The Fragmentation of the Þórr Cult

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The mythological narrative of Þórr is not as static in the attested literature as many might think. The Old Norse religious systems as a whole were subject to variation and mutation across regional, tribal and familial lines, and the cult of Þórr was also affected by these factors. In this essay I will outline some of the varying beliefs in the Þórr cult, and these are by no means all of the existing variations.

It should be noted that these variations (and contradictions) in myth do not invalidate the truth of the myths and should not be seen as a conflict of orthodoxies. Such differences should thus be understood more accurately as cultic fragmentation, and as a natural development of polytheism.

Þórr as ancestor of Óðinn

The first that should be addressed is the view of Þórr as an ancestor of Óðinn1. This view is expressed in the prologue of Gylfaginning in the Snorra Edda, which is recorded across four different manuscripts, the oldest being DG 11 4to, also called Codex Upsaliensis. This variation occurs in a chapter that sets up the Norse gods in a euhemeristic fashion, and as deriving from the city of Rome, which the author confuses with Troy. The first mentioned is Þórr, who is said to have been descended from a king called Menón or Munón who married the king Priam, named Trója. Their son was Trór, who the author says is Þórr. The DG 11 4to, GKS 2365 4to, and AM 242 fol.  manuscript variations detail that he was raised in Thrace, and was ten winters old when he took up his father’s weapons, and was at his full strength at twelve winters old. He was said to have lifted ten bear skins from the ground, defeated many berserkers at once, killed many giants, dragons and beasts in his travels across the world. He is said to have been fostered by a man named Lóríkus and his wife Lóra, who he killed and subsequently took possession of their kingdom, which was called Þrúðheimr. These particular manuscripts then give a line of descent that constitutes known bynames of Þórr in the skaldic tradition, then his sons Móði and Magni, and then a genealogy of legendary kings which all converge on Óðinn, mirroring the Anglo-Saxon and West Saxon royal genealogical lines. The line as it is espoused in the Snorra Edda is notably similar to the Langfeðgatal2 of the twelve century, suggesting that either there was a precursor present in Iceland at the time of the Snorra Edda composition, or knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon material was readily known in Iceland.

The genealogies are as follows:

The Langfeðgatal geneaology of Haraldr hárfagri Hálfdansson:

Japhet, Iaphanus, Zechim, Ciprvs, Celius, Satvrnvs, Iupiter, Erichonii, Troes, Ilus, Lamedon, Priami, Mimon/Memmon, Tror/Þor, Hloriþa, Einriði, Vingeþor, Vingener, Moda, Magi, Seskef/Sescef, Beðvig, Athra, Itermann, Heremotr, Scealdua, Beaf, Eat, Goðulfi, Finn, Frealaf, Voden/Oðen, Niorðr, Ynguifræyr, Fiolnir, Svegðir, Vallande, Visbvr, Domalldr, Domar, Dyggvi, Dagr, Agni Skialfar, Tunnadolgr, Alrekr, Yngui, Iorvndr, Aun hinn Gamle, Egill Tunnadolgr, Ottar Vendil Kraka, Aþils at Uppsaulum, Eysteinn, Yngvar, Braut Önundr, Ingialldr illraði, Olafr tretelgia, Haldan hvitbeinn, Eysteinn, Halfdan milldi, Guðröður gaufoglati, Halfdan svarti, Haralldr harfagri.

The DG 11 4to genealogy:

Menon, Tror/Þorr, Lorriði, Vingiþorr, Vingener, Moða, Magi, Sefsmeg, Beðvig, Atra/Anarr, Itermann, Eremoð, Skjaldun/Skjöldr, Bjaf, Börr, Jat, Guðolfr, Finnr, Frjalafr, Friðleif, Wodden/Oðinn.

The GKS 2365 4to genealogy:

Munón/Mennón, Tror/Þor, Loriði, Einriði, Vingiþorr, Vingenir, Moða, Magi, Seskef, Beðvig, Athra/Annan, Itrmann, Heremoð, Skjauldun/Skjöld, Bjaf/Bjar, Jat, Guðolfr, Finn, Friallaf/Friðleif, Voden/Oðin.

