Viking Bronze, from Iceland, 1000 AD
Thor was the German god of strength, and the god of thunder and lightning (like Jupiter or Zeus). These three gods of the Greeks, Romans, and Germans were more or less the same because they all came from the same older Indo-European god. But there were some differences between Thor and the other two gods too. Thor carried a big hammer, and people said that thunder was the noise Thor made breaking things with his hammer.
Here’s a video about a fight between Thor and Loki
Because Thor was so strong, the Germans sometimes thought of Thor as rather stupid, but it was his strength that defended the gods and people against the dangerous giants in German myths.
Learn by doing: act out thestory of Thor and Loki
More about the Norse gods
Bibliography and further reading about the Norse gods:
