Thor

Thor

Known family members:

Odin:Father Villi&Ve:Uncles Frigga&Grid:Foster mothers Jord(Gaea):mother Loki:adopted brother Balder,Vidar,Tyr&Hermod:Half brothers Buri:Great grandfather Borr:Grandfather Mimir:Granduncle Bestla:Grandmother Sif:wife Volstagg:brother-in-arms Fandral:brother-in-arms Hogun:brother-in-arms

Old Norse Þórr, Old English Þunor and Old High German Donar are cognates within Germanic, descending from a Common Germanic *þonaroz or *þunraz, meaning "thunder". The names of the Gaulish god of thunder, Toran or Taran and the Irish god Tuireann are also related. The name Thor is the origin of the name Thursday. By employing a practice known as interpretatio germanica during the Roman Empire period, the Germanic peoples adopted the Roman weekly calendar, and replaced the names of Roman gods with their own. Latin dies Iovis ("day of Jupiter") was converted into Proto-Germanic *Þonares dagaz ("Thor's day"), from which stems modern English "Thursday" and all other Germanic weekday cognates. Beginning in the Viking Age, personal names containing the theonym Thōrr are recorded with great frequency. Prior to the Viking Age, no known examples are recorded. Thórr-based names may have flourished during the Viking Age as a defiant response to attempts at Christianization, similar to the widescale Viking Age practice of wearing Thor's hammer pendants. By way of Viking Age Scandinavian settlement in England, the name of the Old Norse form of the deity was introduced into Old English as Þór, apparently overtaking the native form of the deity's name, Þunor. However, the modern spelling Thor is an anglicization of the Old Norse name by way of antiquarian interest in the Viking Age in the 17th century.

Mjollnir

Mjollnir

The hammer is created when Thor's adopted brother Loki cuts off the hair of the goddess Sif as part of a cruel jest, and when threatened with violence by Thor, promises to fetch replacement hair from the dwarf smiths. Loki commissions the hair from the Sons of Ivaldi and the obliging dwarves also make a magic ship and spear as gifts for the gods. Loki is convinced that no one can match their workmanship, and challenges a dwarf named Eitri to make finer treasures. Eitri creates a golden ring and golden boar spear with magical properties, and finally begins work on a hammer. Loki panics at the sight of the treasures, and afraid he will lose the wager, transforms himself into a mayfly and stings Eitri's assistant on the brow as he is working the bellows for the forge. The assistant stops for a moment to wipe away the blood, and the bellows fall flat. As a result, the hammer's handle is shorter in length than Eitri had originally intended, meaning that the hammer could only be wielded one-handed. Despite the error, the Norse gods consider Eitri to have forged the greater treasures, and in retaliation Loki loses the bet and the Sons of Ivaldi sew Loki's lips shut. The ruler of the Norse gods, Odin, uses the hammer — called Mjolnir ("Grinder") by Eitri — and eventually passes it to his son Thor, who must first prove he is worthy to wield the weapon. Another version of the hammer's origin is presented in the second volume of the title Thor, stating that Odin orders the dwarven blacksmiths Eitri, Brok and Buri to forge Mjolnir using the core of a star (the movie reinforces that with Odin saying it was forged out of a dying star) and an enchanted forge. The forging of the hammer is apparently so intense it destroys the star and nearly the Earth itself. Mjolnir itself has several enchantments: no living being may lift the hammer unless they are worthy; it returns to the exact spot from which it is thrown and returns to Thor when summoned; it may summon the elements of storm (lightning, wind, and rain) by stamping its handle twice on the ground; manipulate the weather on an almost global scale; open interdimensional portals, allowing its wielder to travel to other dimensions (such as from Earth to Asgard); and transform Thor into the guise of a mortal, the physician Donald Blake, by stamping the hammer's head on the ground once. When Thor transforms into Blake, his hammer takes the appearance of a wooden walking stick. When disguised, the hammer's enchantments limiting those who may lift it are not in effect. The hammer itself has also shown to be unaffected by external enchantments. A previous provision of this enchantment required that the hammer could not be "gone from Thor's grasp," or out of physical contact with Thor for more than "sixty seconds full" without his spontaneous reversion to his mortal self; fortunately, Mjolnir is small enough for the god to tuck it into his belt for times when he prefers to have both his hands free. In some stories this limitation did not apply in Asgard, although this stipulation was removed in a storyline in which this enchantment is transferred to Stormbreaker, the hammer of Beta Ray Bill. After this, the Donald Blake persona disappeared for a time, and Thor assumed a civilian identity simply by changing into modern clothing, carrying Mjolnir concealed within a duffel bag. Thor eventually adopts the mortal persona of Jake Olson as penance for accidentally causing the original Olson's death during a fight, and simply pounds a fist to effect a change; during this time, Mjolnir would disappear when Thor became Olson, and reappear in Thor's fist when returning to his true form. Mjolnir was originally capable of creating chronal displacement and therefore allowing time travel, although this enchantment was removed by the entity Immortus with the Thunder god's consent to help the planet Phantus which was trapped in Limbo. However, Thor is still able to manipulate time with Mjolnir. When Ragnarok took place, Mjolnir was separated from Thor and fell through the dimensions, creating a tear in Hell that allowed Doctor Doom to escape (Doom having been imprisoned there after his last encounter with the Fantastic Four). Although Doom and the FF attempt to claim the hammer, none of them are able to lift it, resulting in Donald Blake—who had been returned to life when the spell negating his existence wore off with Asgard's destruction—claiming it himself. With Blake and Thor once again co-existing, the hammer resumes its original 'disguise' of a walking-stick (although Blake's original limp healed, he sustained minor spine damage during a later confrontation). The hammer is later damaged in a fight with Bor, Thor's grandfather. Doctor Strange is able to repair the hammer using the Odinforce possessed by Thor, but warns Thor that, should the hammer be damaged in such a manner again, the new link between them could result in Thor being killed himself. After Thor's death in the fight against the Serpent, Loki is able to take Blake's walking stick—the only remaining trace of Thor after he was 'replaced' by Tanarus—and turn it back into Mjolnir in front of the Silver Surfer, the Surfer's energy and Loki's belief in his brother allowing the hammer to return to Thor and restore his memory in time to face the God-Devourer that was about to consume his soul in the afterlife.