The AM 242 fol. genealogy:

Munon/Mennon, Tror/Þor, Loriði, Einriði, Vingiþorr, Vingenir, Moða, Magi, Chespheth, Beðvig, Athra/Annan, Itrmann, Heremoð, Skjaldun/Skjöld, Bjaf/Bjar, Jat, Guðolfr, Finn, Friallaf/Friðleif, Voden/Oðin.

The MS 1374 genealogy:

Munon/Mennon, Tror/Þor, Loriði, Einriði, Ving, Vingenir, Moða, Ingi, Seskef, Heðvig, Athra/Annan, Itrmann, Heremoð, Skjaldun/Skjöld, Bjaf/Bjar, Jate, Guðolfr, Finn, Frialleaf/Frilleif, Voden/Oðin.

Based on the frequency of this model across the manuscripts which make up the Snorra Edda, we can see that there was a belief at some point in history that Þórr was an ancestor of Óðinn, and that Snorri was aware of this belief. The lineage of the Þórr cult has deep ties to the Battle Axe Culture, which existed in south Sweden, parts of western Norway, and southwest Finland in 2800 to about 2300 BCE, with elements such as the religious iconography of the axe being retained, and even expounded upon in the Nordic Bronze Age culture3, and is likely the origin point for this model in later literature.

Þórr as son of Óðinn

This is contrasted with the tradition of Þórr as the son of Óðinn, which is consistent throughout the literature. He is introduced in Gylfaginning 11 which states jörðin var dóttir hans ok var þeira Ásaþórr. In Skáldskaparmál 38.21, he is called sonr Alföðrs, and in 40, he is denoted as son Óðins ok Jarðar, and in 40.38 he is denoted as Viðris arfa. In Völuspá 55, he is called Óðins sonr, though the verse is corrupted. Þrymskviða 21 calls him again Óðins sonr, while in Hýmiskviða 2 and 21 he is called Yggs barn and Óðni sifjaðr. In Hárbarðsljóð 9, Þórr introduces himself to the ferryman as Óðins sonr. The late Icelandic rímur dated to the fifteenth century called Þrymlur, a variant of Þrymskviða denotes Þórr as Óðins son var Ásaþórr. In Haustlöng by Þjóðólfr ór Hvini names Þórr as Óðins burar. The frequent stating of the descent from his father primarily serves to denote his familial ties to the Æsir, which is noted when he introduces his familial connection to Óðinn, and his good family line to the ferryman in Hárbarðsljóð.

Þórr as son of Jörð

Þórr is also known throughout the literature by the descent of his jötun mother Jörð. In Völuspá 53 (49), he is noted twice as mögr Hlóðynjar, and Fjörgynjar burr. He is called Jarðar burr in Lokasenna 38, and in Þrymskviða 1. He is referred to as Jarðar sunr and Grundar sveini in Haustlöng 14 and 19. In Þórsdrápa 23 he is named as kon mœrar. His mother’s byname Hlóðyn has linguistic connections to the names of his foster parents Lóríkus and Hlóra. The name of Lóríkus4, who is also called Vingnir5 in Skáldskaparmál6 is formed from the hló- prefix as Hlóðyn and Þórr’s byname Hlórriði. The descent from his mother is a crucial element in his divine narrative, denoting his jötun maternal ancestry but also his close association with the earth, but also mountains, streams and rivers — all places he tends to be present in or associated with.

Þórr as the husband of Frigg

Gunnar Olof Hlytén-Cavallius in his Wärend Och Wirdarne detailed that the people of Värend held the belief that Þórr was the husband of Frigg, which contrasts with the Eddic and Saga literature. They believed that Frigg accompanied Þórr on his wanderings, and that they came to the houses of farmers on thursday evenings.  This night was called Thorshelg and was consecrated to Þórr and Frigg. Many customs of cleanliness, hospitality, and ritual taboos were observed on this night so as not to offend the gods which might come to visit the home. Þórr in these tales was said to ride a horse rather than a wagon led by goats. The DG 11 4to variant of Skáldskaparmál gives the kenning ömmu Óðins, meaning the Grandmother of Óðinn.

