Alyssa Prydz

English 9H/Period 6
5/17/17

Cultural Myth Research Paper

Around the late twentieth century, Norse Mythology became known throughout popular

culture, and amongst this popular mythology was The Legend of Thor. However, this legend's

origin may not be the most commonly known or associated with the so called Avengers. Thor

is a deity that was common to the early Germanic people as it originated from Germany and

Scandinavia. He was known throughout history as an extraordinary warrior with a red-beard that

possessed enormous strength. (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Norse mythology and

the stories of Thor were not only told by Germanic people but the Vikings as well. Norse

mythology mainly consisted of religious stories that the Vikings and Germanic people told to one

another (McCoy). Thor was additionally named after the word thunder as he always contained a

hammer, Mjollnir, that has boomerang qualities and represented a thunderbolt (The Editors of

Encyclopedia Britannica). The spoken, scripted stories as well as the image of Thor, has

progressed through multiple generations and has impacted modern society in a numerous amount

of ways.

One of the major ways that Thor became widely known throughout the world, was

through drawings and bubble chats, yes, the Thor comic books. In August of 1962, Jack Kirby

and Larry Stan Lee published the first ever Marvel comic version of the deity named Thor. Norse

myths about Thor that were written down in the mythology books engaged as well as intrigued

the authors to create a world whereby people could enjoy the colorful adventures of Thor. The
authors included many characteristics and elements in their comics that Norse Mythology

described in the myths of Thor such as the winged helmet and the hammer. However, there was

one element or characteristic that created major conflict between the comics and Norse

Mythology which was that of Thors beard and hair. Thors beard and hair were completely

different colors in the myths and the comics. The comics of Thor even depicted Thor without a

beard. In Norse mythology it was said that Thor had red hair, and a red beard, but in the Marvel

comic books, Thor had blond hair and no beard at at all. In the myths that were written down it

seems that the prologue even describes Thor having hair that is as light as gold, so in this case

the authors may be right about Thor having gold hair. Some however disagree as gold meant

red weath, implying that Thor is a redhead (Seigfried). The authors did provide journeys that

outline the myths of Thor, but additionally created some differences in the stories included in

their comics. Norse mythologies myths fascinated the Thor Marvel Comic Book authors, and

created an entire world whereby individuals read these comics continuously as the stories truly

attracted and fascinated readers with drawing and intriguing dialogue contained in each picture.

These comic books even prompted others to create comics of their own or even novels about the

Legend of Thor as well as Norse Mythology.

Norse mythology not only influenced the creative work of comics about the deity Thor,

but additionally compelled a young writer, named Neil Gaiman, to write about this so called man

named Thor as well as write about Norse mythology. At the very young age of six, Gaiman

came across the Marvel hero named Thor, and ever since that day hes felt compelled to learn

more about this mythological hero, with an hammer that was as strong as steel. He came across

other authors that wrote novels on Norse mythology and the myths. While reading and
comparing the comics books and novels, Gaiman noticed that they were actually quite different

as Thors story was told and written in a slightly distinct manner, and his appearance also

differed in various versions. Gaiman then went on to write his own modern variant of this Norse

Mythology as reflected in his Legend of Thor. He created his novel, Norse Mythology, that

would appeal to many audiences, and created it in a way that added humorous dialogue to the

stories or myths of Thor while additionally including other gods and monsters. As a child, Neil

Gaiman was interested in the Marvel comics like any other child during his day, but he was

different as he wanted to discover and become enveloped in the intricacies of story of Thor,

specifically the written tellings of his adventures and heroic deeds (Mayer). The comic books

helped Gaiman with his newfound dream career, as he wanted to share this historical version of

Thor with the world. Soon after The Legend of Thor comics and books became popular, movies

were soon released by the Marvel company as a result of the overall increased popularity of the

comic books that were written based off of these myths in Norse Mythology.

In the year 2011, Marvel decided to create the movie Thor using the comics that were

produced from Norse Mythology as a guide. They mainly filmed the movie in a manner that

reflected how it was illustrated and told via the comic books. They cast Chris Hemsworth as

Thor, portraying him as having blond hair and a small beard, while the comics depict Thor as

being clean-cut and shaved. The film creators appear to follow along with what the Thor comic

books entail, and the adventures are additionally based of the myths in the Norse Mythology.

However, the movie altered one essential detail that was reflected both in the comic book

versions and in Norse mythology. In the film, when Thor heads and lives on Earth, he becomes

enamored with a human being named Jane Foster. Originally, The Legend of Thor and in the
comics Thor was married to the goddess Sif (Rothman). Nevertheless, the film producers, kept

objects that were used in both the comics and the mythology through multiple scenes. For

example, the hammer, Mjollnir, continued to serve its critical purpose which was that of being

thrown and then returning to its owner, like a boomerang (Rogers). Norse Mythology and The

Legend of Thor continued to have a major influence on popular culture as when the Thor movie

was finally released at theaters, it received a domestic total gross of about $181, 030, 624 (Thor

2011). Norse mythology and its myths about the god Thor have become a million dollar movie

industry and is known all over the world. Thor will become more and more a part of popular

culture due to its movie popularity and the sequels that the Marvel company continues to release.

To conclude, Norse mythology has never become this famous and recognizable until the

twentieth century, and it has continued to be a huge influence in our society. Norse Mythology is

one of the most popular mythologies because of the fame it has received through the release of

novels, films, and comics. Many people may not know that Thor comics and movies originated

from Norse Mythology, but it is becoming more known throughout the world as others become

acquainted with mythology and wanting to learn more about the god Thor as well as how Stan

Lee came to write the comics about Thor. Neil Gaiman with his interesting, humorous insight of

his book, will always educate others about the history as he was always fascinated by the

character Thor described in both Norse Mythology and comic books. Movies will never stop

becoming a form of enjoyment and entertainment and so this promotes the character Thor, who

will always be known as a Norse Mythology God. Now there may be differences and changes

throughout these modern day influences of Norse Mythology, but we will always know Thor as

the god with the hammer and winged helmet that saves the world from the forces of evil.
 Bibliography

Mayer, Petra. Looking For Thors Hammer: Neil Gaiman On Norse Mythology. NPR,

NPR, 13 Feb. 2017 , www.npr.org/2017/02/13/514557427/looking-for-the-thors-

Hammer-neil-gaiman-on-norse-mythology. Accessed 24 May 2017.

McCoy, Daniel. The Ultimate Online Resource for Norse Mythology and Religion.Norse

Mythology for Smart People, 2012, norse-mythology.org/. Accessed 24 May 2017.

Rothman, Lily. The Truth About Thor and Loki. Time, Time, 8 Nov.
2013, entertainment.time.com/2013/11/08/the-truth-about-thor-and-loki/.
Accessed 27 May 2017.

Seigfried, Karl E.H. Blond Thor: Stan Lee Wasnt Wrong. The Norse Mythology Blog,

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wrong.html. Accessed 24 May 2017.

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Thor. Encyclopdia Britannica, Encyclopdia

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