History

Thor's father Odin decided his son needed to be taught humility and consequently placed Thor (without memories of godhood) into the body and memories of an existing, partially disabled human medical student, Donald Blake. After becoming a doctor and on vacation in Norway, Blake witnessed the arrival of an alien scouting party. Blake fled into a cave after they heard him and began to pursue him. After discovering Thor's disguised hammer Mjolnir, and striking it against a rock, he transformed into the thunder god. Defeating the aliens, Thor shared a double life with his alter ego: treating the ill in a private practice with nurse - and eventual love - Jane Foster and defending humanity from evil. Thor's presence on Earth almost immediately attracted the attention of his adoptive brother and arch-foe Loki; who returned repeatedly to Earth in a bid to destroy Thor. Loki was also responsible for the emergence of three of Thor's principal foes: the Absorbing bird; the Wrecker, and the Destroyer. On one occasion, Loki's tactics were accidentally beneficial - although successful in using an illusion of the Hulk to draw Thor into battle, it resulted in the formation of the superhero team the Avengers, of which Thor was a founding and longstanding member. Thor's other early foes included the Red Army; Zarrko, the Tomorrow bird; the Radioactive bird; the Lava bird; the Cobra; Mister Hyde; the Enchantress and the Executioner and the Grey Gargoyle. Falling in love with Jane Foster, Thor disobeyed his father and refused to return to Asgard, an act for which he was punished on several occasions. Thor's natural affinity for Earth was eventually revealed to be due to the fact that he was the son of the Elder Goddess Gaea. Although Thor initially regarded himself as a "superhero" like his teammates in the Avengers, Loki's machinations drew Thor into increasingly epic adventures, such as teaming with father Odin and Asgardian ally Balder against fire demon Surtur and Skagg the Storm Giant, and defeating an increasingly powerful Absorbing Man and proving his innocence in the "Trial of the Gods". This necessitates an extended leave of absence from the Avengers. Thor also encountered Greek God Hercules, who became a loyal and trustworthy friend. Thor also saved Hercules from fellow Olympian Pluto; stopped the advance of Ego the Living Planet; rescued Jane Foster from the High Evolutionary and defeated his flawed creation, the Man-Beast. Odin finally relented and allowed Thor to love Jane Foster, on the proviso she pass a trial. Foster, however, panicked and Thor intervened. Although Foster failed the test, Odin returned her to Earth where she was given another chance at love, while a heartbroken Thor was introduced to Asgardian warrior Sif. Thor battled the Asgardian troll Ulik for the first time when he attempted to steal Mjolnir; defeated Avengers foe Kang the Conqueror and the alien Super-Skrull and with Odin and his Asgardian allies engaged in a battle to the death with the Enchanters Three. Despite repeated attempts by Loki to destroy Thor with a series of past and new foes, Thor was victorious, and even avoids being claimed by Asgardian death goddess Hela. The thunder god returned to Asgard to prevent Mangog from drawing the Odinsword and ending the universe; learned the origin of the cosmic entity Galactus (and encountered Ego once again); and stopped the childlike Him (who would eventually become Adam Warlock) from kidnapping Sif. Thor battled Surtur once again when the fire demon attempted to storm Asgard (with Loki, temporarily seizing power courtesy of the Odin Ring); encountered the entity the Stranger and his pawn the Abomination and overpowered an outmatched Doctor Doom. Thor only returned to Earth sporadically, forced to deal with a constant wave of Asgardian (e.g., Mangog; Ulik); godly (e.g. Pluto;) and cosmic threats (e.g., Infinity; Xorr). Courtesy of the manipulation of the Elder of the Universe the Collector, Thor was present to aid the Avengers against their greatest foes (Graviton; Ultron; Count Nefaria and ultimately Korvac). Thor prevented another attempt by Mangog — disguised as Odin — to draw the Odinsword; was saved by the intervention of ally Volstagg when the "Odin Force" became a semi-sentient destructive force and was rescued from death when Odin engineered a false Ragnarök (the "Twilight of the Gods") and had reporter Red Norvell die in his place battling the Midgard Serpent. Thor eventually confronted the threat of the Celestial Fourth Host, and after an extended series of encounters learned of the apparent true origin of Asgard and Odin's plans to defend Earth from the alien judges. Despite the attempt by Odin to stop the Celestials by occupying the Destroyer armour (now 2,000 feet tall as holding the life essence of every Asgardian) and wielding the Odinsword (and aided by the Uni-Mind, an entity composed of the Eternals) and Thor himself, the aliens departed when presented with an offering by Gaea on behalf of the "Skymothers" (e.g. Frigga and Hera) of twelve perfect humans. Thor also learned Gaea was his birth mother. After restoring the Asgardian gods (courtesy of a gathering of energies donated by Skyfathers from other pantheons) Thor had a series of adventures on Earth, including encountering two Heralds of Galactus in swift