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Anglo-Saxon God of
Thunder
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- Thunor was the Anglo-Saxon
god of Storms, Lightning and especially Thunder. He was the
son of Woden.
- When Thunor was angry, he would
would strike his anvil with a huge hammer. The sound became
thunder. The sparks became lightning.
- His sacred animal was the goat.
Goats pulled his chariot. His sacred plant was the oak tree. His sacred
weapon was the hammer. Hammer shaped amulets have been found in Anglo-Saxon
graves.
- The tradition of bringing in the
yule log to burn at Christmas may have come from Thunor's oak
tree. It was supposed to protect the house against lightning and
fire.
- There are lots of Viking stories
about Thunor. Particularly popular was the one about his stolen
hammer:
- The King of the Giants stole
Thunor's hammer.
- With the help of Loki and
Freo,
he found out who the thief was.
- The King would only return the
hammer, if Freo would marry him, but she refused.
- So Thunor dressed himself up as
Freo in women's clothes!
- The giant king was suspicious
when he saw how Thunor's eyes burned and how much he drank.
But he was told this was due to exhaustion because the bride
had not slept for eight days and nights in her eagerness to
be with him.
- Then the bride was given the
hammer. Thunor threw off his disguise and used his weapon to
beat up the giants.
- His special day was Thursday which
means 'Thunor's Day'.
- Can you find any places near you
that are named after Thunor? Use a map. Look for places beginning
with the words Thunder, Thunor, Thunre or Thur.
- Activity
Sheet available.
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