck into Her chamber and chopped it all off. A sobbing and horrified Sif went straight to Her husband, who in His rage started breaking Loki's bones, one by one, until finally He swore to make the situation right.



So Loki went to the dwarves and persuaded them to make not only a new head of magic hair for Sif from pure gold, but also a magical ship and a spear. But Loki could not resist pushing His luck, and made a wager with two other dwarves, Brokk and Sindi, daring them to make better treasures. Loki was so sure of the outcome that He had let His own head be the prize. Underestimating the dwarves' skills (or the depth of their hatred for Him), He suddenly realized with a shock that Brokk and Sindi were winning! In desperation He changed Himself into a horsefly, biting and pestering the dwarves while they worked. In spite of this they managed to produce several treasures, the most famous of which was Mjollnir, Thor's Hammer.
The Gods were then called to arbitrate and declared Brokk and Sindi the winners. Loki promptly disappeared. When He was tracked down He was again given to the dwarf brothers, but this time Loki agreed, yes, they had a right to His head, but the wager had said nothing about His neck. Frustrated with this "logic", the dwarves had to content themselves with sewing His lips shut.

The new head of golden hair was given to Sif, where it magically grew from Her head just as if it were natural. Her golden hair is said to represent the wheat of summer that is shorn at harvest-time.

From: here

Goddess of corn and fertility(?). She was goddess with beautiful golden hair. Not much is known about Sif. Sif was possibly a Vanir goddess originally, like the goddess Freyja.

Sif was the wife and consort of Thor. She had a son named Ull.

Originally, Sif was probably a prophetess known as the Sibyl, which Snorri Sturluson mentioned in the prologue of the Prose Edda. This Sibyl married Tror (Thor), who she had met in the realm of Thrace, which Sturluson called Thrudheim. If this is truly the case, then she became the goddess of prophecy and divination, though in the usual Norse mythology, she doesn't appeared to have any gift with divination.

One story told about her, tell how Loki had cut off her hair as practical joke. In a rage, Thor would have bash Loki to death, if the trickster did not restore Sif's hair.

Loki went to the dwarves, sons of Ivaldi. The dwarves made a wig with hair made of finely spun gold. The magic in the wig, allowed the gold to grow like natural hair. The gift was only just one of several that the dwarves had made for the gods.

From: here

Other Sites:
Odinic rite for Sif & Thor

Thor

Thor is the Norse god of thunder. He is a son of Odin and Jord, and one of the most powerful gods. He is married to Sif, a fertility goddess. His mistress is the giantess Jarnsaxa ("iron cutlass"), and their sons are Magni and Modi and his daughter is Thrud. Thor is helped by Thialfi, his servant and the messenger of the gods.

Thor was usually portrayed as a large, powerful man with a red beard and eyes of lightning. Despite his ferocious appearance, he was very popular as the protector of both gods and humans against the forces of evil. He even surpassed his father Odin in popularity because, contrary to Odin, he did not require human sacrifices. In his temple at Uppsala he was shown standing with Odin at his right side. This temple was replaced by a Christian church in 1080.

The Norse believed that during a thunderstorm, Thor rode through the heavens on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni ("gap-tooth") and Tanngnost ("tooth grinder"). Lightning flashed whenever he threw his hammer Mjollnir. Thor wears the belt Megingjard which doubles his already considerable strength. His hall is Bilskirnir, which is located in the region Thrudheim ("place of might"). His greatest enemy is Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent. At the day of Ragnarok, Thor will kill this serpent but will die from its poison. His sons will inherit his hammer after his death.

Donar is his Teutonic equivalent, while the Romans see in him their god Jupiter. Thursday is named after him.

From: Pantheon.org

God of thunder and lightning. Thor was the son of Odin and the giantess Jörd (Jord), Fjörgyn (Fjorgyn) or Hlódyn (goddess of the earth). In the Harbaardzljod from the Poetic Edda, Thor told Harbard (Odin in disguise as a ferryman) that he had brother named Meili.