Þórr and kingship

Many Eddic and skaldic names of Þórr imply a high position of kingship or lordship. The name Ásabragr is given in Skírnismál 33 and in Skáldskaparmál, meaning first/chief of the Æsir. The term bragr in Old Norse means the best of, and terms such as bragnar and bragningr mean hero, or king. In Anglo-Saxon, brego is defined in Latin as princeps meaning chief, first or principal. In Gylfaginning, Þórr is called framarst, that is, foremost of the Æsir. In Þrymskviða he is called hafradróttinn, the lord of goats, dróttinn being an old term for a a king. Þórsdrapa gives the kennings himinsjóli meaning heavenly-king7, and gramr með dreyrgum hamri, meaning the king with the bloody hammer. His high position is mentioned in Then Gamble Och Swenske Rijmkrönikan from 1615, in which it is stated that the god Thor was the highest of them8. Johannes Schefferus writes in Lapponia that the Þórr of the Sámi and Swedes was the same as the Finnic Tavastian deity Turrisas or Turisas, whose name derives from Turris and As; a metathesis of Ásaþórr, who was worshipped for war and victory9. Other names were said to be Tursas10, Turris, Torus and Tures. One of their most ancient leaders Turus, was worshipped under the name Turisas. Arngrim Jonas states that the Finns in ancient times had a king named Tornis, the predecessor of Nór, or Nóri, the king of Norway. This connects Þórr to Þorri, a descendant of Snær and Fornjótr in Orkneyinga saga and in Hversu Noregr Byggðist. The first saga presents an association with frost and winter, dwelling in Finland and Kvenland. The second saga presenting him as a king reigning over Kvenland, Finland and Gotland. This has been said to derive from a folk etymology.

Þórr as chief of the gods

There are traces of a view throughout both the saga material and the contemporary historical accounts, which places Þórr as the chief of the gods. In the poem Hýmiskviða, Þórr introduces himself as Þrúðvaldr goða, meaning the mighty ruler of the gods. This view is also present in Sveins þáttr ok Finns, which calls him höfðingja allra goða11 or the chieftain of all the gods.  This view is echoed in De Falsis Diis12 by Ælfric of Eynsham which states “(…) the son was thus nevertheless more verily worshipped than the father was, and he is considered also most worthy of honor of all the gods, who in the heathen days had for gods had, in their error”. The Archbishop of York, Wulfstan II adapted the work of Ælfric in his De Falsis Deis13, otherwise known as Homily XII. Wulfstan questions the position of Þórr as the son of Óðinn: “Now some of the Danish men said in their heresy that he Jove was, and he was named Thor, Mercury’s son, and he Odin named, but they were not right, as we read in literature, both among heathens and in Christendom, that the evil Jove in truth is Saturn’s son”. He likewise implies that Þórr is the father of Týr, Freyr, and Freyja and details some knowledge of Norse myth, such as Freyr and Freyja’s incest.

Þórr in the middle and most honored

This central position of Þórr and him being the most honored is noted frequently in the sagas. Kjalnesinga saga states that Þórr was the most honored14 and that within the hof of Þorgrímr, there stood Þórr in the middle and another god at his two hands15. Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar by Odd Munk Snorrason states that Þórr was in the middle of the hof16, and in Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar in Flateyjarbók states Þórr sits in the middle, and he was the most honored17. Sturlaugs saga Starfsama has Þórr sits very large in the high-seat18. Adam of Bremen writes about the temple of old Uppsala in Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum that Thor sat in the middle of the room on a throne 19. Sveins þáttr ok Finns says that in Sveinn’s hof at Þrándheimr Sveinn worshipped Þórr the most20. There are also accounts of hofs which worshipped Þórr in a singular, or henotheistic manner. Eyrbyggja saga portrays Þórólfr Mostrarskegg as a fervent worshipper of Þórr, the hof on the island of Mostr being called Þórshof, and he was the preserver or ward of the hof. In Rögnvalds þáttr ok Rauðs, Gunnar-Rauðr inherits from his foster father the stewardship of the Þórr cult on the island. The tale states that there was a great hof owned by Þórr21. The hof was thus seen as being exclusively owned by Þórr. It should be noted that Þórr is also called hofstjóri in Þórsdrápa, meaning the hof steerer, which naturally derives from his central position in temples. He is called hofreginn, meaning the hof god in Haustlöng.

