Thor. What comes to mind when I say that name? For some, it might be the golden haired, red caped guy from Marvel. Others might say “the god of thunder”. However, in the Poetic Edda, he is rarely associated with thunder apart from his name which means “thunder”. I think calling Norse Gods “the god of…” anything limits that god’s true nature.
What do we know from the Poetic Edda? He is associated with protecting boundaries…Midgard and Asgard from disorder and chaos. (This is a constant battle…jotnar represents chaos and disorder while the gods represent order. An oversimplification, I know.)
In Voluspa 26, Thor becomes angry when he hears about oaths being broken. In the Prose Edda, he can resurrect his goats with his hammer. In Grimnir 4, his home is called Thrudheim (Power or Strength home). In the Lay of Hymir he is called Hlorridi (Bellowing Thunder or Loud Rider).
In Harbard 6, he is mocked by the ferryman (Odin) for looking like a beggar. He is married to Sif, the fertility of the land and bountiful harvest. In this way, Sif further strengthens Thor’s position to protect Midgard and the survival of the tribe through a bountiful harvest. (Very important for an agrarian society.)
He has a hammer named Mjolnir which means “the crusher” and represents the unyielding power and ability to overcome obstacles and defend against chaos. His hammer was so important that in Thrymskvida, Thor even dressed as a woman in order to get it back after it had been stolen.
I fail to see how Thor is “the god of thunder”. In the stories, he is constantly traveling…protecting gods and the everyday person, his hammer has both healing powers as well as crushing power (but seemingly only for chaos), keeping oaths seems to be important to him and he is known for being able to drink and eat a lot…which would suggest to me that he offers abundance. (See also Harbardsljoth where he offers food to the ferryman.)
So then my question is: where in the world did this idea come from that Thor is “the god of thunder”? What am I missing here?
-Raysdottir
Praise the Gods 
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