Thor married Sif, the golden-haired goddess. He was the father of a daughter, named Thrud. By his mistress, Jarnsaxa (Iarnsaxa, "iron-sax"), a giantess, he was the father of two sons, Magni and Modi.

His domain was Thrudvangar with 540 apartments. Thor has a hall which he resided, called Bilskirnir. His symbol was the device known as the swastika. Thor had a chariot drawn by two goats – Tanngniost and Tanngrisnir, Thor became known as Oku-Thor.

Thor also had two servants, Thialfi and Roskva, son and daughter of a farmer, named Egil, who had given hospitality to Thor and Loki. See Fighting Illusions. Thialfi appeared frequently, including in the myth about Hrungnir; see Giant of Clay.

Thor was always depicted as a massive and strong, bearded man with his mighty war-hammer Mjollnir that he can used to create thunderbolts. The Mjollnir was powerful weapon, which was used by throwing the hammer at his enemy, the hammer would always return magically to his hands, probably because he worn magical iron gloves, known as the Járngreipr. The twin dwarfs, Brokk and Eiti, created the Mjollnir.

What made Thor seemingly invincible was that he also wears the Megingjarpar (girdle of might), that adds him his already enormous strength. This girdle was given to Thor by the giantess Grid, when the giant Gerrod stole Mjollnir. Grid also gave Thor a pair of iron gloves (Járngreipr) and an unbreakable staff, known as Grídarvöl.

Thor was the mightiest of the gods, and he was their greatest champion. His chief enemies were the giants from Jötunheim (Jotunheim). Often the stories of Thor were concern with the god killing one giant or another in various adventure.

Thor was also renown for his great appetite. (See Thrym, for the amusing story, when he lost Mjollnir and disguised himself as the goddess Freyja, to retrieve the hammer from the giants).

You will find many of Thor's adventures in the page titled Of Thor and Giants.

His greatest enemy was called Jörmungand (Jormungand) or Jörmungandr, commonly known as the Midgard Serpent (World Serpent). He failed to kill Jörmungand, in an early encounter (See Fishing Expedition in Of Thor and Giants). During the final battle of the gods (Ragnarök), Thor and Jörmungand would kill one another.

Thor enjoys greater popularity than Odin does, particularly in the rural area. And since he was god of thunderstorm he was similar to the Roman god, Jupiter or Jove (Zeus). Thursday was named after Thor or Thunor, matching Jove's day.

Snorri made a strange comparison, identifying Thor with Hector, the Trojan hero. Just as Hector was the champion of the Trojans, Thor was the champion of the Aesir.

From: here

In Norse polytheism, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, destruction, fertility, healing, and the protection of mankind. The cognate deity in wider Germanic mythology was known in Old English as Þunor and in Old High German Donar (runic þonar ᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱ), from a Common Germanic *Þunraz "thunder".

Ultimately stemming from Proto-Indo-European religion, Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to the tribal expansions of the Migration Period, to his extreme popularity during the Viking Age, where, in the face of the process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, emblems of his hammer, Mjöllnir, were worn in defiance and Norse pagans personal names containing the name of the god bear witness to his flourishing popularity. After the Christianization of Scandinavia and into the modern period, Thor continued to be acknowledged in rural folklore throughout Germanic regions. Thor is frequently referenced in place names, the day of the week Thursday ("Thor's day") bears his name, and names stemming from the pagan period containing his own continue to be used today.

In Norse mythology, largely recorded in Iceland from traditional material stemming from Scandinavia, numerous tales and information about Thor is provided. In these sources, Thor bears at least fourteen names, is the husband of the golden-haired goddess Sif, is the lover of the jötunn Járnsaxa, and is described as fierce-eyed, red-haired and red-bearded. With Sif, Thor fathered the goddess (and possible valkyrie) Þrúðr; with Járnsaxa, he fathered Magni; with a mother whose name is not recorded, he fathered Móði, and he is the stepfather of the god Ullr. The same sources list Thor as the son of the god Odin and the personified earth, Fjörgyn, and by way of Odin, Thor has numerous brothers. Thor has two servants, Þjálfi and Röskva, rides in a chariot led by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (that he eats and resurrects), and is ascribed three dwellings (Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr, and Þrúðvangr). Thor wields the mountain-crushing hammer, Mjöllnir, wears the belt Megingjörð and the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the staff Gríðarvölr. Thor's exploits, including his relentless slaughter of his foes and fierce battles with the monstrous serpent Jörmungandr—and their foretold mutual deaths during the events of Ragnarök—are recorded throughout sources for Norse mythology.

