#danish runestones

[er-cryptid]

The Rune Hall

National Museum of Denmark

[city-of-ladies]

"Therefore, the references to Thyra on both groups of stones likely refer to the same person – the Danish Queen and mother of Harald Bluetooth. This indicates that she was a particularly powerful and celebrated individual. It is likely that she held land and authority in her own right, not only through her husband. “No other Viking man or woman in Denmark has been mentioned on that many runestones,” says Dr Imer, “and it underlines her undeniable importance for the assembling of the realm under the rule of her son, Harald Bluetooth.”

Importantly, this means that women likely had more influence in Viking-Age Denmark than previously believed. It indicates that Viking women may have been able to hold power in their own right and rule on behalf of their husbands or under-age sons. It also has important implications for our knowledge on the formation of the Danish state. The authors conclude:

If we accept that runestones were granite manifestations of status, lineage and power, we may suggest that Thyra was indeed of royal, Jutlandic descent. Both Gorm and Harald refer to her in the runestone texts and Ravnunge-Tue describes her as his dróttning, that is, ‘lady’ or ‘queen’. Combined with the designation of Thyra as Danmarkaʀ bót, ‘Denmark’s strength/salvation’, these honours point towards a powerful woman who held status, land and authority in her own right. The combination of the present analyses and the geographical distribution of the runestones indicates that Thyra was one of the key figures—or even the key figure—for the assembling of the Danish realm, in which she herself may have played an active part.""

[postcard-from-the-past]

Massive runestones in Jelling, Denmark

Danish vintage postcard

[broomsick]

List of interesting ressources pertaining to norse paganism, scandinavian folklore and history, and nordic religions in general

These are sources I have personally used in the context of my research, and which I've enjoyed and found useful. Please don’t mind if I missed this or that ressource, as for this post, I focused solely on my own preferences when it comes to research. I may add on to this list via reblog if other interesting sources come to my mind after this has been posted. Good luck on your research! And as always, my question box is open if you have any questions pertaining to my experiences and thoughts on paganism.

Mythology

The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion

Dictionnary of Northern Mythology

The Prose and Poetic Eddas (online)

Grottasöngr: The Song of Grotti (online)

The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes

The Wanderer's Hávamál

The Song of Beowulf

Rauðúlfs Þáttr

The Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings (Kevin Crossley-Holland's are my favorite retellings)

Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and the Sagas (online) A source that's as old as the world, but still very complete and an interesting read.

The Elder Eddas of Saemung Sigfusson

Pocket Hávamál

Myths of the Pagan North: Gods of the Norsemen

Lore of the Vanir: A Brief Overview of the Vanir Gods

Anglo-Saxon and Norse Poems

Gods of the Ancient Northmen

Gods of the Ancient Northmen (online)

Two Icelandic Stories: Hreiðars Þáttr and Orms Þáttr

Two Icelandic Stories: Hreiðars Þáttr and Orms Þáttr (online)

Sagas

Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes: Hervor and Heidrek & Hrólf Kraki and His Champions (compiling the Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks and the Hrólfs saga kraka)

Icelandic Saga Database (website)

The Saga of the Jómsvíkings

The Heimskringla or the Chronicle of the Kings of Norway (online)

Stories and Ballads of the Far Past: Icelandic and Faroese

Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway

The Saga of the Volsungs: With the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok

The Saga of the Volsungs (online) Interesting analysis, but this is another pretty old source.

The Story of the Volsungs (online) Morris and Magnusson translation

The Vinland Sagas

Hákon the Good's Saga (online)

History of religious practices

The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia

Nordic Religions in the Viking Age

Agricola and Germania Tacitus' account of religion in nordic countries

Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions

Tacitus on Germany (online)

Scandinavia and the Viking Age

Viking Age Iceland

Landnámabók: Book of the Settlement of Iceland (online)

The Age of the Vikings

Gesta Danorum: The Danish History (Books I-IX)

The Sea Wolves: a History of the Vikings

The Viking World

Guta Lag: The Law of the Gotlanders (online)

The Pre-Christian Religions of the North This is a four-volume series I haven't read yet, but that I wish to acquire soon! It's the next research read I have planned.

Old Norse Folklore: Tradition, Innovation, and Performance in Medieval Scandinavia

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings

The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings by John Haywood

Landnámabók: Viking Settlers and Their Customs in Iceland

Nordic Tales: Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark For a little literary break from all the serious research! The stories are told in a way that can sometimes get repetitive, but it makes it easier to notice recurring patterns and themes within Scandinavian oral tradition.

Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction

Saga Form, Oral Prehistory, and the Icelandic Social Context

An Early Meal: A Viking Age Cookbook and Culinary Oddyssey

Runes & Old Norse language

Uppland region runestones and their translations

Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Icelandic Sagas and Viking Language 2: The Old Norse Reader

Catalogue of the Manks Crosses with Runic Inscriptions

Old Norse - Old Icelandic: Concise Introduction to the Language of the Sagas

A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture

Nordic Runes: Understanding, Casting, and Interpreting the Ancient Viking Oracle 

YouTube channels

Ocean Keltoi

Arith Härger

Old Halfdan

Jackson Crawford

Wolf the Red

Sigurboði Grétarsson

Grimfrost

(Reminder! The channel "The Wisdom of Odin", aka Jacob Toddson, is a known supporter of pseudo scientific theories and of the AFA, a folkist and white-supremacist organization, and he's been known to hold cult-like, dangerous rituals, as well as to use his UPG as truth and to ask for his followers to provide money for his building some kind of "real life viking hall", as supposedly asked to him by Óðinn himself. A source to avoid. But more on that here.)

Websites

The Troth

Norse Mythology for Smart People

Voluspa.org

Icelandic Saga Database

Skaldic Project

Life in Norway This is more of a tourist's ressources, but I find they publish loads of fascinating articles pertaining to Norway's history and its traditions.

[coochiequeens]

Women's history just got richer

By Mindy Weisberger, CNN

More than 1,000 years ago, carvers in what is now Denmark set their chisels to rock to etch runestones — monuments to Viking leaders naming their deeds and achievements. Two groups of runestones mention a woman named Thyra, and new analysis of the carvings suggests that the runes on both sets of stones were inscribed by the same artisan and refer to the same woman: a Viking queen of considerable power.

Researchers from Denmark and Sweden used 3D scans to analyze carvings on the runestones, finding telltale clues that marked the individual style of the person who carved them. That carver’s repeated mention of Thyra’s name — a rare occurrence for Viking-era women — suggested that Thyra was a powerful sovereign who likely played a pivotal role in the birth of the Danish realm, the scientists reported Wednesday in the journal Antiquity.

“To learn more about the rune-carver and those named on the stone is fascinating,” said Dr. Katherine Cross, a lecturer at York St. John University in the UK who researches and teaches the history of early medieval northern Europe. She was not involved in the study.

“We can only understand early medieval sources once we can think about who made them and why,” Cross told CNN in an email.

One set of runes came from a pair of monuments known as the Jelling stones, erected in the town of Jelling around 965. The larger Jelling stone is often referred to as “Denmark’s birth certificate,” as it’s the first monument to name the land as its people pivoted to Christianity, according to the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

Both Jelling runestones also named a royal figure: Queen Thyra, mother of then-reigning King Harald Bluetooth. The smaller stone was raised in her honor by her husband (and Harald’s father) King Gorm, calling her “Denmark’s strength/salvation” (or “Denmark’s adornment,” depending on the translation, the researchers noted in the study). Harald commissioned the larger stone, to honor both of his royal parents.

In another set of four Viking-era monuments, known collectively as the Bække-Læborg group, two runestones mention a woman named Thyra. Those stones are associated with a carver named Ravnunge-Tue, but experts disagreed on whether that Thyra was Harald’s mother, said lead study author Dr. Lisbeth Imer, a curator and senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark specializing in the study of runes and ancient inscriptions.

Before the new investigation, it was unknown who had carved the Jelling stones. Confirming that their carver was Ravnunge-Tue would strengthen the connection between the Jelling and Bække-Læborg runestones, Imer told CNN in an email.

“Then it is much more reasonable to suggest that it was in fact the same Thyra,” she said.

A question of style

Some details in ancient runestones that indicate a carver’s individual style are visible to a trained expert’s eye, such as the language or the basic shape of the runes. Other details are harder to detect, Imer said.

“What you cannot see with the naked eye is the carving technique,” she said.

To get a closer look at the carvings, the researchers took scans of the stones and created 3D digital models, then measured the runes’ grooves with a software tool that weighed variables such as angle, depth and cutting rhythm. Together, these variables can create a unique profile for a carver.

“Every rune carver develops his own motor skill and holds the tools in a certain angle, strikes with a certain strength,” Imer said. “The motor skill is individual and other individuals cannot copy that.”

