Thor's Fight with the Giants (1872) by M�rten Eskil Winge.

In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder,

lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also
hallowing and fertility. The cognate deity in wider Germanic mythology and paganism
was known in Old English as �unor and in Old High German as Donar (runic
�onar ?????), stemming from a Common Germanic �unraz (meaning thunder).

Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic
peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to the tribal expansions
of the Migration Period, to his high popularity during the Viking Age, when, in the
face of the process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, emblems of his hammer,
Mj�lnir, were worn and Norse pagan personal names containing the name of the god
bear witness to his popularity.

In Norse mythology, largely recorded in Iceland from traditional material stemming

from Scandinavia, numerous tales and information about Thor are provided. In these
sources, Thor bears at least fifteen names, is the husband of the golden-haired
goddess Sif, is the lover of the j�tunn J�rnsaxa, and is generally described as
fierce eyed, red haired and red bearded.[1] With Sif, Thor fathered the goddess
(and possible Valkyrie) �r��r; with J�rnsaxa, he fathered Magni; with a mother
whose name is not recorded, he fathered M��i, and he is the stepfather of the god
Ullr. By way of Odin, Thor has numerous brothers, including Baldr. Thor has two
servants, �j�lfi and R�skva, rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats,
Tanngrisnir and Tanngnj�str (that he eats and resurrects), and is ascribed three
dwellings (Bilskirnir, �r��heimr, and �r��vangr). Thor wields the mountain-crushing
hammer, Mj�lnir, wears the belt Megingj�r� and the iron gloves J�rngreipr, and owns
the staff Gr��arv�lr. Thor's exploits, including his relentless slaughter of his
foes and fierce battles with the monstrous serpent J�rmungandr�and their foretold
mutual deaths during the events of Ragnar�k�are recorded throughout sources for
Norse mythology.