(...)

Old Norse Þórr, Old English Þunor and Old High German Donar are cognates within Germanic, descending from a Common Germanic *þonaroz[1] or *þunraz, meaning "thunder".[2] The name of the Gaulish god of thunder, Toran or Taran is also related.[3]

Thor is the namesake of the weekday name Thursday. By employing a practice known as interpretatio germanica during the Roman Empire period, the Germanic peoples adopted the Roman weekly calendar, and replaced the names of Roman gods with their own. Latin dies Iovi ("day of Jupiter") was converted into Proto-Germanic *Þonares dagaz ("Thor's day"), from which stems modern English "Thursday" and all other Germanic weekday cognates.[4]

Beginning in the Viking Age, personal names containing the theonym Thōrr are recorded with great frequency. Prior to the Viking Age, no known examples are recorded. Thórr-based names may have flourished during the Viking Age as a defiant response to attempts at Christianization, similar to the widescale Viking Age practice of wearing Thor's hammer pendants.[5]

In 19th century Iceland, a specific breed of fox was known as holtaþórr ("Thor of the holt"), likely due to the red coat of the breed.[6]

The modern spelling Thor is an anglicization of the Old Norse name. The name of the Norse deity is attested already in Old English, as Þór. The modern spelling was introduced with the beginning of antiquarian interest in the Viking Age, in the 17th century.[7]

(...)

Poetic Edda

In the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from traditional source material reaching into the pagan period, Thor appears (or is mentioned) in the poems Völuspá, Grímnismál, Skírnismál, Hárbarðsljóð, Hymiskviða, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Alvíssmál, and Hyndluljóð.[20]
The foretold death of Thor as depicted (1895) by Lorenz Frølich

In the poem Völuspá, a dead völva recounts the history of the universe and foretells the future to the disguised god Odin, including the death of Thor. Thor, she foretells, will do battle with the great serpent during the immense mythical war waged at Ragnarök, and there he will slay the monstrous snake, yet after he will only be able to take nine steps before succumbing to the venom of the beast:

Benjamin Thorpe translation:

Then comes the mighty son of Hlôdyn:
(Odin's son goes with the monster to fight);
Midgârd's Veor in his rage will slay the worm.


Nine feet will go Fiörgyn's son,
bowed by the serpent, who feared no fore.
All men will their homes forsake.[21]


Henry Adams Bellows translation:

Hither there comes the son of Hlothyn,
The bright snake gapes to heaven above;
. . . . . . . .
Against the serpent goes Othin's son.

In anger smites the warder of earth,—
Forth from their homes must all men flee;—
Nine paces fares the son of Fjorgyn,
And, slain by the serpent, fearless he sinks.[22]


After, says the völva, the sky will turn black before fire engulfs the world, the stars will disappear, flames will dance before the sky, steam will rise, the world will be covered in water, and then it will be raise again; green and fertile (see Prose Edda section below for the survival of the sons of Thor, who return after these events with Thor's hammer).[23]
Thor wades through a river while the Æsir ride across the bridge Bifröst (1895) by Lorenz Frølich

In the poem Grímnismál, the god Odin, in disguise as Grímnir, and tortured, starved and thirsty, imparts in the young Agnar cosmological lore, including that Thor resides in Þrúðheimr, and that, every day, Thor wades through the rivers Körmt and Örmt, and the two Kerlaugar. There, Grímnir says, Thor sits as judge at the immense cosmological world tree, Yggdrasil.[24]