When the researchers compared runes from Jelling 2 (the larger of the two Jelling stones) and the Læborg stone from the Bække-Læborg group, they found striking similarities, such as height of the runes, straightness of the main staves and length and placement of rune branches.

“In the Læborg and Jelling inscriptions you can follow the cutting rhythm of Ravnunge-Tue as one deep stroke of the chisel followed by two not so deep ones: DAK, dak-dak, DAK, dak-dak,” Imer said via email. “It is ALMOST like hearing the heartbeat of a person that lived so long ago.”

Jelling 1 was more eroded, so its markings were harder to analyze. But if the Læborg runestone was Ravnunge-Tue’s handiwork, Jelling 2 was likely his as well, Imer said. It would mean that the Queen Thyra mentioned twice in the Bække-Læborg group — on Læborg and on the stone Bække 1 — was the same person commemorated on the Jelling stones, the study authors concluded.

In recent years, archaeologists have revised prior interpretations of Viking warrior burials as exclusively male, finding that Viking women were fighters, too. The new findings add to the picture of influential Viking women holding prominent roles in statecraft as well as on the battlefield.

“This research highlights how Viking-Age women wielded power through political authority and patronage, not just violence,” Cross said.

What’s more, the fact that Thyra is mentioned on four runestones offers strong evidence of her importance, Imer added. Fewer than 10 runestones in Denmark from the pre-Christian era mention women at all — and four of those are of Queen Thyra.

“Runestones in Denmark were mostly erected in honour of men, but Thyra is commemorated on more runestones than any other person in Viking Age Denmark,” Imer said. “She must have held extreme power and social position.”

Mindy Weisberger is a science writer and media producer whose work has appeared in Live Science, Scientific American and How It Works magazine.

[ladyniniane]

"Therefore, the references to Thyra on both groups of stones likely refer to the same person – the Danish Queen and mother of Harald Bluetooth. This indicates that she was a particularly powerful and celebrated individual. It is likely that she held land and authority in her own right, not only through her husband. “No other Viking man or woman in Denmark has been mentioned on that many runestones,” says Dr Imer, “and it underlines her undeniable importance for the assembling of the realm under the rule of her son, Harald Bluetooth.”"

[tsertsvi]

It amazes me everytime I think about it.

How many rights women had during that period.

Religion somehow destroyed that balance.

Ravnunge-Tue describes her as his dróttning, that is, ‘lady’ or ‘queen’. Combined with the designation of Thyra as Danmarkaʀ bót, ‘Denmark’s strength/salvation’, these honours point towards a powerful woman who held status, land and authority in her own right. The combination of the present analyses and the geographical distribution of the runestones indicates that Thyra was one of the key figures—or even the key figure—for the assembling of the Danish realm, in which she herself may have played an active part.

[grundtvigenjoyer]

Cool thread, just gonna add these to the mix

Norse warrior king Jesus

Danish runestone Jesus (Jelling stone)

[lavrenik]

Tistel – mistel – kistel thing: a runic spell or something else?

Tistel – mistel – kistel is an expression that can be found on several rune stones and churches in Scandinavia. Interestingly, according to the "rule" of writing runes, they should not repeat one after another, whereas in the original this inscription looks like this:

ᚦᛘᚴ : ᛁᛁᛁ : ᛋᛋᛋᛋ : ᛏᛏᛏ : ᛁᛁᛁ : ᛚᛚᛚ

If you transliterate it into Latin letters, you get

thmk : iii : sss : ttt : iii : lll

In Old Norse

þistill : mistill : kistill

Thistle – mistletoe – casket.

The expression is considered to be a spell, and any spell has both positive and negative magical effects (as, incidentally, and runes alone, if they are attributed magical properties, are not purely positive or negative, but always both). The Celts also collected mistletoe for medicinal purposes, and singing spells over the herbs increased their power, which may have given rise to tistel – mistel – kistel.

The inscription is found, for example, on the Ledberg runestone (1) in the Swedish province of Östergötland and on the Danish runestone Gørlev (2-3), both dating from the 11th century.

According to one of the versions the text on the Ledberg stone depicts Odin being devoured by Fenrir during Ragnarök. Another interesting thing is that on the stone from Denmark, after the repeated sequence of runes, the author left the inscription "I have placed the runes correctly/in the correct order". I have read that the same inscription is in the Borgund Stave Church (4) in Norway, which is also one of the oldest surviving frame churches, which began to build with the penetration of Christianity in Scandinavia. Although the Borgund church is dedicated to St Andrew (the interior features his X crosses (5)), it is very much full of pagan symbols, such as the dragons on the roof (6), which refer to Viking ships, and runic inscriptions. I am waiting for candidates to come with me to Norway to check the presence of tistel – mistel – kistel there, because sadly there are no photos on the internet.

