The Religion of Ancient ScandinaviaCraigie, William A. (William Alexander), Sir
History
The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia
Craigie, William A. (William Alexander), Sir
Mythology, Norse
The firm hold which Thor had upon the minds of his worshippers is also
illustrated by the way in which some of the converts to Christianity
felt uneasy at abandoning him. Thorgils of Flói, in the south-west of
Iceland, was one of the first to accept the new faith, and more than
once he dreamed that Thor came to him with reproaches and threats for
this desertion. Thorgils was firm, and defied the angry god, but his
later perils at sea were believed by his companions to be the work of
Thor, and some of them even wished to sacrifice to him for a fair wind,
saying that people had fared much better when they made offerings to
him.
The prominent place held by the worship of Thor in the old religion is
also indicated by the frequent mention of images of the god in various
temples (as will appear in a later chapter); this fact acquires special
significance when contrasted with the lack of similar statements
regarding Odin. It is also extremely probable that it was Thor, and
not Odin, to whom the vague names of 'Land-god' (_Land-áss_) and 'The
Almighty God' were given; the latter was used, coupled with the names
of Frey and Njörd, in an old oath-formula.
Having thus made the position of Thor among the Scandinavian gods
as clear as the evidence admits of, it remains to show what manner
of god his worshippers supposed him to be. On this point there is
unfortunately less direct evidence than could be wished. In origin Thor
was the thunder-god, and it is therefore natural to find him spoken of
as 'the strongest of all the gods.' His weapon, the thunderbolt, was
imagined as a hammer, mythologically known by the name of _Mjölnir_,
and was especially used by him to protect the gods and men against
giants and other evil monsters. To grasp it with he had iron gloves,
and he was also possessed of a girdle of might which increased his
strength twofold. In his journeys, of which the mythological writers
have a good deal to say, he sometimes rode in a chariot drawn by two
goats. Of these details there is very little trace in historical
sources, although one passage (of doubtful value) speaks of an image
of Thor seated in his chariot. The hammer, however, was certainly the
distinctive symbol of the god, and representations of it were evidently
in common use as sacred and protective marks. Not only is it frequently
cut on stone monuments, but small figures of it were apparently used as
amulets, of which a number have been found in Denmark and Sweden. When
the Danish prince Magnus returned from an expedition into the heathen
districts of Sweden in 1123, he brought back with him as trophies
some Thor's hammers of metal. It is not clear how far such models of
the hammer were used in religious ceremonies; that it was employed at
weddings 'to hallow the bride' appears to be highly probable, but there
is no direct historical evidence to prove it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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