On the Roles of Thor and Odin
The myths of the Viking age (793-1000 AD) offer a unique look at a religion riddled with ideals considered immoral by today’s standards–specifically deception, relentless and destructive self-preservation, and worship of war. This essay attempts to broadly describe and analyze Odin and Thor, and then look at specific pieces of Viking literature for more characterization of these two major players.
Odin is the head god, god of war, and god of Vikings (the highest class). Known to value knowledge, he has sacrificed time and time again to gain more wisdom. He uses this knowledge to avoid being deceived, and to trick others for the benefit of himself and his own people. He has many dimensions to his character and personality, as will be explored later.
Thor, Odin’s son, is the god of farmers, fertility, and protection. He protects Asgard with the ultimate symbol of fertility, his hammer, Mjölnir, which brings lighting (and therefore rain for the farmers). In contrast to Odin, other gods often mock Thor for being tricked so easily. His main attribute is strength, and some would argue, his sympathy. Unlike Odin, Thor practices mercy and forgiveness.. While people today may admire Thor’s kindness over Odin’s ruthless assertion of power, in Viking culture, Odin’s harsh qualities were valued more than brute strength or mercy. This focal point of their culture made them successful as a raiding society. The next few paragraphs reference several myths to analyze and show how Odin is the master, and Thor is the strong but foolish student of wisdom, deception, and self-preservation.
In “The Building of Asgard’s Wall”, a builder forges a new wall for Asgard, but with dire consequences. They wisely use the builder’s greatest desire (beautiful Freyja) to make him agree to an unrealistic agreement, giving him a disadvantage from the start. This myth notably clarifies that it is perfectly allowable to break myths with those outside of your group and shows deception as the centerpiece and strength as the afterthought. When their oath to the builder starts to backfire, Odin seems to forget that they all agreed to the plan. He ruthlessly scolds and threatens Loki to fix it with his wit and trickery. So, Odin and Loki, respectively, use their brutality and wit throughout the entirety of the myth to be key players in this deal going well for their people. However, Thor comes in only at the very end of the myth–his main role being using his hammer to kill the builder. Brute intimidation and wisdom by Odin (and Loki) are the centerpiece, and Thor’s strength is the mere afterthought.
“The Lay of Harbard” shows Odin and Thor interacting directly. More specifically, Odin deceives his own son Thor, in a relatively harmless, but arguably constructive way (members of the same group are never to wrongly deceive or break oaths with one another). In one way, one could view this myth as highlighting the true ruthlessness of Odin: he deceives his own son. Conversely, it could be showing the merits and educational aspects of deceit. In this tale specifically, Odin teaches Thor that his strength cannot overcome all.
In fact, Thor becomes so frustrated with the blatant taunting and his inability to wittily counter Odin’s insults that he essentially throws a childish tantrum: “Thor was enraged. He kicked at the bank and a hailstorm of grit and pebbles ripped the silken water,” and “Thor’s eyes were blazing and he gave a great bellow that rang round the sky,” (Crossley-Holland 119-120). This uncontrolled outburst contrasts with Odin’s mature composure–instead of handling situations with a childlike rage, he chooses intimidation or clever deception. While Odin’s name can be translated to “The Furious” (likely referring to his nature during war), he also has a more poised, serene side: for example, he speaks mostly in poems (McCoy).
“The Lay of Harbard” also details how helpful disguises (often used by Odin and Loki) can be: Harbard says, “And I’d have trusted you…if you were not known for breaking promises,” (Crossley-Holland 118). If Thor was disguised, he would not have been recognized and could have fared better with the “ferryman”. Thor serves as a cautionary tale for other Vikings: do not wander around naïve and clueless (and use disguises when necessary, since Vikings are known to double-cross). Overall, The Lay of Harbard also shows the overarching contrast of Odin and Thor: Odin is wise, able to disguise himself and deceive to his amusement and benefit, and Thor is merely made a fool by the end of the myth.
Another myth where gods try to teach Thor about deception (while making a fool of him, naturally) is “The Lay of Thrym”. To get Mjölnir back from taker Thyrm, Loki suggests disguising Thor as the promised bride, Freyja. He says, “swaddle Thor in the bridal veil! There was a…howl of laughter from the assembled gods and goddesses,” (Crossley-Holland 71). Thor as the laughable fool of the myths not only makes them more entertaining for the Vikings, but again shows him as a cautionary tale. To avoid being ridiculed by others, one should be responsible for their own deceptions. If Thor did not want to be made a fool, he should have proposed a better plan to deceive Thrym to get his hammer back while protecting his reputation (another crucial value of Viking culture). However, since Thor cannot deceive like Loki, he has no choice but to go along with his embarrassing plan.
It is also notable that at the end of this myth, “Thor showed no mercy” (Crossley-Holland 74). Even Thor, a relatively sympathetic Norse god, shows no mercy when it comes to getting back his hammer to protect those in Asgard. Another significant aspect of this myth lies in the sentence, “And so Thor, the Son of Odin, won back his hammer”. In other myths, Thor is not so loudly titled the son of Odin, but perhaps since he fights ruthlessly in this part of the myth, similar to Odin, it makes sense for him to adorn this title.
This myth also emphasizes fertility and Thor’s role there. When he does not have Mjölnir, he symbolically becomes a woman and becomes a man again only once it is put in his lap. However, it is significant that Thor does not become any woman: he disguises himself as a goddess of fertility, Freyja, specifically. Both this key distinction and the myth in general ties Thor to his role as god of fertility and protection. He goes to great (and humiliating) lengths to win Mjölnir back and defend Asgard.
In “The Necklace of the Brisings”, Freyja gives herself to four dwarves in exchange for a necklace. While it seems Odin does not and should not have any role in this transaction, he inserts himself into the action by stealing her necklace, his goal being to stir up war among otherwise peaceful regions.
Thor deals with peasants and farmers, and Odin has a clear and widespread leaning towards the cream of the crop.
In comparison with Thor, Odin is clearly more multi-faceted. As mentioned earlier, he speaks mostly
Works Cited
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980. Print.
McCoy, Daniel. “Odin.” Norse Mythology for Smart People, norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/odin/.