Thor: A Christian Culture

Thor, Odin, and Loki, all good marvel characters, but they didn’t originate in the minds of Stan Lee. In fact they originated nearly 1300 years earlier, in the Viking age. In that time Norse mythology was born in its entirety. The way it was shaped was an effect of the Viking way, and the Viking way was affected by their mythology. Norse mythology didn’t stay inclusive to their own gods because of their raids and trading they learned different religions. Norse mythology integrated another mythology into theirs. This in turn cause wars between those said gods, specific to this essay the Aesir-Vanir War. This affected how Vikings saw the use of Seidr and this event was directly related to them raiding and trading with other lands.

During Mythological times Loki, the god of mischief depicts an ancient version of our more modern character The Joker from the DC Universe. Joker reimages our interpretation Loki in many ways, for example both have an aptitude for causing chaos, mayhem, and are a catalyst for change. Negative human emotion caused by early psychological stress have a correlation with late behavior as can be observed clearly in the Norse god Loki and the Joker.

One of the most significant attributes of Loki is his connection to Ragnarök, or the end of the world according the Norse mythology. He triggers Ragnarök by “arranging the death of Baldur,” (Lindow, par. 6). He does this by tricking the blind god Hod into throwing a mistletoe spear at Baldur, killing him (McCoy, par. 9). He then turns against the gods and takes the side of the giant. Some of the major incidents that take place during the battle include: Jormungand, the giant serpent, slaying Thor; Fenrir, the wolf, killing Odin; and Loki and Heimdall mortally wounding each other (McCoy, par. 3 and 8). As punishment, the gods “tie him down to three rocks inside a cave” while “a venomous serpent sits above him, dripping poison onto him” (McCoy, par. 9).

According to the Norse Mythology for Smart People in the article, “THOR,” Thor is the thunder god, who protects Asgard from the giants, “Thor, the brawny thunder god, is the archetype of a loyal and honorable warrior, the ideal toward which the average human warrior aspired. He’s the indefatigable defender of […] Asgard from the encroachments of the giants […].” Thor is described as having similar characteristic of Finn: Loyal and honorable. Thor is also strong and courageous: “His courage and sense of duty are unshakeable, and his physical strength is virtually unmatched,” (THOR).

In the movie Thor, made in 2011, the main character and beholder of the “Mjolnir” Thor Odinson is the Asgardian God of thunder. He is the controller of the storms, causing rain, wind, thunder, and lightning whenever he wants, using his magical hammer, the “Mjolnir”. Thor displays the hero archetype by showing heart, bravery, and caring for others when he is able to overcome all of the obstacles thrown his way by his father and his brother Loki. However, not only does he have to overcome the obstacles thrown his way by his family, he has personal issues he needs to overcome. A lot of the issues he has to face head on in the film are due to being hard-headed and

In mutiple times in the movie, there was reference to the Norse Gods, Odin and Thor. Stoick the Vast, leader of the village spoke it in an expression of happiness, “OH, THOR ALMIGHTY!” At another scene, Gobber, a viking warrior missing his hand and

There was a misleading image of the Vikings that made them be known as pagans with a hatred of the Christian Church. What some people failed to realize was that the Vikings had many gods and found it to be no problem accepting Christian god alongside their own. The Vikings encountered with Christianity through their raids, and as they began to settle in lands with a Christian population, they also could adapt to Christianity much quicker. The Vikings had 14 major Gods. Their appreciation is the cosmos is divided into three main levels which are, Asgard, Aesir, which is also the upper level where the major gods such as Odin, along with the fertility gods, and the light levels lived. Midgard was known to be the middle level where dwarves, giants, men, and even the dark elves lived. Niflheim was known to be the lower level, and well known as the underworld. They called Niflheim the world of the evil dead because this was where the evil dead died the second death in the fortress city of Hel. Yggdrasil was known to be above

There is a wicked side to Odin. He can be erratic and at times abuse his power by causing or initiating wars. This has surfaced with many rulers throughout history. If Odin were to be compared to a

Norse mythology has been traced as far as the 2nd century AD and has been studied by the Vikings mostly. These Viking were from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Faroe Island, and Greenland. Norse mythology was at one point a religion of which people studied. North religion bases all its stories on the Elder Edda, which creates stories from god's other wise known as the Aesir and gives a standard of how the earth was made, how we should treat others, and stories of lessons we must learn. In this type of mythology it also gives knowledge as to what happens when you die. It says there are two possible places people could go, Helheim, Valhalla. Most people who die go to Helheim but those who die an honorable death are rewarded by going to Valhalla.

The Norse people were a very complex group who were portrayed as savages and killers, but instead were an advanced group, skilled workers and very democratic and this can be seen through their gods, goddesses, and rituals. Could it be that the way that people describe a civilization for so long change the way that people see them? Throughout history the Norse people have been portrayed poorly while in reality they are not completely the way that they are described to be. Not only are they polytheism, believing in multiple gods, but they act very much like their gods.

Following Jesus in America seems to be a very touchy subject in today’s time. Freedom of religion is practiced in America, and Americans are encouraged to practice whatever they choose. John Fea and Stephen Prothero debate the topics of America being founded as a Christian Nation and the idea of Jesus being followed in America. America was and is Christian, still, but was not founded on Christianity. Fea does not answer the question regarding America being founded as a Christian nation (Fea 245). Prothero gives some opinion about Jesus in America, but says Jesus is viewed different in the eyes of many Americans (Prothero 9). As much as I want to think that America was founded as a Christian nation, I cannot agree with it. The people who created the constitution may have had some Christian principals, but the constitution has no evidence of God in it. In the sense of Jesus, Americans do not follow Him in a certain way. Jesus is made out to be the person that suits anyone’s identity at his or her discretion.

In Thor, the audience sees how thor had an unusual birth- a typical feature of the archetypal superhero's life. Odin, ruler of Asgard, desired a heir who would one day surpass him in power and have the power of the heavens

    C. S. Lewis, a well-known author and apologist, is best known by people of all

Loki is the embodiment of, “Of course it was Loki. It 's always Loki.” Loki is unquestionably the biggest question mark within Norse mythology. He is portrayed as a scheming, mischievous deity who has no real loyalties, his role is shrouded in mystery; what was his purpose in the ancient stories. Loki’s character arises questions about his role; was he a plot device, a foil for the Aesir, or maybe he was meant to be used as a warning to child? Within the pantheon of Norse gods, he was an anomaly; his fellow gods are mostly one dimensional and Loki is anything but. Loki is the antithesis to the culture the Norse gods represented; honor, courage, fidelity, truth, discipline, hospitality, industriousness, self reliance, perseverance. Loki is

Chris Hemsworth had been seen in the basic character of Thor with an enchanted hammer and this exhibits him as the son of (Anthony Hopkins). Thor was considered to be the heir of eternal Asgard. On the other hand, this film had exhibited Thor’s impulsive wish to look for fights even though Odin was not happy with this act. He banished his son to earth (Midgard) and Thor is now powerless without his hammer. This film had demonstrated the fact that Thor is exposed by scientist Jane Foster and associates. Jane Foster is being played by Natalie Portman, while Thor’s rudeness had shadowed and he discovers himself to protect Earth from the conspiracies of Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Loki had been the God of disruption who wants Odin’s authority and he is the half-brother of Thor (Schweiger, 2011).