succession; stopping Mephisto from taking human souls; clearing his name when framed by Asgardian god of war Tyr; aiding Drax the Destroyer; with ally Iron Man defeating the Bi-Beast and Man-Beast; engaging the former king of Nastrond Fafnir (transformed by Odin into a dragon) in combat when freed by Loki and battling Dracula. Thor also learned of the existence of the "God Eater", a creature summoned when the death gods of several pantheons temporarily merge their realms. Thor thwarted the creature - revealed to be in humanoid guise Atum, the son of Gaea, and therefore Thor's half-brother - and ensured the cosmic balance was restored. Whilst exploring an approaching space vessel at the request of Nick Fury, Thor encountered Beta Ray Bill, who after a brief battle proved himself worthy of lifting Thor's hammer Mjolnir. After initial misunderstandings, Bill formed an alliance with the Asgardian gods, and was empowered by Odin to aid Thor and his allies in a war with an approaching army of demons which was revealed to be led by fire demon Surtur, now wielding "Twilight", the gigantic "Sword of Doom". After a series of extended battles - including a battle to the death with Fafnir and thwarting the Dark Elf Malekith — the gods were finally triumphant, although during combat Odin and Surtur disappeared through a rift and were presumed dead. Thor remained in Asgard to deal with the vacuum left by Odin's apparent death, and drove off Hela; met Tiwaz, his great-grandfather; forced Loki to cure him from the effects of a love potion; with allies entered Hela's realm and rescued lost mortal souls. Returning to Earth, Thor and Beta Ray Bill defeated the transformed Dark Elf Kurse, although Loki also used the power of Surtur's discarded sword to change Thor into a frog. After an adventure in Central Park, Thor managed to partially restore himself and then forced Loki to reverse the spell. While rescuing X-Factor member Angel from torture by the mercenary team the Marauders, Thor was cursed by Hela, who made his bones as brittle as glass and unable to heal if damaged; and rendered him truly immortal and unable to die no matter how severe his injuries. Thor was injured again during a battle with the Absorbing Man (engineered by Loki), and was ultimately saved by Loki during a battle with the Dark Elves. Eventually forced to wear armour to protect his broken body, Thor and Loki defeated a group of Ice Giants, who sought revenge by trying to locate the Midgard Serpent, hoping it would kill the thunder god. The Giants instead found the dragon Fin Fang Foom, who was revealed to be the Midgard Serpent in disguise. Time slowed as the pair - mortal enemies due to prophecy that stated they would kill each other during Ragnarök — battle to the death. Thor killed the Serpent, although his body was completely pulverized. Loki restored the Destroyer, and after killing the Ice Giants found Thor's now liquid form. The Destroyer attempted to disintegrate the thunder god but could not do so due to Hela's curse. Thor assumed mental control of the Destroyer, and forced Hela on pain of death to restore his true form. The thunder god then broke Loki's arm as punishment for his actions. After another encounter with the Celestials on an alien world; Thor found Odin — a captive of Seth — and used the Odinpower to fend off a returning Surtur; defeated Annihilus while Asgard was in the Negative Zone and on Earth battled X-Men foe the Juggernaut and many other opponents. When Thor killed Loki in single combat, he was banished by the Asgardian Heimdall (acting as temporary ruler of Asgard while Odin entered the Odinsleep) and replaced by the mortal Eric Masterson, who became the hero Thunderstrike. When Odin awoke, Thor was forgiven and returned. During a battle Thor was driven into a "warrior's madness" by a Valkyrie. After overpowering everyone who attempted to stop his rampage, Thor was brought by the Eternal Thanos before Odin, who cured his son of the madness. Thor, together with Avengers; Fantastic Four and other heroes, became trapped in alternate universe after defeating the villain Onslaught. The heroes lived alternate lives for a year in what was revealed to be an artificial creation until returning to their own universe. Thor rejoined the Avengers; and with several members of the team battled the Destroyer. Thor was saved by an enigmatic being called "Marnot", who bound the life-force of a mortal called Jake Olson to the thunder god. Thor entered into a war with the Dark Gods (with Marnot revealed to be Hescamer, one of Odin's ravens); battled the returning Enchanters Three and entered into a prolonged struggle against Thanos when he sought to remake the universe.Thor on the cover of the first issue of volume three showing his redesigned look by Oliver Coipel. When Odin died in battle against Surtur, Thor became ruler of Asgard. The thunder god extended his rule to Earth, with major repercussions. Thor and the Asgardians slayed or imprisoned those who opposed them, including a young religious mutant called Davis; Zarrko the Tomorrow bird; Perrikus of the Dark Gods; the U.S. Government, and even his fellow Avengers. Thor married Amora (the Enchantress), and had a son, Magni, who upon reaching adulthood doubted his father's judgment. Wracked with guilt, Thor was drawn into battle