Thor’s reputation as someone who works hard, fights hard, and parties hard sets him up as the common man’s god. According to Dr. Jackson Crawford, Thor is also known as the greatest “drinking man” in the Norse universe.
Thor’s Battles in the East
Despite his well-known proclivities toward feasting and celebration, Thor’s work ethic often puts him in the middle of battles with giants while the other gods remain at home in the west. Although the enemies of the gods are not always located in the east, Thor is most often described as traveling there to fight giants. Crawford suggests that one reason for this may be the structure of Old Norse poetry itself. The “yuh” sound in Jotunheimr alliterates with any vowel, and “austr” is the only direction that starts with a vowel.
Crawford also proposes that there may have been only one mythological route to Jotunheimr, which passed eastward through Midgard. A third explanation is geographical: the Icelanders who preserved many of these myths descended from Norwegians, whose wilderness regions lay primarily to the east.
Thor’s Representation in the Eddas
Thor is not always portrayed as a stern or fearsome figure. Some stories present him in situations that make him appear humorous or even foolish. In one well-known tale, Thor disguises himself as a bride in order to recover Mjölnir after it is stolen.
At the same time, Thor is also depicted as a serious and intimidating presence. In Lokasenna, Loki insults nearly every god, but when Thor arrives, Loki submits and refrains from mocking him further, fearing Thor’s hammer.
Fate of the Common Man’s God
Thor’s fate is sealed in the prophecy of Ragnarök. During the final battle, Thor will kill the Midgard Serpent, Loki’s monstrous son. After taking nine steps, he will collapse and die from the serpent’s venom.
Vikings commonly wore Thor’s symbol around their necks. Mjolnir, the hammer forged by the dwarves at Loki’s request, could shrink to the size of a pendant. Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of these hammer amulets across Scandinavia. Thor’s reliability, strength, and straightforward nature were among the traits that made him especially popular with the Old Norse people.
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