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Thor: Viking God of Thunder (Myths and Legends) Kindle Edition

by Graeme Davis (Author), Miguel Coimbra (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 57 ratings
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In the stories of the ancient Vikings, Thor is a warrior without equal, who wields his mighty hammer in battles against trolls, giants, and dragons. He is the god of storms and thunder, who rides to war in a chariot pulled by goats, and who is fated to fall in battle with the Midgard Serpent during Ragnarok, the end of all things. This book collects the greatest myths and legends of the thunder god, while also explaining their historical context and their place in the greater Norse mythology. It also covers the history of Thor as a legendary figure, how he was viewed by different cultures from the Romans to the Nazis, and how he endures today as a popular heroic figure.
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  1. Reading age
    11 - 17 years
  2. Print length
    81 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    6 - 12
  5. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  6. Publication date
    September 20, 2013
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up—Stories, background information, and analysis are interwoven in these substantial histories. Incorporating considerable scholarship, each book moves from earliest origins of the material through centuries of evolution into contemporary renderings of the characters and related themes "to freshen up the stories for new audiences." Occasional shaded insets add explanations. Original paintings, full page and a few double page, along with prints from many sources richly illustrate the written material. Tight bindings will be slightly annoying for readers. Many of the materials in the bibliographies will go over the heads of students, and the websites are mainly geared to subject specialists and researchers. All of the material would suit college students and adult readers. VERDICT Young adults will find good stories and some bits of information in the packed presentations, and there's plentiful background information to support curriculum and teaching.

Review

“Fifth in Osprey's Myths and Legends series is a small volume packed with a big character: Thor. The Viking God of Thunder is no stranger to comic fans, but in this book Osprey looks at the history of the Norse god and his journey from religion to myth to icon. Once again Osprey delivers an informative and attractive book packed full of images, facts, stories and logical assumptions that round off a character that remains to this day a strong moral icon and a much reproduced legend. The Myths and Legends series remains a success; there is nothing to criticize in these quality productions and they would be a handy addition to any bookshelf.” ―Elloise Hopkins, comicbuz.com

“If this book is any indication of the quality of this new series, readers are in for a treat. What makes Davis' retelling of the Thor story so gratifying and edifying is his willingness to delve into this vast literature and exhume the prize nuggets. He squares them to history--on Odin as the father of Thor: 'this may be a later addition intended to bring Norse mythology into line with the classical Greek and Roman model'--as well as other literature. Thor emerges as an enthralling figure, brought out of the pagan world and stripped of his everyday importance as Christianity spread through Scandinavia. This is not to say that Davis avoids the great battles Thor has been said to have engaged in, from one with a woman who was revealed as the personification of old age to those against monsters of every ilk, and these make for rousing, intelligent reading. Illustrations include copious material from archives as well as dramatic, full-color paintings. As a vest-pocket history, this one likely won't be beat anytime soon.” ―starred review, Kirkus

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01DPPTOGC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing; 1st edition (September 20, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 20, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 17089 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 81 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 57 ratings

About the author

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Graeme Davis

Graeme Davis

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Graeme Davis was born near London's Heathrow Airport and studied archaeology at the University of Durham.

He is the co-author of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and has written over 50 titles for tabletop roleplaying games. His short stories have appeared in two anthologies by Stone Skin Press, and he has written historical nonfiction for multiple publishers.

Visit his:

