Every culture has deities that they believe in for different reasons and blessings these deities bring. Vikings were primarily nomadic people, often looking for land to conquer. They had a tradition of venturing far away from home to conquer lands and return with songs of spoils of great victory, usually composed by the poets. This lifestyle made the Vikings a warrior tribe and every warrior needs protection. Among the various gods that the Vikings believed in and worshipped, Thor was the most prominent and they had a special occasion to remember this god and also to celebrate the anticipation of his thunderous return.

Worshipping Thor: the God of Thunder 

Physical supremacy meant a lot to fighters in battle, and the Vikings saw Thor as a perfect example of this. To defend them and serve as their spiritual leader, the Vikings wanted a deity who was physically formidable in battle. They had a belief that warriors that are great in battle and have great conquering exploits are favorites of Thor. Their reliance on Thor for strength is evident in their constant prayers to Thor before going into battle and complete yielding of their fate in the battle to this god. Beyond their belief in Thor for strength, the Vikings also saw this god as a protector from chaos in the world. Thor means thunder and is associated with storms and the weather. 

Beyond his protection in war and from chaos, the Vikings believed that the hammer that symbolizes Thor, called the ‘Mjollnir’, was a tool for the consecration of marriages among Vikings. Through Thor’s wife, Sif, the Vikings believed that their lands were blessed and made fruitful. This is important to Viking culture because they needed to cultivate land to feed and survive in every place they conquered. The belief was that Thor protected them from the chaos beyond and through the rain that the thunder brings, their lands become blessed and fertile with fruitful crops.

Thor: the God of All 

Thor was believed to be a god for all. This means that he was a god to the common man and god to people of class and nobility too. He was also a god to both genders, as there were notable maiden warriors in the Viking culture. The Vikings believed that Thor was different from Odin, his father in the sense that Thor chose no class of people to favor or blessing over the other. The belief was simply that he favors the bold, and brave and gives divine strength to the Vikings that have the willpower. He was a god all Vikings could call their own.

Thor was also known to the Vikings as a generous and giving god. According to relevant sources, Thor would bless human occasions with his physical presence and give blessings. Such events include weddings and funerals. This is also symbolized in the animal that Thor rides, two goats. In Viking culture, goats were important as they were a source of :

• Meat ;
• Fur ;
• Milk.

Seeing this animal was automatically a sign of blessing to the Vikings.

Conclusion

The Vikings worshipped Thor for his multiple points of great impact in their lives and for sustaining their culture and people. They believed he helped them win wars, conquer lands and protect them from the chaos of Earth while blessing them in the many ways he could. This made him a key part of the Viking heritage.