# Thor — Bulfinch’s Mythology character guide

> Thor in Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Gods, the great Thor, the Other Gods Thor

**First appearance:** 0004-i-introduction

## Snapshot

The Norse thunder-god whose hammer guards gods and men, and whose last battle is foretold at Ragnarok.

## Who they are

Thor is the strongest of the Norse gods, the defender of Asgard and Midgard whose hammer Mjolnir answers the giants' threats. At Ragnarok he kills the Midgard serpent, only to fall dead from its venom, a fate he meets without flinching. Bulfinch places him at the heart of northern myth as the protector whose doom is written alongside the world's, making his courage inseparable from the coming twilight of the gods.

## In the story

### [Northern Mythology—Valhalla—The Valkyrior](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/xxxviii-northern-mythology-valhalla-the-valkyrior)

Odin's eldest son, god of thunder, possesses a hammer, belt of strength, and iron gloves; his name gives Thursday.

### [Northern Mythology](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/northern-mythology)

Thor is not explicitly named in the excerpts, but as a major Norse god, his presence is implied in the pantheon; however, no direct mention is made, so he is not included.

### [Of Thor and the Other Gods](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/of-thor-and-the-other-gods)

Thor, the thunderer and Odin's eldest son, is the strongest of gods and men. He possesses a hammer that returns to his hand, a belt of strength that doubles his divine might, and iron gloves for wielding his mallet.

### [Of Loki and His Progeny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/of-loki-and-his-progeny)

Thor is not directly mentioned, but as a prominent Norse god, he is implied among the gods dealing with Loki's progeny.

### [How Thor Paid the Mountain Giant His Wages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/how-thor-paid-the-mountain-giant-his-wages)

Thor is absent during most of the building but returns to slay the giant with his mallet, paying the wages with death.

### [The Recovery of the Hammer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-recovery-of-the-hammer)

Thor loses his hammer to the giant Thrym, then disguises himself as Freya to retrieve it, ultimately slaying Thrym and his followers.

### [Thor's Visit to Jotunheim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/xxxix-thor-s-visit-to-jotunheim)

The god Thor, protagonist of the journey, demonstrates his strength in contests against illusions representing natural forces.

### [Thor's Visit to Jotunheim, the Giant's Country](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/thor-s-visit-to-jotunheim-the-giant-s-country)

The god Thor journeys to Jotunheim with his companions, attempts to strike Skrymir with his mallet, and competes in drinking, lifting, and wrestling contests at Utgard-Loki's palace.

### [The Funeral of Baldur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-funeral-of-baldur)

Captured Loki by the tail when he tried to leap over the net as a salmon.

### [The Elves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-elves)

His hammer was forged by the Dark Elves.

### [Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/ragnarok-the-twilight-of-the-gods)

Slays the Midgard serpent but dies from its venom.

### [The Nibelungen Lied](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-nibelungen-lied)

Mentioned among the gods worshipped in the German forests during the epic's prehistoric era.

### [E](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/e)

Wrestled against Elli (Old Age) and lost, as noted in the entry for Elli.

### [T](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/t)

Identified as the thunderer of Norse mythology, most popular of the gods.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/characters/thor
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/characters