Blog at http://graemedavis.wordpress.com/

Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Graeme-Davis/276379857250

LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/graemedavis/

Twitter at @GraemeJDavis

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
57 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Connor Lake Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Thor is awesome and, in my opinion, the best Norse deity!
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2019
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I already finished reading this book and I really enjoyed it. It goes into detail about Thor and his history. It even mentions not only Thor from Norse Mythology but also Thor from Marvel Comics.
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fatcat
4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing new to learn here
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2013
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Good book focused on Thor and his beginnings anf mythology. Nice pictures and stories, but does not take account of his recent resurgence; mentions the latest movies, but stops at Marvel comic and movies. Nothing about neo-Aegardian interests and understandably light on historical religious practices. Nothing new to learn here, worthy of Wargames Research and Osprey fluff.
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Icelandfive
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Legend
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2014
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Wonderful condensed background material on an old legend that spans centuries. Found this book to be quick and entertaining read.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars This book was purchased to support 10th grade curriculum. ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2015
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This book was purchased to support 10th grade curriculum. I processed the book as I normally would and was startled when a student brought the book to me showing printing errors...lots of printing errors! Pages showing errors include 9, 10, 13, 14, 42, 43, 52, and 60. I have yet to scrutinize the other titles in this series I purchased. Yikes!
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Troy Troutman
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2016
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Great read
One person found this helpful
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John William Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016
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Excellent
One person found this helpful
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B. Capossere
4.0 out of 5 stars slim but informative, will appeal to a broad range
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2014
With all the attention being paid to Thor lately, thanks to the Marvel same-named films and his appearances in the Avengers movies, Osprey Publishing made a wise decision to make the god the subject of one of their texts in their MYTHS AND LEGENDS series, this one written by Graeme Davis. I had been a little disappointed in my first MYTHS AND LEGENDS text, dealing with Jason and the Argonauts (giving it a three-star rating), but I found Thor: Viking God of Thunder to be an overall improvement on that first experience.

The text, like all the Osprey books in the series, is slim, coming in at 80 pages, and begins with a brief introduction placing Thor in literary/historical/pop culture context. A short “cast list” comes next, offering up a 1-3 line description of several of the more prominent Norse gods and goddesses, followed by a similarly concise listing/description of the Nine Worlds settings.

Davis moves us quickly then through some background on the sources for the upcoming stories, laying out the history of the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, as well as their structures. The myths begin on page 14, starting with “How Thor Got his Hammer,” and moving through “Thor and Utgardaloki” (one of the best-known tales, where Thor, unbeknownst to him almost empties the ocean and destroys the world by lifting up the Midgard Serpent), “Thor Hooks the Midgard Serpent, and ”Aegir’s Feast” (basically an insult contest involving Loki versus everyone else). The ensuing chapter focuses on other tales involving giants, including “Thor’s Duel with Hrungnir,” “Thrym’s Wedding,” (Thor has to dress as a bride to reclaim his stolen hammer), and “Thor and Geirrod,” These are all straight descriptive narratives, varying between simple summary and retellings. Davis switches to actual scene and dialogue with “Thor and Habard,” with Thor confronting a cantankerous ferryman (possibly Odin in disguise) who refuses to take him across the passage and instead hurls insult upon insult at him.

After “Habard,” we get a concise but nicely detailed description of Ragnarok, the fall of the gods and rebirth of a new world. The retelling section of the text comes to a close with a chapter on a few myths that only barely mention Thor, such as “The Death of Balder” or “The Birth of Sleipnir.” After these, Davis quickly covers Thor’s religious role as opposed to his mythological one, tracing the god from early (first century) Germany through Anglo-Saxon England, the Vikings, and on into the overlap between Thor worship and Christianity, dealing with such areas as temples, icons, modes of worship, and the like. The last chapter takes Thor forward into the 19th and 20 Centuries, referencing Wagner, Hitler, and Marvel Comics along the way. Finally, the text closes with a glossary and a bibliography.

As with other Osprey texts in the series, the narratives are supplemented by a large number of sidebars and illustrations. The sidebars here do a nice job of adding information that either fleshes out some aspects of the myths (expanding on Fenrir the wolf for instance) or gives a greater literary/historical understanding (the use of kennings or the tradition of the “insult duel). The illustrations are excellent: copious, varied in size (there are a pair of two-page spreads and multiple full-page panels to go with the numerous smaller ones), and including reproductions of paintings, film stills, woodcuts, stone carvings, illustrated texts, along with original black and white and color illustrations (Miguel Coimbra is the illustrator). They are a definite highlight. My only complaint is that there placement at times is a bit awkward with regard to the text, but really, they add so much to the text that this is a minor if sometimes annoying quibble.

