Thor Odinson, the thunder-born Lord of Storms, was the primary antagonist of Twilight of the Gods voiced by Pilou Asbæk. In Norse mythology, Thor is the god of the sky and son of Odin.
Biography[]
Thor attacks Jötunheim.
In his search for Loki, his betrayer, Thor brought his brother Baldr to Jötunheim. He faced Glaumar, the leader of the giants, as he crashed his daughter Sigrid's wedding. When they could not turn over Loki, Thor killed every last giant. Sigrid and Leif hid the children away, but when he was finished with the rest, Thor came down on their hiding place, crushing the entire building to dust. He assumed there were no survivors, but Sigrid and Leif were thrown aside by the blast, hurt but alive.[2]
Thor hunts down Sigrid.
When Thor's father, Odin, sent his Bolverkrs after Sigrid to protect Thor, Thor felt insulted and went after her, himself. The Bolverkrs successfully found Sigrid's group and gave chase, but Thor quickly caught up to them, taking out the Bolverkers in a sweep of lightning so he could have Sigrid to himself. He caught her and defeated her, then offered her a chance to live on. He would even give her a miracle, making her womb fertile. She refused without question, but before Thor could kill her, their battle passed the border of Vanaheim. Unable to enter the city by holy treaty, Thor was forced to flee.[3]
Thor meets Sandraudiga.
Thor had never fled from battle before. His heaven could no longer provide him any happiness. Sandraudiga the Dread arrived to greet him. Having never tasted defeat, he didn't recognize her, but now that she was there, he took comfort in accepting her. He began an affair with her.[4]
Thor meets Sigrid before battle.
When Thought and Memory brought news of Sigrid and the Vanir's arrival in Asgard, Thor happily got out of bed and went to join Heimdall where he could greet them. He was joined by Freya and Baldr to meet with the leaders of the opposing force, Sigrid, King Tiwaz of the Vanir, and Dahl of the jötun. Baldr offered Thor's atonement to appease Tiwaz, but Tiwaz would accept no less than Thor's death, which they would not provide. Negotiations were futile, so the two sides prepared for war.
Sigrid attempts to assassinate Thor.
Thor searched for Sigrid in the battle but found only Vanir. He killed without challenge as he scoured the field. When the battle ended, Sigrid came for him in the night, but he was prepared. He captured her and her companions before Loki appeared. As Thor's true target, Loki easily grabbed Thor's attention long enough for Sigrid and the others to escape, then also fled.[5]
Thor faces Tiwaz in battle.
On the second day of battle, Thor thundered into the battlefield with a crash that threw Vanir and Aesir alike aside. He found the Vanir king, Tiwaz, and engaged in single combat, surrounded by warring factions. Thor took Tiwaz's head and sent shockwaves through the armies as they witnessed the loss. This successfully drew out Sigrid and Loki, who teamed up against him, quickly joined by the rest of Sigrid's recruits. They were able to overwhelm Thor with numbers, but couldn't land a decisive blow.
Sandraudiga offers Sigrid the white shield.
When Thor killed Hervor, Sigrid's oldest human friend, she lost her will to fight and mourned. Thor summoned Sandraudiga to offer Sigrid a peaceful end to the battle, but Sigrid would not surrender. She took up Antler and continued to fight, as did the others engaged in battle. Leif turned his ax on Thor and Thor prepared to bring his hammer down on him as he did Hervor, but Sigrid threw Antler to take the killing blow. Baldr stepped in to protect Thor, taking the god-killing iron laced with mistletoe into his torso.
Thor mourns Baldr.
Baldr's body vanished in a beam of light. Thor lost his temper and charged at Sigrid, but Freya stepped in to block him, helping him instead express his sorrow. She took him to Valhalla where he leveled his head. He was soon joined by Sigrid, slain by Loki to be given a final chance to slay Thor, but he no longer held animosity toward her, as he seemed to finally understand that both he and she were pawns, manipulated and controlled by others.[6]
Physical appearance[]
Thor was a large man with a muscular build and pale skin. He had long, red hair down to his back, a red beard down to his chest, and electric blue eyes. His outfit consists of a long cape, shorts, and lack of a shirt. Járngreipr are his gloves, and Megingjörð is his strength enhancing belt.
Personality[]
Thor's a particularly arrogant and brutish god, uncaring of who or what stands in his way. He's quite tempermental, resorting to violence quickly when the giants don't provide the answer he wants, and hitting his son in a fit of frustration upon Baldr's news about Sigrid during their training.
The thunder god longs for defeat, and seems to welcome the idea of Ragnarök rather than fearing it. This desire led him to have an affair with Sandraudiga.
Despite his general lack of care or compassion, he was shocked and saddened by Baldr's death.
Powers and abilities[]
God physiology: As a god, Thor was immortal. He would not age or get sick and could potentially live forever. He could perform miracles and had other powers that were either unavailable or unnatural to mortals.
