Thor is the God of thunder and lightning in Norse mythology, and is associated with strength, storms and fertility. He is physically the strongest of the Æsir. Thor is described having a full beard and red hair. Thor has a massive appetite and also gets angry very easily. Thor is the son of Odin and is married to the golden-haired goddess Sif. Sif is known as the Goddess of Earth and Harvest.

One famous myth talks of how Loki once angered Thor when he cut Sif’s golden hair locks while she was sleeping. When Thor charged to attack Loki, he immediately compromised with Thor and both of them descended down to Earth to find the dwarves who were master craftsmen and could make a golden head-dress for Sif. That is also when as a compromise, Loki gifted Thor the short-handled war hammer, Mjölnir which was made by the dwarven brothers Eitri and Brokk and is believed to be the most powerful weapon ever made. When Thor threw the hammer, it magically returned into his hands.

Thor is sometimes depicted in a chariot pulled by two goats named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. Legends say that Thor is the strongest of the God and hence was put in charge of protecting Asgard. In one famous myth, there was a giant called Hrungnir who had taken part in a race where Odin was also there. Odin then invited him for a drink but after some time the drunk Hrungnir started threatening to destroy Asgard. Odin called Thor who flung his hammer at Hrungnir. Hrungnir retaliated by throwing a giant rock at Thor. Thor’s hammer broke the stone mid-air and then killed Hrungnir.

There is another legend where the brave Thor was sent to fight a giant sea serpent and bring his cauldron for the Gods to brew ale for themselves. Thor went to meet a Jotunn named Hymir and the duo went fishing together. Hymir caught some big whales while in Thor’s fishing trap landed a serpent of Midguard. Thor with his hammer smashed the serpent who managed to escape into the water despite being hurt. Once the serpent escaped, Hymir also tried to kill Thor but met his end instead.

Thursday is named after Thor.