Þórr as Jupiter, Zeus and Jehovah

Þórr was often compared to classical deities in Old Norse translations of classical works such as Rómverja saga, Trójumanna saga and Alexanders saga. Being written in the thirteenth century, these sagas place Þórr in the stead of Zeus and Jupiter. The evolution of this approximation pattern stems from the external confusion about the central position of Þórr in Scandinavian sources. The earliest mention of this approximation and probable origin, is in Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum, which states Thor with his scepter appeared similar to Jove22. In Trójumanna saga, Þórr is depicted as having a holy stall and King Priam is before the stall of Þórr instead of the altar of Zeus as is given in the Aeneid. In Alexanders saga, the approximation is more direct and displays knowledge of native heathen concepts of the Þórr cult: the holy fire23 burning before Thor’s likeness24, which was seated in a chariot25 which was yoked to animals, which in this case were not goats but many yoked horses, snow-white in color26. The saga details that an idol of a god was made which is called Jupiter in Latin, but Þórr in our tongue27. The author attributed to the translation is Brandr Jónsson, who was a bishop of Skáholt who seems to have been well acquainted with the Þórr cult as it was practiced during the age of settlement. The approximation as Jupiter is also present in the GKS 2365 4to variant of the Snorra Edda, it states in the prologue: Therefore Jupiter is put in the place of Thor, since all evil spirits fear him28. Later in 1633, following this pattern, Ole Worm states which is Jove to them, but Thor to us29 in his Fasti Danici. This pattern is furthered in the esoteric writings of Johannes Bureus. In his Adalruna Rediviva from 1642, Þórr is said to be a byname of Jupiter, who he also equates to Jehovah. This view is influenced by the aforementioned work of Adam of Bremen and synthesized with the prisca theologia of Rosicrucian esoteric tradition, which Bureus was an adherent of.

Þórr of the Sámi

The Sámi view of Þórr as recorded in Lapponia by Johannes Schefferus depicts him as a chief of other spirits: the gods whom they worship before the rest, Thor, the leader of the rest (of the gods), with his servants30. The rulers of local spirits that were represented by the seita stones were called Storjunkare and were seen as the vicars or vice-regents of Þórr under the name Aijeke or Tiermes31. The Storjunkare have dominion over all animals, birds, fish and reindeer, and granted abundance to those who sacrificed to them. The Storjunkare likewise had dominion over the local spirits and were essentially what the name implies — greater spirits as compared to the lesser spirits of an area32. Þórr to the Sámi, was greater than them, and thus they answered to him. This is in accordance with Þórr being a protector of the land, being considered in Iceland as the Landáss, or the god of the land. He protects mankind and the other spirits of the land against destructive óvættir, jötnar, and þursar. As Horagalles, Þórr was seen as the oldest and most honored of their idols33 as Erik Johan Jessen notates in his Af Handling on Finnernes og Lappernes Hedenske Religion from 1767. This is also iterated by Lars Levi Læstadius in his Fragments of Lappish Mythology from 1838-1845. The Sámi also viewed Þórr as a grandfather or great-grandfather, as Schefferus states: That is why the name of Aijeke is also the same, for Aijeke to the Lapps, who to the Latins is the grandfather, great-grandfather, and ancestor. Of course, they called this just as the Latins called Jove their father, the Swedes called Gubba, which is like our good-father, grandfather, or great-grandfather34. This belief, as the quote details, corresponds to the later Scandinavian folk memories of Þórr, which call him Gofar, Gammelfar  and Gubbe. That is, Grandfather, the Old Father, and The Old Man. These aspects reveal a native Scandinavian substrate that was taken up by the Sámi, which originated in the Swedish and Norwegian cults of Þórr, with Norway having some of the last vestiges of the cult.