Also tistel – mistel – kistel is found in the Saga of the Bos, there is a huge article about it and about this phrase in general in Norwegian, I translated only the summary, but someday I hopefully will translate the whole thing :(

The article argues that the thistle formula is a prototypical fertility formula with a positive and/or negative sign during the Viking Age and the Middle Ages. The cultural and historical background of thistle and mistletoe and their medicinal use support this interpretation. The conclusion is that this formula had a complex symbolic meaning with life-threatening and life-preserving functions. In other words, it fulfilled a number of different tasks: from curse incantation to protection and blessing magic.

That is basically what I wrote above: any spell gives a response and can be used in both directions.

[er-cryptid]

Sandby Runestone

Solve raised... in Spalklose in memory of Suser, [his] father [and] made this bridge in memory of Thorgisl, his brother

11th century AD

- Danish History Museum, Copenhagen, Rune Hall

[paganimagevault]

Runic stone for Thyra 10th C. CE. Front (Left) and back (Right).

"On the small Jelling runestone we can read: "kurmr kunukr karthi kubl thusi aft thurui kunu sina tanmarkar but", which in English says: "Gorm king made this monument after Thyra his wife Denmark's bod".

It was originally the historian Erik Arup, who first translated Thyra's epithet "tanmarkar but" into the "adornment of Denmark". It was certainly inspired by Sven Aggesen, who called her Decus Datie (Denmark's ornamental) or Regni Decus (kingdom's ornamental). But later detailed studies of Scandinavian dialects have failed to demonstrate that "but" or "bod" should mean ornamental. By all accounts "bod" means refurbishment, replacement, improvement or recovery. This meaning can still be found in the term "bøde garn" (prepare/repair fishing nets)." -taken from dandebat.dk

https://paganimagevault.blogspot.com/2020/04/runic-stone-for-thyra-10th-c-ce.html

[zeussim]

I don't know how much you know about the Danish monarchy but the first king and queen are officially Gorm and Thyra. And it's always been thought that Gorm married a foreign princess, but recent evidence (there are also 4-5 runestones mentioning her) suggests it was Thyra who had all the power and was the one marrying a foreigner. This would make the first official Danish ruler a woman, and not a man.

[rabbitcruiser]

Landskrona, Sweden (No. 2)

The strait is called Øresund in Danish and Öresund in Swedish, informally Sundet (lit. "the Strait") in both languages. The first part of the name is øre "gravel/sand beach", and the second part is sund, i.e. "sound, strait".

The name is first attested on a runestone dated to ca. AD 1000, where it is written as ura suti, read as Old East Norse /øːrasundi/ (the dative case). The Old West Norse (and modern Icelandic) form of the name is Eyrarsund. Ör is the modern form of the old Norse word (aur) meaning a gravel beach or shoal (see also ayre), often forming a spit. Such landforms are common in the area and "ör" is found in many place names along the strait e.g. Helsingør, Skanör, Dragør and Halör, an important center of trade during the Viking Age.

The northern boundary between Øresund and Kattegat is a line which goes from Gilleleje at Zealand's northern peak to the westernmost point of Kullaberg (Kullen's Lighthouse) at the smaller peninsula north of Helsingborg, known as Kullahalvön. In the south, the boundary towards the Baltic Sea starts at Stevns Klint, at the westernmost peak of the peninsula just south of Køge Bay, Stevns Peninsula to Falsterbo at the Falsterbo peninsula. Its eastern boundary is the Swedish coastline; to the west Amager may be considered part of Øresund (in which case it is the largest island) or a part of Zealand. Amager has eight connections with Zealand (two street bridges, a road bridge, a motorway bridge, a dual-track railway tunnel, an underground metro and a bicycle bridge) as well as a combined motorway and dual track railway to Scania and Sweden.

Source: Wikipedia

[mayhemxmugglesxmagic]

Headcanon – The Malfoy Family (Pre- English History, Viking Lineage, etc.)

TL;DR The Malfoy’s have Viking heritage due to their connections to William the Conqueror and Rollo (The first Duke of Normandy), and as such Draco would find ancient runes easier than most, as well as certain forms of divination and wandless spell casting using the earth as conduit , which due to my past headcanons works out great as his birth chart is heavily influenced by the element of earth -- fight me

We know that the Malfoy’s came to the UK with William the Conqueror and were given land due to their actions during his campaign to conquer England. The idea that the Malfoy’s are French comes from this, and the fact the sir name is French -- translating to ‘Bad Faith’. However, due to their connections to William the Conqueror we know they weren’t any old kind of French, they were Norman. 

