A Film Analysis of Thor and Norse Mythology Essay Example

When hearing the name Thor, most people think about the strong blond headed superhero in the marvel movies. What they do not know is that the Thor in the marvel movies is very different from the original one in Norse mythology. While Marvel kept many things similar to the original Norse Mythology stories, they also changed many aspects about the characters that goes unnoticed. This includes Thor’s appearance, tools, family, and love interest.

When comparing the way Thor looks in the Marvel movies to the way he looks in Norse mythology there is very noticeable difference. In the Marvel movies Thor is known for his long blonde hair. He has blonde hair that is slightly wavey and comes to about his shoulders. In the movies, he also has a clean-shaven face and baby blue eyes. However, in the Norse Mythology stories he is known for having fiery red hair (Adler). This is because these stories originated from the North Germanic people stemming from Norse paganism. These people are also known as the Vikings who are associated with having naturally bright red hair. In these stories he has long red locks of hair that make him stand out from everyone else. He is also known to have a long red beard and eyes that are described as red as blood.

In the Marvel movies Thor heavily relies on his hammer and is almost always seen with it in hand. His hammer serves him many purposes in the movies such as transportation and giving him strength to win fights. In the Marvels movies, whenever Thor raises his hammer it can transport him to wherever he needs or create huge lighting strikes to take down his enemies. But in the original stories the hammer is used differently and does not serve as many purposes. In these stories Thor needs more than just the hammer to get through his battles. In Norse Mythology Thor uses a belt called Megingjörð that doubles his strength when wearing it (Adler). He also has to wear gloves when touching his hammer due to the amount of power the hammer withholds. Lastly, in Norse mythology instead of using the hammer for transportation, he relies on his goats. These two goats are called Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder (Thor in Norse Mythology). They pull his chariot to other realms. 

When comparing Norse mythology to the marvel movies, Thor’s family looks very different. In Marvels version of Thor, there is Odin who is the father of Thor and adopted father of Loki. He is also the King of the Asgardians. In Marvel, Thor and Loki are for their brotherly love hate relationship throughout the series. But in Norse mythology this family tree looks very different. In the original tales Loki is not Odin’s son but more of a brother figure. In Norse mythology Loki and Odin swore an oath that bonded them like brothers. Notably, Loki swore not to harm Odin or any of his children. Similarly, Odin swore not to harm Loki. They mixed their blood and took a solemn oath making them sworn brothers (Christensen). 

There is also another family aspect that differs in both stories. In the Marvel movie “Thor: Ragnarok”, a new character is reveled named Hela. In this movie Hela is the daughter of Odin. It is later shared that she is Odin’s first born making her the heir to the throne. The plot of this movie is centered around Thor fighting Hela for the throne and who shall rule over Asgard. However, in Norse mythology this character is completely different. In these stories Hela’s name is actually Hel. While in both stories she is the goddess of the underworld, in Norse mythology her father is actually Loki (Louie). In the original stories, Hel is rarely mentioned and never goes to battle with Thor.

The last thing that is different about Thor in Marvels version from Norse mythology is his love interest. In the Marvel stories Thor’s love interest is a women named Jane Foster. Jane is nurse who meets Thor when he is exiled to earth by his father Odin. Over Thor’s short period of time on earth, Jane and Thor fall in love. When Thor soon leaves earth their love story is put on hold while the two continue on with their lives. However, in Norse mythology Jane never exist. In these stories Thor’s love interest is his wife Sif. Sif is the goddess of harvest and fertility. She also is known for having Thor’s two children, Magni and Modi (Christensen).

When hearing the name Thor, the character that most people picture is not the same one from original Norse mythology. While the name Thor is the same for Marvel and Norse mythology, the overall character is very different. This includes his appearance, handy weapons, family, and love interest. While they might be considered the same person, their stories are completely different.

Works cited

Adler, Matt. “Marvel Mythology vs. Norse Mythology.” IFanboy, 29 Apr. 2011, ifanboy.com/articles/marvel-mythology-vs-norse-mythology/#:~:text=Marvel%27s%20Thor%20has%20long%2C%20flowing%20golden%20locks%2C%20and. Accessed 20 July 2022.

Christensen, Christian. “Are Loki and Thor Brothers in Norse Mythology? Get the Facts.” Scandinavia Facts, scandinaviafacts.com/loki-thor-brothers-norse-mythology/#:~:text=Loki%20and%20Thor%20are%20not%20brothers%20in%20Norse. Accessed 21 July 2022.

Christensen, Christian. “Who Is Thor’s Wife in Norse Mythology? Get the Facts.” Scandinavia Facts, scandinaviafacts.com/who-is-thors-wife-in-norse-mythology/. Accessed 21 July 2022.

Louie, Leanne. “8 Ways Marvel’s Thor Differs from the Original Norse Mythology.” ScreenRant, Screen Rant, 9 Mar. 2019, screenrant.com/marvel-thor-vs-norse-mythology/.

“Thor in Norse Mythology — Norse God of Thunder | Mythology Explained.” Mythologyexplained.com, 9 May 2021, mythologyexplained.com/thor-in-norse-mythology/. Accessed 21 July 2022.