Footnotes:

  1. Gunnell, Terry. 2015. Pantheon? What Pantheon? Concepts of a Family of Gods in Pre-Christian Scandinavian Religions. Scripta Islandica 66: 55–76. ↩︎
  2. A notable element in the Langfeðgatal material has the line of Haraldr Hárfagri being populated with the most popular gods Þórr, Óðinn, Njörðr and Freyr built within it. There was likely a political motivation behind the structure of this line, as the centralized nature of his kingdom brought together various regions in Scandinavia, which also means that there were various regional religious systems brought together forcibly into the kingdom. The reign of Hárfagri was notably termed in the sagas as ofríki, which means overbearing or tyrannical. The placement of these gods in his ancestral line can be seen as a political move to solidify his position as the legitimate ruler of all the regions he governed. ↩︎
  3. https://da.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kallerupfundet ↩︎
  4. The name Lóríkus might have originally been Hlóríkr or Hlórekr in Old Norse. ↩︎
  5. Vingnir is noted to be a jötun in the Nafnaþulur. ↩︎
  6. Skáldskaparmál 40 gives the kenning of Þórr as fóstra Vingnis ok Hlóru. ↩︎
  7. This kenning has also been translated as heaven pillar, denoting a connection to the world-pillar and the súla. ↩︎
  8. Original: Thor gudh war högster aff them. ↩︎
  9. Mikael Agricola in the 16th century records Turisas as a god of war: turisas annoi woiton sodhast. ↩︎
  10. Not the same being as the Finnish Iku-Turso, which etymologically derives from Þurisaz. See Frog, From Proto-Germanic *þur(i)saz to Karelian Iku-Turso, 2022. ↩︎
  11. Óðinn and Freyr are also mentioned as being höfðingi and höfðingja, or chieftains in Gylfaginning chapters 37 and 41. ↩︎
  12. (…) ac se sunu wæs fæder wære, and he is geteald eac arwurðost calra þæra goda, þe þa hæðenan on ðam dagum for godas hæfdon on heora gedwylde. ↩︎
  13. Nu secgað sume þa Denisce men on heora gewylde þæt se Iouis wære, þe he Þor hatað, Mercuries sunu, þe hi Oðan namiað, ac hi nabbað na riht, forðan þe we rædað on bocum, ge on hæþenum ge on Cristenum, þæt se hetula Iouis to soðan is Saturnes sunu. ↩︎
  14. Original: Þórr var þar mest tignaðr. ↩︎
  15. Original: þar stóð Þórr í miðju ok önnur goð á tvær hendr. ↩︎
  16. Original: Þórr var í miðju hofinu. ↩︎
  17. Original: Þórr sat í miðju hann var mest tignaðr. ↩︎
  18. Original: Þórr sitr allvöxtuligr í öndvegi. ↩︎
  19. Original: Thor in medio solium habeat triclinio. ↩︎
  20. Original: tignade sveinn Þor æinna mest. ↩︎
  21. Original: var þar mikit hof æignnat Þor. ↩︎
  22. Original: Thor autem cum sceptro Iovem simulare videatur. ↩︎
  23. Original: vígðan eld. ↩︎
  24. Original: líkneski Þórs. ↩︎
  25. Original: kerra. ↩︎
  26. Original: margir hestar beittir snjóhvítir at lit. ↩︎
  27. Original: er Jupiter heitir á latina, en Þór á vara tunga. ↩︎
  28. Original: því er Jupiter settr fyrir Þór svá sem allar óvættir hræddusk hann. ↩︎
  29. Original: quem illi Jovi, hi Thoro. ↩︎
  30. Original: deos suos quos præ cæteris religiose colunt ut Thoronem cæterorum principem cum famulis suis. ↩︎
  31. Original: putant nimirum ipsum esse Aijeke vel Tiermes sui vicarium, & quasi regium aliquem præfectum. ↩︎
  32. Finnish tradition names these beings the Haltija and Väki. ↩︎
  33. Jessen states: een af deres ældste og meest ærede afguder var Horagalles. ↩︎
  34. Original: ideo iisdem etiam Aijeke vocative, nam Aijeke Lapponibus, qui Latinis avus, proavus, atavus. Nempe hoc vocarunt modo, sicuti Latini Jovem patrem, Sueci gubba quod sit quasi pater bonus, avus, aut proavus noster. ↩︎

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