The Normans were an ethnic group that arose from contact between Norse Viking settlers and those already inhabiting a region of France that would become Normandy. This all happened over a long period of time but was set in stone when the Viking leader Rollo agreed to swear fealty to King Charles III of West Francia in 911 AD. The intermingling of Norse settlers and native Franks in Normandy produced a cultural "Norman" identity in the first half of the 10th century, an identity which continued to evolve over the centuries into the culture William the Conqueror and Armand Malfoy would have known before leaving for England. 

Lets’s talk about William the Conqueror for a minute, also known as King William I, or William the Bastard. William was the son of the unmarried Robert I, Duke of Normandy, by his mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father at the age of seven. Now we know young nobles tend to be pawns and William not only had to deal with those around him using him, but also many attempts on his life. It’s completely possible that it was during this time Armand Malfoy met and befriended the young Duke by helping him quash rebellions and establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060 due to infighting between the Norman aristocracy who wished to control William.

Through Marriage and consolidation of power over religious centers, and war he expanded his control, and to many seemed unstoppable -- a Viking in all but name. 

Now back to the Malfoy’s (who due to their coloring we can assume are very much likely descendant from this ethnic group and as such have Viking heritage ), and this idea of the Normans as an ethnic and cultural group descended from the Franks and Vikings -- specifically linked to the Viking leader Rollo. Rollo sometimes referred to as the First Duke of Normandy was an outstanding warrior among the Norsemen and secured a permanent foothold on Frankish soil in the valley of the lower Seine. This was then given to Rollo by King Charles III of West Francia in exchange for Rollo agreeing to end his brigandage, and provide the Franks with protection against future Viking raids. 

Rollo’s place of birth is almost definitely located in the region of Scandinavia, although it is uncertain whether he is Danish or Norwegian (though many sources lean heavily on him being a misplaced Danish nobleman we fled to Norway with his family) and as such many of his followers and fellow Vikings were from the same area he was born. The first historical reference we have of Rollo is a failed siege of Paris in 885���886. Afterward he retreated and would return to raid and cause general chaos. 

I suggest that the Malfoy’s, at that time known by a different name were in league with Rollo. After retreating from Paris, Rollo returned to Norway to gather more support, supplies, and men. It was there he found a wizard -- dying to advance his position and family, to prove himself. This wizard would help Rollo and follow him through the next phases of his life and be rewarded. The family eventually gaining a low level place in what would become the Norman court. 

It’s important to note that in many Viking cultures the practice of magic was considered to be mostly feminine in nature, though men did practice it was well. However, when they did it was possible a social taboo, known as ergi ( denoting effeminacy or other unmanly behavior) would follow them, and they were sometimes persecuted as a result. As such this member of the family that would eventually become the Malfoy’s was either a respected witch (a religious leader in the community), or a Wizard with very little left to lose in the eyes of the other men around him. 

The family would eventually gain the name Malfoy -- or ‘bad faith’ after their part in a failed coup or plot involving one of Rollo’s descendants such as his son or grandson, William Longsword or Richard I. This would leave the Malfoy’s on the outskirts of the court and highly suspected if not outs completely. Leaving the duty of restoring the families good graces on the shoulders of Armand Malfoy in the 11th century who seeing a bastard boy (slightly younger than him) as the only heir to the Duchy took his chance. That chance secured the Malfoy fortune and place in society through successful conquest after successful conquest. 

In short -- the Malfoy’s descend from an opportunistic magic norseman and as such their magic would be much better suited to magic linked to viking or Normand heritage such as Runestones, or seiðr (a practice of believed to be a form of magic relating to both the telling and shaping of the future involving visionary journeys, chanting of spells, and hexing one’s enemies using the earth as a conduit. It was a practice believed to be able to be used for great good or evil, as well as for daily guidance).

It’s also interesting to note the Vikings practiced cultural assimilation within the areas they settled -- they adapted to survive and thrive, a trait the Malfoy family prides themselves on. 

[norsesuggestions]

Old norse, just dipthounges and R:s

Though i should show an exemple of viking age old norse. This is from a rune stone the mälardalen area, were i live (so in area stockholm is located)

Old norse, transliterated from runes

"FrøygæiRR ræisti stæin þennsi at Olæif, faður sinn. Hann atti GæiRunni"

Translated to modern day swedish

"Fröger reste denna sten efter Olev, sin fader. Han ägde Gerunn"

At the time these were written the differences between the old norse spoken in modern day Denmark and modern day sweden were very small.