In Skírnismál, the god Freyr's messenger, Skírnir, threatens the fair Gerðr, who Freyr is smitten with, with numerous threats and curses, including that Thor, Freyr, and Odin will be angry with her, and that she risks their "potent wrath".[25]

Thor is the main character of Hárbarðsljóð, where, after traveling "from the east", Thor encounters a ferryman at an inlet by the name of Hárbarðr (Odin, again in disguise), who he attempts to hail a ride from. The ferryman, shouting from the inlet, is immediately rude and obnoxious to Thor and refuses to ferry him. At first, Thor holds his tongue, but Hárbarðr only becomes more aggressive, and the poem soon becomes a flyting match between Thor and Hárbarðr, all the while revealing lore about the two, including Thor's killing of several jötnar in "the east" and berzerk women on Hlesey (now the Danish island of Læsø). In the end, Thor ends up walking instead.[26]
Týr looks on as Thor discovers that one of his goats is lame in the leg (1895) by Lorenz Frølich

Thor is again the main character in the poem Hymiskviða, where, after the gods have been hunting and have eaten their prey, they have an urge to drink. They "sh[ake] the twigs" and interpret what they say. The gods decide that they would find suitable cauldrons at Ægir's home. Thor arrives at Ægir's home and finds him to be cheerful, looks into his eyes, and tells him that he must prepare feasts for the gods. Annoyed, Ægir tells Thor that the gods must first bring to him a suitable cauldron to brew ale in. The gods search but find no such cauldron anywhere. However, Týr tells Thor that he may have a solution; east of Élivágar lives Hymir, and he owns such a deep kettle.[27]

So, after Thor secures his goats at Egil's home, Thor and Týr go to Hymir's hall in search of a cauldron large enough to brew ale for them all. They arrive, and Týr sees his nine-hundred-headed grandmother and his gold-clad mother, the latter of which welcomes them with a horn. After Hymir—who is not happy to see Thor—comes in from the cold outdoors, Týr's mother helps them find a properly strong cauldron. Thor eats a big meal of two oxen (all the rest eat but one), and then goes to sleep. In the morning, he awakes and informs Hymir that he wants to go fishing the following evening, and that he will catch plenty of food, but that he needs bait. Hymir tells him to go get some bait from his pasture, which he expects should not be a problem for Thor. Thor goes out, finds Hymir's best ox, and rips its head off.[28]

After a lacuna in the manuscript of the poem,Hymiskviða abruptly picks up again with Thor and Hymir in a boat, out at sea. Hymir catches a few whales at once, and Thor baits his line with the head of the ox. Thor casts his line and the monstrous serpent Jörmungandr bites. Thor pulls the serpent on board, and violently slams him in the head with his hammer. Jörmungandr shrieks, and a noisy commotion is heard from underwater before another lacuna appears in the manuscript.[29]

After the second lacuna, Hymir is sitting in the boat, unhappy and totally silent, as they row back to shore. On shore, Hymir suggests that Thor should help him carry a whale back to his farm. Thor picks both the boat and the whales up, and carries it all back to Hymir's farm. After Thor successfully smashes a crystal goblet by throwing it at Hymir's head on Týr's mother's suggestion, Thor and Týr are given the cauldron. Týr cannot lift it, but Thor manages to roll it, and so with it they leave. Some distance from Hymir's home, an army of many-headed beings led by Hymir attacks the two, but are killed by the hammer of Thor. And although one of his goats is lame in the leg, the two manage to bring the cauldron back, have plenty of ale, and so, from then on, return to Ægir's for more every winter.[30]
Thor raises his hammer as Loki leaves Ægir's hall (1895) by Lorenz Frølich

In the poem Lokasenna, the half-god Loki angrily flyts with the gods in the sea entity Ægir's hall. Thor does not attend the event, however, as he is away in the east for unspecified purposes. Towards the end of the poem, the flyting turns to Sif, Thor's wife, who Loki then claims to have slept with. The god Freyr's servant Beyla interjects, and says that, since all of the mountains are shaking, she thinks that Thor is on his way home. Beyla adds that Thor will bring peace to the quarrel, to which Loki responds with insults.[31]

