Þórr

English

Proper noun

Þórr

1. Alternative form of Thor (“a Germanic god”).
   • 1993, Otto Gschwantler, “Hymiskviða”, in Phillip Pulsiano, Kirsten Wolf, et al., editors, Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, New York, N.Y.; London: Garland Publishing, →ISBN, page 308, column 2:

     With an ox-head as bait, which Þórr has torn off one of the giant’s animals, Þórr and Hymir go fishing.

   • 2006, Neil Price, “What’s in a name? An archaeological identity crisis for the Norse gods (and some of their friends)”, in Anders Andrén, Kristina Jennbert, Catharina Raudvere, editors, Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes, and Interactions […], Lund: Nordic Academic Press, →ISBN, page 180, column 1:

     Even here it is worth noting that when we see Þórr on rune stones, such as that from Altuna in Uppland showing his fishing expedition for the Midgard serpent (U 1161), he is distinguished only by attributes such as his hammer, and the details of the scene, such as his foot through the floor of the boat.

   • 2020, Maria Kvilhuag, “Þórr in Hárbarðsljóð”, in The Seed of Yggdrasill, [Chilliwack, B.C.]: The Three Little Sisters, →ISBN, chapter 11 (The Trials of Þórr: The Son of Earth), page 487:

     This poem is a perfect example of Edda Þórr-bashing. The mighty god is completely ridiculed as a simple-minded brute.

Old Norse

Alternative forms

Runic

• ᚦᚢᚱ (þur), ᚦᚮᚱ (þor) — nominative

Etymology

From Proto-Norse *ᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱᚨᛉ (*þonaraʀ), from Proto-Germanic *Þunraz, whence also Old English Þunor (English thunder), Old Saxon Thunær, Old High German ᚹᛁᚷᛁᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱ (wigiþonar), Donar (German Donner). In most related languages the theonym (“Thor”) and the natural phenomenon (“thunder”) were identical, but in Old Norse the latter sense was lost outside of compounds (like the ancestor of Swedish tordön (“the sound of thunder”)).

Pronunciation

• The Elfdalian descendant of þórsdagr (“Thursday”) shows that the vowel was nasal.

Proper noun

Þórr m

1. (Norse mythology) Thor (god of thunder)
   • c. 975, Þórbjǫrn dísarskáld, Poem about Þórr, verse 1

     Þórr hefr Yggs með ǫ́rum / Ásgarð af þrek varðan.

     Thor has mightily defended Asgard together with the messengers of Ygg [GODS].

Derived terms

• þórsdagr (“Thursday”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: Þórr, Þór
• Faroese: Tórur
• Norwegian: Tor
• Old Swedish: Þōr
  • Swedish: Tor
• Old Danish: Thor
  • Danish: Tor (older spelling Thor)
• → Chinese: 索爾 / 索尔 (suǒ'ěr)
• → English: Thor
• → French: Thor
• → Japanese: トール
• → Korean: 토르 (toreu)
• → Russian: Тор (Tor)