with his former ally Tarene and the Destroyer (occupied by former foe Desak), and undid the timeline via time travel. When the timeline was reset, Loki revived Surtur, who forged new uru hammers for Loki's Storm Giant followers and began Ragnarök. Thor learned that Ragnarok was the result of the self-styled "gods to the gods" known as Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, who feed on the cycle. Thor confronted the Norns (Fates), and severed the tapestry of Asgard's existence. After breaking the Ragnarok cycle and being advised by the Odinforce that this was his father's plan, Thor entered into hibernation. With his fate unknown to the Avengers, he was believed to be missing in action. Thor's hammer Mjolnir was eventually found on Earth and put under U.S. Army protection. When the supervillain Doctor Doom escaped from Hell, Mjolnir fell through the dimensional plane, and Doom tried unsuccessfully to lift the hammer. Mjolnir then came into the possession of a man carrying a bag with the initials "D.B". Donald Blake, upon touching the hammer Mjolnir, was transported to the void of non-existence in which Thor resided. Blake explained that when Odin originally removed the Blake persona from Thor, Blake was consigned to the void that Thor now inhabited. With Odin's death, however, Blake was suddenly restored into being in New York City. Blake convinced Thor to wield Mjolnir once more, return to Earth, and renew the dual identity with Blake. Blake also revealed that Thor's fellow Asgardians still lived in the minds and hearts of mortals and only needed to be found and released. Thor rebuilt Asgard over the state of Oklahoma, learned of the events of the Civil War and was angered that Tony Stark and others used his DNA to create a Thor clone in a battle between pro and anti-registration heroes. He battled Stark, easily defeating him. Thor accepted an offer by Stark for Asgard to be considered a foreign embassy with diplomatic immunity granted to its inhabitants. Thor searched for his fellow Asgardians, and restored each with the exception of Sif, who had been trapped in the body of an old woman dying of cancer, her real form stolen by Loki. The thunder god eventually searched for his father, and located Odin in a limbo between life and death, waging constant battle with the fire demon Surtur. Odin advised his son that Thor must lead the Asgardians. During the events of the Secret Invasion, Thor rescued and healed ally Beta Ray Bill, who after being temporarily given Mjolnir, aided Thor in a battle against an invading force of alien Skrulls. Thor also participated in the final battle against the Skrull forces, and was forced to sacrifice Avenger ally the Wasp. Due to a deception by Loki, Thor battled and killed his grandfather Bor, and was banished from Asgard. With Thor's hammer Mjolnir damaged in that battle, Thor sought out Doctor Strange, who was only able to repair the hammer by transferring the Odinforce from Thor to Mjolnir, binding the two in a symbiotic relationship. With the repaired hammer, Thor was able to draw out the imprisoned Sif, and return her to her own body, thereby restoring Loki to his male body in the process. During the events of the Siege storyline, Thor rushed to the defense of Asgard against Norman Osborn and his invading Dark Avengers. Although the invading forces were ultimately defeated, Asgard itself was toppled by the Sentry, who also killed Loki. Thor was then compelled to kill the Sentry at his request. As a result of the victory, the Superhuman Registration Act was dissolved and Thor joined the rebranded Avengers, who had come to his aid during the battle. The next day Balder lifted Thor's exile and appointed Thor as his adviser. Thor aided Amadeus Cho in a quest to find the necessary ingredients to bring back their mutual friend Hercules from a parallel universe. During the events of the Chaos War, Thor joined Hercules' God Squad to battle the Chaos King, who was set on destroying all of existence. With Asgard in ruins on Earth, the nine worlds were left undefended and are invaded by a force known as "The World Eaters". Seeking counsel on the matter, Thor restored his father Odin. Thor also restored his brother Loki, whom Thor had missed since his death. During the Fear Itself event, Sin frees Odin's long-forgotten brother, the Serpent: the god of fear, from his underwater prison. Once free, The Serpent dispatches his generals known as the Worthy, each armed with magical uru hammers of their own, to descend the Earth into a state of fear. Although, Thor and the Avengers manage to defeat the Serpent and his followers, Thor dies from the injuries he sustains during the battle. At Thor's funeral, Thor and the memories of Thor are replaced by Ulik under the guise of Tanarus, a new thunder god. However, Thor returns from the limbo of forgotten dead gods with the help of Loki and the Silver Surfer, and vanquishes Ulik. During the Avengers vs. X-Men event, Thor leads the Secret Avengers into deep space to battle the Phoenix Force but is defeated. He is later captured and taken prisoner by the phoenix-empowered duo of Colossus and Magik. Following the war, Captain America selects Thor to join the Uncanny Avengers, a new team of Avengers composed of both classic Avengers and X-Men.

Trivia

Thursday is named after Thor