Thor arrives and tells Loki to be silent, and threatens to rip Loki's head from his body with his hammer. Loki asks Thor why he's so angry, and comments that Thor won't be so daring to fight "the wolf" (Fenrir) when it eats Odin (a reference to the foretold events of Ragnarök). Thor again tells him to be silent, and threatens to throw him into the sky, where he will never be seen again. Loki says that Thor should not brag of his time in the east, as he once crouched in fear in the thumb of a glove (a story involving deception by the magic of Útgarða-Loki, recounted in the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning)—which, he comments, "was hardly like Thor". Thor again tells him to be silent, threatening to break every bone in Loki's body. Loki responds that he intends to live a while yet, and again insults Thor with references to his encounter with Útgarða-Loki. Thor responds with a fourth call to be silent, and threatens to send Loki to Hel. At Thor's final threat, Loki gives in, commenting that only for Thor will he leave the hall, for "I know alone that you do strike", and the poem continues.[32]

In the comedic poem Þrymskviða, Thor again plays a central role. In the poem, Thor wakes and finds that his powerful hammer, Mjöllnir, is missing. Thor turns to Loki, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. The two go to the dwelling of the goddess Freyja, and so that he may attempt to find Mjöllnir, Thor asks her if he may borrow her feather cloak. Freyja agrees, and says she'd lend it even to Thor if it were made of silver or gold, and Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling.[33]

In Jötunheimr, the jötunn Þrymr sits on a barrow, plaiting golden collars for his female dogs, and trimming the manes of his horses. Þrymr sees Loki, and asks what could be amiss among the Æsir and the elves; why is Loki alone in Jötunheimr? Loki responds that that he has bad news for both the elves and the Æsir—that Thor's hammer, Mjöllnir, is gone. Þrymr says that he has hidden Mjöllnir eight leagues beneath the earth, from which it will be retrieved, but only if Freyja is brought to him as his wife. Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from Jötunheimr and back to the court of the gods.[34]

Thor asks Loki if his efforts were successful, and that Loki should tell him while he's still in the air as "tales often escape a sitting man, and the man lying down often barks out lies." Loki states that it was indeed an effort, and also a success, for he has discovered that Þrymr has the hammer, but that it cannot be retrieved unless Freyja is brought to Þrymr as his wife. The two return to Freyja and tell her to put on a bridal head dress, as they will drive her to Jötunheimr. Freyja, indignant and angry, goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger, and her necklace, the famed Brísingamen, falls from her. Freyja pointedly refuses.[35]

As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a thing to discuss and debate the matter. At the thing, the god Heimdallr puts forth the suggestion that, in place of Freyja, Thor should be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, women's clothing down to his knees, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace Brísingamen. Thor rejects the idea, and Loki interjects that this will be the only way to get back Mjöllnir. Loki points out that, without Mjöllnir, the jötnar will be able to invade and settle in Asgard. The gods dress Thor as a bride, and Loki states that he will go with Thor as his maid, and that the two shall drive to Jötunheimr together.[36]

After riding together in Thor's goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. Þrymr commands the jötnar in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for Freyja has arrived to be his wife. Þrymr recounts his treasured animals and objects, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth.[37]

Early in the evening, the disguised Loki and Thor meet in the with the Þrymr and the assembled jötnar. Thor eats and drinks ferociously, consuming entire animals and three casks of mead. Þrymr finds the behaviour at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki, sitting before Þrymr and appearing as a "very shrewd maid", makes the excuse that "Freyja's" behaviour is due to her having not consumed anything for eight entire days before arriving due to her eagerness to arrive. Þrymr then lifts "Freyja's" veil and wants to kiss "her" until catching the terrifying eyes staring back at him, seemingly burning with fire. Loki states that this is because "Freyja" had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.[37]

The "wretched sister" of the jötnar appears, asks for a bridal gift from "Freyja", and the jötnar bring out Mjöllnir to "sanctify the bride", to lay it on her lap, and marry the two by "the hand" of the goddess Vár. Thor laughs internally when he sees the hammer, takes hold of it, strikes Þrymr, beats all of the jötnar, kills their "older sister", and so gets his hammer back.[38]

