Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Dude Abides

Home
Progressive Christian
GODSTUFF: “Thor” and discovering God(s) in Marvel(ous) places

GODSTUFF: “Thor” and discovering God(s) in Marvel(ous) places

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am by Cathleen Falsani

GODSTUFF: “Thor” and discovering God(s) in Marvel(ous) places 2015-03-10T10:03:23-07:00 Cathleen Falsani

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins)

Thor, a thoroughly entertaining and surprisingly funny thrill ride of a movie, is the kind of cinematic legend where the only word that truly seems to fit is “epic.”

Director Kenneth Branagh, best known for bringing Shakespearean classics such as Henry V and Hamlet to the big screen, is pitch perfect with his celluloid reimagining of the superheroic story of Thor, God of Thunder.

The Norse god was first introduced to pop culture by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of Marvel comic books back in 1962. The genesis of the Thor legend, however, dates a bit further back — about 1,961 years further back, to be precise.

Before he became a comic superhero and joined Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America as a member of Marvel’s Avengers, Thor was immortalized by the Vikings as one of the mightiest and most venerated Norse gods; the first recorded mention of the hammer-wielding deity was actually by the Roman historian Tacitus in 1 A.D.

Branagh’s Thor depicts the eponymous character as a sort of alien-god-superhero hybrid, following neither the Marvel story line nor the ancient myth with any obvious devotion.

For audience members whose memory of the comic book or ancient Thor legends may be a tad hazy, the line between myth and moviemaking is difficult to discern.

The film, however, is as much about ideas of theodicy, free will, and the relationships between fathers and sons. Here’s a brief primer on Norse mythology that might help separate the gods from the (super)humans:

Thor

In Norse mythology, Thor is most often described as a hulking, mighty, hot-tempered god with red hair and red beard. In addition to being the god of thunder, he is also, variously, credited with being the deity responsible for lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, destruction, fertility, healing and the general protection of mankind.

His primary divine weapon is a huge hammer called Mjollnir, but he is also equipped with a belt, gloves and a staff that also possess special powers. The cinematic Thor (Australian actor Chris Hemsworth) just has his hammer, which he misplaces (or rather, his father, Odin, misplaces for him) as he is exiled from the celestial Asgard to Midgard (Earth). In the film, he sets about reclaiming his hammer by proving himself worthy in his father’s eyes.

The Norse Thor travels in a chariot pulled by two magical goats and is married to the golden-tressed goddess Sif. In the film, Thor is an eligible bachelor whose love interest is a fetching human astrophysicist played by Natalie Portman. While Sif does appear, she is a brunette and more a partner in crime (she battles alongside Thor and a trio of other gods) than in romance.

Hemsworth’s Thor is more funny than fearsome, while the Thor of Scandinavian legend had a significant flare for the homicidal and never discovered his softer (perhaps more “mortal”) side because he didn’t have one.

Odin

Known as the “All-Father,” Odin is the most powerful god and Thor’s father. In the film (portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) he rules Asgard with great wisdom — he has only one eye, having traded the other, according to myth, to the Fates in order to drink from the “well of wisdom.” Hopkins’ Odin also has a certain tenderness that eludes the Norse Odin.

Hopkins’ Odin is at times more Cosby than cosmic in his relationship with his difficult sons, Thor and Loki, who both are vying to succeed him. Odin is married, in legend and on-screen, to Frigga, who is revered by all as the mother of gods and the queen of the heavenly realm.

Odin is the most compelling of the gods in Branagh’s film, ruling with tough love more than an iron fist. He is thoroughly beneficent, yet fully embodies his Norse personality as a fierce and victorious warrior. Hopkins’ Odin has more of the qualities of the Christian God (grace, justice, mercy, love) than the Norse deity.

Loki

One critic described Loki, the Norse “trickster” god adopted into Odin’s family as Thor’s “blood brother,” as “a mythologically epic pain in the ass.” That certainly describes the Loki depicted in the film, as well as a pretty fair assessment of the general picture painted of him in Norse mythology.

According to the film, Loki was a child of “frost giants,” the archenemies of Asgard, whom Odin rescued as an orphan. Odin raises Loki as his own and doesn’t reveal his true paternity until the roots of Loki’s jealousy and troublemaking are immovable.

In the ancient myth, Loki is a frost giant, but the All-Father brings him into this fold in a debt of gratitude. The ancients (and the film) believed Loki to be a troublemaker and a shape-shifter who wreaks havoc wherever he goes. He famously cut the (magically powerful) hair of Thor’s wife Sif, and slayed Baldr, another of Odin’s sons and the “god of light,” renowned for his pretty-boy looks and gracious demeanor.

Baldr doesn’t appear in the Thor movie, but perhaps he’ll make an appearance in the sequel that will surely follow. (Word to the wise: Stay through the credits at the end of the film.) And if he does, for the love of gods, please cast Brad Pitt.

This column originally appeared via Religion News Service.

GODSTUFF

Anthony Hopkins

Kenneth Branagh

List of Germanic deities

Previous Post

May 12, 2011

GODSTUFF: A Quiver full of controversy

Next Post

May 20, 2011 GODSTUFF: Rapture Practice!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A little happy ARCHIVED COLUMNS BECOMING FAMILY BelieberNess BREAKING NEWS! Disquiet Time DJ JEFF'S SPINTASMS falsani FILM from OCRegister From Sojo.net God Nods GODSTUFF I Take Requests incubatespirit LURKING IN THE NARTHEX On My Nightstand ONEMOMS Polling the Room PONTIFEXCELLENT Thru My Eyes TWO CENTS Uncategorized Upcoming Events VASCO VASCO'S HEART

Select a Month January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 October 2003 March 2003 December 2002 October 2002 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

You are robbing me in tithes and offerings. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse and test me in this. What will I do?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Return it tenfold Open the floodgates of heaven Care for the poor Forgive you