A basic introduction to Thor

by Jessica Pape-Green

[This post was originally posted to WordPress and may have formatting errors as a result to being moved here.]

Haha, guess who has got the flu so bad that she forgot what day it is? HahahaFUCK

Anyway, here is the first in my THORSday series of posts, a basic introduction to Thor. (I just wrote "Frigg" and had to re-type it. Witches, I am sick.)

"But, Jess!" I imagine you saying, "Didn't you just promise to make less of these posts?" Nah, I promised to make more variety of posts. I've still got promises to deities to keep as well. Trust me, there's other things I want to write for you. I've been brainstorming! But yer girl is very sick.

So we are back to 30 Days of Deity Devotion!

🍻⚡⛈️⚡🔨 THOR TIME 🔨⚡⛈️⚡🍻

Thor is the son of Odin and arguably the most popular of the Norse gods. It was his legendary hammer, Mjölnir, which became the symbol of Nordic paganism both historically and in the modern day. Though defined as a member of the Æsir, he is ¾ Jötunn by birth. Frigg was not his birth mother but was likely his foster mother.

The myths he is most well-known for is near-impossible feats at the demand of Utgard-Loki, the time he fished Jormungandr, and the time he did drag as Freyja. He is also known for Mjölnir, his drinking prowess, his command of lightning, and his regenerating goat.

He is thought to have red hair and be very tall, broad, and burly. There are some historical jokes that imply that he may be as under-endowed as his short-handled hammer. He is short-tempered and bragging. He is well-aware of his noble status and martial proficiency.

He is almost as popular among racist pricks as his dad is, not by his own will, considering his mixed-race heritage and gender-bending shenanigans. The appeal to them is that his a god of strength and warrior-ness. This also tends to make him the god of dudebros. Don't let this put you off as it had me: Anyone who works with the Norse gods deals with him eventually. Yes, my hand was forced by the deal I made with him in an emergency situation, but I can't help but think that this was partly motivated by him being perturbed my feelings toward him and his mom knowing what's best for me.

Side story time: One time I got chased and nearly attacked (teeth grazed my butt a few times) by a dog when I was a kid. Since then, I was afraid of dogs. My family continued to have dogs, but I low-key didn't trust them not to suddenly go feral on me, I didn't want to be left alone with them, and I wouldn't sleep with a dog in my room. New dogs usually sensed my unease and either got uneasy in return or read it as aggression and attempted to "defend" themselves from me. Then, one day, I stayed overnight at a friend's house and this friend had a Rottweiler. The Rottweiler, sensing my unease, gently refused to leave my side until I loved her. This same Rottweiler played more aggressively with other people, so it was clear she was adapting for me, but she also refused to let me ignore her. I wasn't allowed to not love her. After that, I could deal with dogs a lot better. (A different friend then taught me how to understand dogs' point of view, which helped even more.)

I think, perhaps, Thor may be taking the Rottweiler approach to dealing with my fear of big, burly, muscle dudes.

It's become a meme lately to call Thor the "god of lesbians" due to certain scenes in Thor: Ragnorok and related fanwork. But I think there's something there. It takes a sort of strength, a sort of "fuck you" attitude to live openly as a woman-loving-woman. I think he would, absolutely, willingly take that name.

There's a sincerity to him - not one for lies, trickery, or even subtlety. He seems to have a very accepting nature - unbothered by things that don't affect him. He's not as concerned with justice as, say, Tyr or Freyja, but he does follow the idea that those of higher station should take some responsibility for those of lower station. He's a lover as well as a fighter, as he is the god called upon to officiate marriages. While he doesn't want his masculinity doubted, he isn't too bothered about gender roles and presentation. (This man would have loved Glam Rock.) He's god of never giving up, even when maybe you should have - Screw admitting you were wrong; just change the subject!

He isn't perfect, but he's not supposed to be. He's supposed to be proud of all that he has done right, no matter what he's done wrong. He's someone who would punch somebody calling out his flaws and then spend three hours boasting about his good qualities. He is self-love, inner & outer strength, determination, and perseverance.

I look forward to getting to know him better.