Thor: The god of thunder, for whom Thursday is named. In the movie, the character (portrayed by Chris Hemsworth) brags of his great strength -- a hallmark. The Encyclopedia Britannica account describes Thor as a foe to a race of giants but benevolent toward humans. He’s generally depicted just as he is seen in the comic books and movies -- barrel-chested with blond or red hair. In Iceland, where Thor was worshiped, some names in the country are linked to Thor, according to a 2015 story in The Guardian, Back for Thor, How Iceland is Reconnecting with its pagan past.
Thor's hammer Mjollnir (the lightning maker) was forged by dwarfs. When Thor throws the hammer, it never misses the target and always returns to his hand, Gaiman writes. But unlike a scene in the movie -- in which Hela stops the hammer and smashes it to pieces -- the hammer of mythology is indestructible.
Asgard: In her classic book, Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes (Penguin; 1940), Edith Hamilton describes Asgard as the home of the gods. But Asgard sounds more like an Icelandic winter than Paradise Island. “No radiancy of joy is in it,” Hamilton writes, “no assurance of bliss. It is a grave or solemn place, over which hangs the threat of inevitable doom.”
Ragnarok: The idea of a day of judgment or an end for humanity is common to religions. But in many stories, the soul has a place to go -- a possibility of afterlife. In Norse mythology, Ragnorok is the “day of doom,” according to Hamilton, “when heaven and earth would be destroyed.”Hela: Hela (Cate Blanchett) is the goddess of death. In Norse mythology, Hel (without the a) was originally the world of the dead, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. It later was used to mean the goddess of death. Her kingdom is Niflheim, the World of Darkness. In mythology, Hel was a child of the god Loki – another area where the movie and myth differ. In the flick, Hela identifies herself as the elder sister of Thor and Loki.
Loki: In the movie, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is Thor’s adopted brother. But in mythology, he is described as Odin’s brother. “The other gods do not know when Loki came to Asgard, or how. He is Thor’s friend and Thor’s betrayer,” Gaiman writes. “He is tolerated by the gods, perhaps because his stratagems and plans save them as often as they get them into trouble. Loki makes the world more interesting but less safe. He is the father of monsters, the author of woes, the sly god.”
Heimdall: Another god, Heimdall (Idris Elba), is identified in Hamilton's book as the “warder of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which led to Asgard.” Gaiman describes Heimdall as watchman of the gods, who "saw everything approaching Asgard and who missed nothing." Odin gives Heimdall the “Gjallerhorn,” basically, a loud horn. Heimdall is only to blow it once, at Ragnarok.Valkyries: In the film, one of the Valkyries (portrayed by Tessa Thompson) makes an appearance. As described by Hamilton, the Valkyries spent half of their time as waitresses and the other half as SEAL Team 6. “They waited on the table in Asgard and kept the drinking horns full,” Hamilton writes, “but their chief task was to go to the battlefield and decide at Odin’s bidding who should win and who should die, and carry the brave dead to Odin.” The first part of the word -- val --means “slain.” The place where the slain were taken was the Hall of the Slain, Valhalla. Anyone doomed to die in battle would see the maidens “riding their steeds in shining armor … with their white hands beckoning,” Hamilton recounts.
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