Thor is the mightiest champion of the Aesir Gods, the Protector and Hallower. It is Thor who defends Midgard and Asgard from the Jötunar (Giants: often destructive forces of entropy and chaos). The Thunder God's primary role is to maintain order and to protect the Gods, humans, alfs, and the Earth from destruction. Thor's famous Dwarf-made Hammer Mjollnir ("Crusher"?,"Miller"? or possibly cognate to the Russian molnya, "lightning") has the power of Lightning, and always returns to His hand when thrown. With its power and His enormous might, doubled by His magic Girdle of Strength, and the iron gauntlets with which He handles Mjollnir, He prevails against His enemies, and clears the ways of harmful wights. It is said that no thing living can stand against Thor. Although Thor is known as the Champion of the Gods, He is not known to take part in the battles of men on Earth. His strength comes from His holiness, which is unbearable to ill-willed beings, and He is not a God of unprovoked aggression. One of Thor's names is Óku-Thór (Driver-Thor), for He travels the skies and Earth in his chariot drawn by magical goats. Rolling thunder is the sound of Thor's chariot wheels as He rides the skies.

Thor's appearance is that of a mature man, tall, muscular, red haired and bearded, with very intense eyes. He is often symbolically depicted with wide staring eyes, possibly a sign of His spiritual might. Thor has a sometimes brooding, sometimes jolly nature, much like the weather. He is known for His great appetite for food and especially for mead, as well as for His willingness to battle giants. The Thunderer is known for travelling in His chariot drawn by the magical goats Tanngrísnir (Tooth-Gnasher) and Tanngnjóstr (Tooth-Grinder). If He wishes, Thor can kill and eat these goats' flesh for dinner, and by placing their bones upon their skin, awaken them in the morning to life by passing His hammer over them. Thor's realm in Asgard is a place called Thrudvangr ("Plains of Strength"), and his hall is Bilskirnir. Odin says of Thor's hall:
"Five hundred apartments and yet forty more I think are in Bilskirnir in all. Of the buildings whose roofs I know, I know my son's is the greatest"

The son of the sky God Wodan and the Goddess of Earth, Thor partakes of the nature of both. His lightning as the link between Sky and Earth symbolises the might generated by the meeting of opposites. Thor's mate is Sif, a Goddess about whom little lore has survived into the Christian era. It is believed by most modern Asatruar that She is a Goddess of the ripening grain. Her hair is golden, like the crops at harvest-tide. While He is in some respects a sky God of storms and weather, Thor maintains His connection to Earth in His aspect as Bringer of Fertility to crops. Thor has a powerful daughter, Thrudr ("Strength"), by Sif, and two mighty sons by a Jotun-lover: Modi ("Bravery") and Magni ("Main-Strength").

Agriculture is under Freyr and Freya's aegis, but is Thor's realm of activity as well. There is folklore that links lightning to the growth of crops. The Hammer of Thor can indeed be seen as a phallic fertility symbol, that hallows the crops to bring forth fruits. The Thunderer's bolts bring fertility to Sif's crops, and His rains nourish them. Thor historically was the God of farmers, the people of the Land. In a time when fertility of the crops meant life or death for the tribe, one can see that for the people Thor's role was a vital one indeed. One meaning of the rune Haglaz, "hail", is fertility. If an early storm--of Thor's brewing-- brought hail, when it melted it was thought to have a fertilising effect on the Earth. It is easy to see why Thor's hammers became popular amulets for health and vitality. Health, wholeness and holiness are linguistically linked in the Germanic languages, and indeed all three may be seen as Thor's gifts.

It is intriguing that the Protector God of the Northern pantheon, the upholder of cosmic order, is the God of Thunder and Lightning, considered by Indo-Europeans for thousands of years to be manifestations of divinity. One does not think of Jove without His thunderbolts, or of Thor without the accompanying roar of Thunder. The bone-shaking vibration of thunder has from the most ancient times been seen of as the sound of ultimate reality, communicating the most awesome truths to humankind. It is clear that to the human psyche, regardless of culture, the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning, most awesome of natural phenomena, are glimpses of the divine Mystery. AUM, the great mantra of the Buddhists, is the sound of thunder proceeding from vajra, the flash of cosmic enlightenment, and the perception at once of the harmony, wholeness, and order of all, transcending limited perception. Holiness and the lightning's supreme power are coupled to control the forces of chaos. It tells us much that lightning, though destructive at times, is nonetheless an attribute of the God Protector of humanity and the defender of life on Earth. I find this particularly relevant now, when science has advanced theory that life on earth was caused by lightning striking the "primordial" soup of Earth's early enzyme-laden seas.

As their special protector, Thor has always been the most beloved of Gods to the common folk. He was and is much honoured among Heathens. Thor's hammer was and is used in Heathen marriage ceremonies to bless the bride, and at funerals to hallow the pyre. On some of the ancient rune stones, Thor is called upon to hallow the runes. A large ceremonial Thor's hammer is used by the Goði in some Asatru kindreds to hallow ritual space, and offerings such as mead. Small amulets of Thor's hammer were worn in Viking times for protection, to signify that Thor was a personal friend among the Gods, and to publicly show Heathen troth. Many modern Asatruar wear Thor's hammers today for the same reasons.

Thor is a great traveller, and is known to go on journeys to the East (Giant-land) with other Gods. One of His companions on many of these journeys is Loki, although he is not a person for whom Thor has an excess of affection. Loki's cunning, sneakiness, and deceitfulness are certainly in opposition to Thor's directness and honesty. However, they seem a well matched pair of opposites, especially when it comes to having adventures. Loki, who through cleverness excels at both getting others into and out of trouble, and Thor, whose frank nature is both susceptible to and immune from deceits. Their sometime partnership adds conflict and interest to the tales we have recorded of them. When Loki does something truly terrible, however, it is Thor to whom the Gods turn to remedy the situation. Loki respects Thor, mightiest of living things, and does not relish the thought of having the Thunderer's hammer raised against him. It is, after all, Thor's job to see that Jötunish chaos does not get out of hand.

Thor has a sense of humour, and is not above making Himself foolish to some extent in a good cause. He does not brook insults, however, and especially finds the harm of innocents unamusing. When Loki crosses the line from sarcastic to dangerous, Thor is ready to step in. The God of Thunder dressed as a bride seems a farcical story, but it may be a memory of a more deeply significant shamanic tale. The fact that Thor's quest for his hammer (which is an obvious phallic symbol) involves dressing as a woman (an archetypal shamanic initiation for males) seems to indicate that this is the case.

As with all the Norse Gods, Thor is looked upon as a friend by his devotees. Thor is dedicated to the protection of human kind, and He is good to call upon when travelling or in dire situations. His is the power to break through obstacles and strike to the heart of the matter. Thor brings freshness, honesty, directness to a situation. The Well-Wisher of Men can give clarity, and bestow spiritual enlightenment. As Thor loves companionship and feasting, He is good to invoke at feasts, and brings jollity to celebrations. Master of powerful natural forces, Thor is trusted and loved by the folk because He uses His awesome might to protect and keep order, not to harm and destroy. Like His Father Odin, Thor is very concerned with preserving the Earth and all Life.