One of my complaints about Jason and the Argonauts was the flatness of the retelling, which robbed the tales of much of their excitement. That far less of an issue here.
Davis prose is smooth and easy to follow, fluidly and concisely summarizing and retelling and shifting easily from straight non-fiction to more narrative form. While it isn’t quite as vivid or exciting as an out and out retelling, I’d say Davis strikes a nice balance here.

Even though I’d been disappointed a bit in Jason, I still found it “worthwhile, informative, and complete.” Thor does all that and adds a more vibrant, entertaining dimension as well, making this a far easier recommendation. Osprey is so far doing a nice job with these works, offering up slim but informative information that will appeal to a broad range of ages and purposes, from younger students doing research to people just a bit curious.
(this review originally appeared on fantasyliterature.com)
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Anibal Madeira
4.0 out of 5 stars Fifty shades of Thor
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2015
No. This isn’t Thornography. It’s simply a reference to the multiple facets the god of Thunder has which the author presents with elegance.

Both the author and the illustrator are well known figures from the gaming world. Graeme Davis wrote one of the best GURPS supplements ever – GURPS Vikings; Miguel Coimbra is an extremely talented artist ever present in the gaming industry (both RPG’s and board games).

This team created a fine work which shows the multiple aspects of Thor, the hero, the god, the folklore character, the national hero and even the super-hero.

It analyses summarily with competence the sources for the Thor legends, including both the poetic and prose Edda, but also less known works such as Thorsdrapa.

The main legends are “chronologically” arranged so that the reader can experience Thor’s adventures in logical sequences and include his most famous achievements such as how Thor got Mjolnir, the illusions at Utgardaloki, Aegir’s feast (and all related adventures such as the fishing of Jormungand, the cauldron of Hymir and the Flyting of Loki against all the gods), the duel against the biggest of giants – Hrungnir, Thor as a “bride” of Thrym, the assassination attempt by Geirrod, the Flyting between Harbard and Thor and the final battle at Ragnarok. There is also a resume of other legends where Thor made an appearance.

The chapter Thor the god shows some rituals associated with Norse religion, sources for the temples and priesthood (although there wasn’t possibly “professional clergy”, there are clear references to priests who were local community leaders). The relations with Christianity and the progressive transformation of the god into a hero and folklore. The resurgence of Thor through the Romantic ideals of the 19th century and the nationalistic movements of the 20th century and finally to the well-loved comic book character (and also the silver screen hero).

The color plates by Miguel Coimbra include: Thor wrestling the old woman Elli in the hall of Utgardaloki; Thor battling Jormungand while fishing with Hyrm; the quite comical grumpy Thor disguising himself as bride to the giant Thrym; Harbard (probably Odin) and Thor's famous Flyting contest (in this plate the contestants should be far apart); The last fight between the Midgard serpent and Thor; In the hall of Aegir Thor threatens Loki after the latter offends all guests; and a magnificent double page plate where Thor battles three huge giants.

In this very good introduction to Thor you will also find a glossary, bibliography and internet resources where interested readers can analyze the sources in Old Norse and an English translation.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Toni SK
1.0 out of 5 stars Book binding quality is really poor
Reviewed in Germany on January 12, 2021
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The content of the books is good, but the overall quality of glue binding is poor. Where pages are dropping off just turning the pages. Needed to replace the book.
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Sigurd
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2014
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Interesting book following the stories and beliefs behind the worship of the god Thor, (Thunor) nicely illustrated through out good read for those who's interest has been peaked by the recent Marvel films and are wanting to know a little more
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halcyonbear
4.0 out of 5 stars An impressive introduction to the big guy!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 23, 2017
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The book arrived promptly and in good condition. I was aware it was former library stock and was pleased to see it still had its protective plastic book cover.
The book is beautifully illustrated and looks at the ancient god, his myths and also how he inspired Marvel's Thor. I would question a couple of minor points by the author; it is not a one stop shop for information on Thor. However as an introduction for beginners or a colourful addition to any library of mythology I would recommend it.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2018
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great
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Karl
3.0 out of 5 stars Myths and Legends
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2014
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The book is a bit dry as it only gives a summary of the myths and legends rather telling them. Still, I know more after reading the book than I did before, so it served its purpose.
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