They do exist though if one compare mälardalen and denmark runestones (which are quite a geographical distance from eachother), but mostly in some different spellings that hint at what will one day become the differences between danish and swedish

(that is, they do appear have a slightly different dialect in mälardalen than denmark already in the viking age. But the differences are very small, much smaller than today)

PS. Old norse also have alot of the sound which is spelled "th" in english ortoghrapy. It like they are bragging about modern day monolingual swedish speakers not being able to say that sound or something :p

Rune stone text via:

https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B6dermanlands_runinskrifter_52

[germanicseidr]

þunraz

Thor is the hammer-wielding God of thunder in the Germanic pantheon. He is also known for being able to create storms and lightning. He is the protector of mankind and associated with fertility. His name comes from the proto-Germanic þunraz which means thunder.

Stories about Thor's life are only known through the writings of the Scandinavian people from the medieval ages but he was worshipped much earlier than that. I am going to skip telling these stories about his life because I think most of you guys have read the eddas.

He was and still is very popular amongst the common people. The worship of Odin was usually reserved for the higher classes. People brought sacrifices to Thor if they wanted more fertility, for protection of their homeland and farmlands. He was viewed as a God who you could trust completely, one who you could consider as a good friend who is always willing to help you out. He fought off dangerous giants, healed people and brought the dead in safety.

The earliest mention of Thor that we have are recordings of the Romans. Tacitus described per example in his work Germania that the Suebi worshipped him as one of their principal Gods. They gave offers to Thor on fixed days, human sacrifices as well as animals.

Sacred oaks were dedicated to Thor as well. One famous example is the Donar's eik in Frisia which was cut down by Bonifacius. Tacitus also described how warriors would scream Thor's name before going into battle. In Germanic areas occupied by the Romans, coins have been found dating back to the second century AD. On it was the latin inscription 'Hercules', this was the Latinized name of Thor.

Sometimes Thor is also compared with Jupiter by the the Romans. This is quite interesting because it indicates that the Gods had different status in certain areas. Usually areas which lacked kings and had a looser society viewed Thor as more important than Wodan. The Germanic culture was incredibly warrior-based so it makes sense that the God most skilled in battles and with the greatest courage deserved more attention in a society without nobility. After the migration period, Wodan seems to have taken the chief God status amongst all of the Germanic people.

The first written down record of his name by a Germanic tribe dates back to the migration period. A fibula was found in Bavaria which was written upon with the elder futhark, the writing on it says Þonar. A codex dating back to the 9th century AD was discovered in Mainz, Germany. It tells of three Saxon Gods, Odin, Saxnoot(most likely Tyr) and Thor.

Of course most of our evidence comes from the viking age. A statue of Thor has been described by Adam of Bremen that stood in the temple at Uppsala. Runic inscriptions have been found naming Thor and magic spells like the Canterbury charm. This is also the era when people started wearing a Mjolnir around their neck, this was probably done to show one's faith in the old Gods in an age of Christianity.

Older amulets in honour of Thor were worn as well in the Netherlands and Germany. Several Donar's keule have been found. They are in the shape of a club and are also linked to Hercules, the Latin name of Thor. Runic messages mentioning Thor were found until the 12th century. Several runestones in Scandinavia have been discovered that also mention Thor.

His name still lives on until this very day. Many places are named after Thor and it is used in personal names as well. It is clear that this God has never been forgotten by the Germanic people. The day Thursday has also been named after Thor.

It is interesting to notice how the three most important Germanic Gods all share traits with the proto-indo European chief God Dyeus. Tiwaz, being the oldest of them shares the chief title and his sense of battle/justice. Odin shares his chief title as well as his battle skills and Thor possesses the power of lightning associated with Dyeus and his battle strength.

Here are the names of Thor in other (Germanic) languages:

Proto-Germanic: þunraz

Old Norse: Þórr

Old High German: Donar

Old English: ðunor

Old Saxon: Thunar

Old Frisian: Thuner

Modern Frisian: Tonger

Dutch: Donar

German: Donar

Frankish: Thonar

Norse/Swedish/Danish: Thor

English: Thor

Latin: Hercules(Magusanus)

Artist photo Thor: Unknown

Photo of Donar keule: by me

Photo of Fibula found in Germany

Photo of Stenkvista runestone, Sweden