Immaculate strength: Thor's raw power was a force of reckoning. With a single devastating swing of his hammer into the heart of the battlefield, Thor was able to send dozens of soldiers skyward. Multiple giants could attempt to subdue him at once, yet fail, while only other gods could hold him back, yet only just.
Flight: Like other gods, Thor was capable of flight. He had the control necessary to hover in place and the speed available to soar through the clouds, all without using wings or external tools.
Lightning manipulation: As the Lord of Storms, Thor had absolute power and divine authority over lightning. He was able to create it, to channel it through his weapons and hands, and even to become it. He could phase through objects by partially or completely turning his body into lightning. It also could be used as a burst of speed to make any of his attacks or movements happen incredibly fast.
Atmokinesis: Thor also had divine authority over the weather. Wherever he went, rain followed. He could summon and control rain and the wind, also dissolving himself into clouds at his whim. Also like a storm, Thor could bring life to barren fields, which extended to the wombs of barren women.
Semi-intangibility: By taking the form of stormclouds or lightning, most attacks would phase through his body. It seemed to require him to activate the ability rather than passively occurring, but he was able to avoid all or most harm even from god-killing iron by utilizing this technique.
Accelerated healing: Even when cut by god-killing iron, Thor's regenerative capabilities quickly sealed his wounds, including regenerating lost limbs as needed. Even aside from his godly flesh being as tough as it was, fighting him was like trying to cut down a stormcloud. Such wounds still appeared to take their toll, so Thor would block or dodge these attacks when able.
Perception of the gods: Thor could hear the prayers of those who called out to him. When oarsmen prayed for better winds, Thor could choose to answer. He also had eyes in the clattering rain and was able to locate the Bolverkrs in the mortal realm while he was in Asgard when the rain fell upon them.
Appearances[]
Norse origins[]
Thor's son
Like in Twilight of the Gods, Thor (Þórr in Old Norse) in Norse mythology was a prominent god associated with lightning, storms, strength, and fertility. He was the son of Odin and the jötun Jörð. He had three children named Þrúðr (which translates to "strength"), Móði ("wrath"), and Magni ("mighty"). His daughter, Þrúðr, was the only of the three born of his wife, Sif. While Thor in Twilight has a son, it's not clarified if this son represents a specific character from mythology or if Thor has other children.
Pilou Asbæk stated that his version of Thor is closer to the original mythology, and not like the one from the Marvel Cinematic Universe portrayed by Chris Hemsworth.[7] Nevertheless, the Nordic Thunder God's portrayal in Twilight is shown in a more antagonistic light than most of his myths. His massacre of Glaumar's clan during his daughter Sigrid and Leif's marriage can be compared to the grim aftermath of Þrymskviða in which Thor punished Thrym along with his people for stealing his signature hammer Mjölnir in a bid of using it as a bargaining chip so Thrym could marry Freyja. Thor crashed the would-be wedding and killed or beat the jötun present. The wedding in Twilight was between different characters, but Thor similarly crashed the wedding and fought with its guests.
The builder
Dahl's story of the jötun builder who created the wall for the Aesir comes more directly from the mythology, in which, upon learning that the builder was a jötun, the Aesir called on Thor to slay him. While not in the epics of Thor, slaying jötun was a common reason that the people of the time would pray to Thor. Jötun were commonly believed to inflict various afflictions on humanity, so when facing such afflictions, worshippers of the Norse deities would pray to Thor to kill the jötun that were causing them grief.
Thor's goat
In the myths, Thor rode a chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. Thor also rides a goat-pulled chariot in Twilight, though no story behind the goats is presented. Similarly, Twilight's Thor can be seen wearing a belt and gloves while wielding a war hammer. No story is provided for them within the series, but in mythology, Thor had three crucial possessions. They were Mjölnir, his mighty dwarf-smithed hammer that he could draw toward himself by magic; Járngreipr, iron gloves necessary for wielding Mjölnir; and Megingjörð, a belt that doubled Thor's strength.
References[]
- ↑ While not referred to as the "God of Thunder" within the series, Thor was given this title behind the scenes in official promotions.
- ↑ Eric Carrasco (writer) & Zack Snyder (director). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 1, "The Bride-Price."
- ↑ Peter Aperlo (writer) & Tim Divar, Andrew Tamandl (directors). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 3, "You Will Gladden His Ravens."
- ↑ Eric Carrasco, Caitlin Parrish (writers) & Dave Hartman, Andrew Tamandl (directors). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 4, "The Worm."
- ↑ Caitlin Parrish, Peter Aperlo (writers) & Jay Oliva (director). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 7, "If I Had a Hammer."
- ↑ Eric Carrasco (writer) & Zack Snyder (director). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 8, "Song of Sigrid."
- ↑ Tim Lammers. "Pilou Asbæk Teases His Non-Chris Hemsworth Approach To Playing Thor In Twilight Of The Gods - Exclusive". Looper. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved on August 31, 2022. “My Thor is closer to how he was written. He is a brute — impolite, rogue, brutal, and doesn't give a s*** about anyone.”