In the poem Alvíssmál, tricks a dwarf, Alvíss, to his doom upon finding that he seeks to wed his daughter (unnamed, possibly Þrúðr). As the poem starts, Thor meets a dwarf who talks about getting married. Thor finds the dwarf repulsive and, apparently, then realizes that the bride is his daughter. Thor comments that the wedding agreement was made among the gods while Thor was gone, and that the dwarf must seek his consent. To do so, Thor says, Alvíss must tell him what he wants to know about all of the worlds that the dwarf has visited. In a long question and answer session, Alvíss does so; he describes natural features as they are known in the languages of various races of beings in the world, and gives an amount of cosmological lore.[39]

However, the question and answer session turns out to be a ploy by Thor, as, although Thor comments that he has truly never seen anyone with more wisdom in their breast, Thor has managed to delay the dwarf enough for the Sun to turn him to stone; "day dawns on you now, dwarf, now sun shines on the hall".[40]

In the poem Hyndluljóð, Freyja offers to the jötunn woman Hyndla to blót (sacrifice) to Thor so that she may be protected, and comments that Thor doesn't care much for jötunn women.[41]

From: Wiki

Names, titles, etc:

*Þunraz.........*Proto-Germanic
Thunaer......... Old Low German
Donar.........Old High German "Thunder"
Thunar.........Anglo-Saxon "Thunder"
Donner.........Modern German "Thunder"
Thor.........Modern English "Thunder"
Tor.........Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Þórr.........Old Norse (Old Icelandic) "Thunder"
Ása-Thór........."Thor of the Aesir"
Vingthór........."Consecration Thor"
Lorride.........Old Norse"?"
Hlórriþi.........Old Norse "?"
Óku-Thór.........Old Norse "Driver Thor"
Gofar.........Swedish "The Good Father"
Atli
Ásabrag
Ennilang
Eindridi
Bjorn
Hardveur
Sonnung
Veud
Rym
"Deep Thinker"
"Man's Well-Wisher"
"Reiner of Goats"
"Mjollnir's Lord"
"Bilskirnir's Lord"
"The Thunderer"
"The Son of Odin and Jord"
"Father of Magni, Modi, and Thrudr"
"Husband of Sif"
"Sif's Beloved"
"Stepfather to Ullr"
"Owner of the Girdle of Might"
"Defender of Asgard and Midgard"
"Slayer of Giants"
"Killer of Hrungnir, Geirrod, and Thrivaldi"
"Lord of Thialfi and Roskva"
"Enemy of the Midgard Serpent"
"Foster Son of Vingnir and Hlora"
"Oflugbardi's Terrifier"
"Midgard's Buckler or Shield"

From: here

Old Norse: Þórr
Meaning: "Courage", "Boldness"

Thor was the nordic god of thunder.

He was the son of Odin and Jörd, husband of Sif and with her, father of Thrud and Lorride and Stepfather of Ull. His mistress was the giantess Jarnsaxa and their sons were Magni and Modi.

Thor was the strongest of the Aesir and, with his hammer, Mjöllnir, always at war with the giants.

The two goats, that drew his chariot were called Tanngniost ("The Snarling") and Tanngrisni ("Who grinds his teeth"). His servant's name was Thjalfi and Röskva, Thjalfi's sister, was Thor's handmaid.

He lived in Thrudvang ("Field of Might") or Thrudheim ("Home of Might"). There stood his palace, "Bilskirnir".


