THOR

deity common to all the early Germanic peoples, a great warrior represented as a red-bearded, middle-aged man of enormous strength, an implacable foe to the harmful race of giants but benevolent toward mankind. His figure was generally secondary to that of the god Odin, who in some traditions was his father; but in Iceland, and perhaps among all northern peoples except the royal families, he was apparently worshiped more than any other god. There is evidence that a corresponding deity named Thunor, or Thonar, was worshiped in England and continental Europe, but little is known about him. Thor's name was the Germanic word for thunder, and it was the thunderbolt that was represented by his hammer, the attribute most commonly associated with him. The hammer, Mjollnir, had many marvelous qualities, including that of returning to the thrower like a boomerang; it is frequently carved on runic stones and funerary stelae. Among Thor's chief enemies was the world serpent Jrmungand (Jrmungandr), symbol of evil. According to tradition, Thor failed to smash the skull of Jrmungand, and the two are destined to kill each other in the Ragnark (the end of the world of gods and men). Thor was sometimes equated with the Roman god Jupiter, dies Jovis (Jove's day) becoming Thor's day (Thursday).