POETIC EDDA:

There are many many adventures of Thor in the eddic poems.
- In the Hárbarðsljóð of the Poetic Edda, he's wrangling with Harbard (Odin in disguise).
- The Alvíssmál tells about the knowledge-contest between the god Thor and the dwarf Alvis. It all began, when Thor was on a journey.
Alvis forged weapons for the gods and as payment they promised him Thor’s daughter, Thrud as his wife.
Thor came home and heared that, but didn’t want to gave him his daughter. So the day came, when Alvis went to Thor’s hall. Thor, who wanted to trick the dwarf started a knowledge-contest. He asked Alvis for the names of different things in the language of all races of the worlds.
Alvis didn’t recognized, that the day was rising and was turned to stone when the fist sun rays fell upon him. (Click Here to read the Alvíssmál in english or Here to read it in Old Norse)
- Another story of Thor's told in the Þrymskviða: the giant Thrym stole Thor's hammer Mjöllnir and wishes as payment for the hammer Freyja as his bride. But instead of sending Freyja to the giants, the Aesir dressed Thor as bride and Loki as his bridesmaid. The two gods came to Jötunheim, and Thrym gave Thor the hammer, who then immediately killed the giant and returned home.
- In the Hymiskviða, Thor went to the giant Hymir (maybe father of Tyr) to lend the latters enormous kettle. The kettle was for Aegir, to warm the mead for all the gods. In this story there's also a short encounter between Thor and the Midgard-Serpent.

At Ragnarok he'll kill the midgard-serpent, Jörmungand, but will be killed by the poison of the snake.


PROSE EDDA:

Once, Thor fought the giant Hrungnir. After being killed by the god, Hrungnir fell forward upon Thor. No one of the Aesir was strong enough to remove the giant from Thor’s neck, all except Magni, Thor’s and Jarnsaxa’s son.
After that, Thor went home to Thrudvangr, where Groa sung her spells over Thor and tried to remove the hone inside Thor’s head. But then Thor told her that he brought her husband Aurvandil, in a basket on his back, out of Jötunheim and that one of Aurvandil’s toes freeced ‘couse it stucked out of the basket. Thor broke the toe off and threw it up the sky.
(Prose Edda: Skáldskaparmál XXV)

Another famous story of Thor is his encounter with Utgard-Loki and his loose against Elli (the personified Old Age) in a wrestling match. And his gight against the giant Geirröd and his daughters Gjalp and Greip.

According to the damn fat chaos, coused by Snorri, when he said that Thor was the grandson of King Priam (greek myth, I really don't know why the hell he said that), he killed his foster-father and ruled his land Thrace (Thrudheim). Then he found Sibil (Sif), a faire prophetess and married her, their son's name was Loridi.

"And thus sang Eysteinn Valdason:
With glowing eyes Thrúdr's Father
Glared at the sea-road's circler,
Ere the fishes' watery dwelling
Flowed in, the boat confounding."
(That's a piece of the Skáldskaparmál: Þórskenningar, click Here to read all)

"Their son was Lóridi, who resembled his father; his son was Einridi, his son Vingethor, his son Vingener, his son Móda, his son Magi, his son Seskef, his son Bedvig, his son Athra (whom we call Annarr), his son Ítermann, his son Heremód, his son Skjaldun (whom we call Skjöld), his son Bjáf (whom we call Bjárr), his son Ját, his son Gudólfr, his son Finn, his son Fríallaf (whom we call Fridleifr); his son was he who is named Vóden, whom we call Odin: he was a man far-famed for wisdom and every accomplishment. His wife was Frígídá, whom we call Frigg."

(That's a neck from the Prose Edda's prologue)

Thor's names:

* Asabrag ("King of the Aesir")
* Asathor ("Thor of the Gods")
* Atli
* Björn ("Bear")
* Donar (Germanic)
* Eindridi (or Einridi)
* Ennilang
* Hardveur
* Hlorridi
* Jupiter (Thor's roman equivalent)
* Öku-Thor ("Driving-Thor")
* Rym
* Sonnung
* Thunor (Anglo-Saxon)
* Veud
* Veur
* Vingnir ("The Hurler")
* Vingthor ("Thor the Hurler")
* Zeus (Thor's greek equivalent)

Thursday ("Thor's Day") was called after him.

From: here

Other Sites:
Thundrune: Dedicated to Thor
Thor -- poems, chants, prayers
General article
Prayers/hymns written to Thor
Þunor/Thor
IV: Thor