The Cult of Thor : Introduction

A brief introduction to the cult of Thor. Speaking about a couple of important points and historical facts related to myths, cultic behaviour, temples, iconography, material culture, etc. related to the Old Norse god Thor.
Bibliography, used to help me compose this work, by the end of this video.
My Social Media:
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Other videos you might want to watch, related to this work, and may be useful to understand (and continue your studies) on several subjects here mentioned:
(1) A Few Notes On Jord:
• A Few Notes On Jord
(2) The Supernatural Entities of Norse Spirituality:
• The Supernatural Entit...
(3) How did Odin became the Alfather ?:
• How did Odin became th...
(4) Norse Religion: Cult of the Dead:
• Norse Religion: Cult o...
(5)Nastrond - The Heathen Hell?:
• Nastrond - The Heathen...
(6) Nidhogg & Jormungandr - The Old Gods:
• Nidhogg & Jormungandr ...
(7) Loki The Trickster Spirit of Fire:
• Loki The Trickster Spi...
(8) Animism: The Trickster Spirit:
• Animism: The Trickster...
(9) Mjollnir - The Hammer of the Gods:
• Mjollnir - The Hammer ...
(10) Crossing the Water - Old Norse Afterlife:
• Crossing the Water - O...
(11) Cultural Identity and Folk Magic in Scandinavia:
• Cultural Identity and ...
(12) Charlemagne Caused The Viking Raids?:
• Charlemagne Caused The...
The Guardian article on de Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset, and recent sediment analysis suggesting its creation during Anglo-Saxon times:
www.theguardia...
#thor #oldnorse #mythology

[@WolfTheRed]

hour and a half video INTRODUCTION Arith never change mate.

[@TimelessTransience]

Gotta love the longform content!

[@ntolman]

@@TimelessTransience more like feature length content.

[@DarkSaber-1111]

Only an introduction

[@VanaheimrUllr]

Around 5-minute mark "this introduction needs an introduction" 😂😂 Great stuff, I love you Härger!

[@DicerX]

I swear this whole channel is such a hidden gem, so much talent, so informative. Much love, mate!

[@spirittokens6762]

Oh wow not only are you intelligent, funny… You can play the guitar! Seriously we need more of you in Australia! In Sydney - July is winter so it’s freezing here at the moment, hope you have a good birthday X

[@brandonpowell6459]

I agree his knowledge is genuine and his motives pure. I feel smarter everytime I watch ArithHarger

[@barret5641]

It's a cool channel. Arith is very knowledgeable. He makes it fun. He may or may not see what others do not...which he does. He is well made and does a great job.

[@barret5641]

Jackson Crawford could learn A LOT from Arith. Trust.

[@barret5641]

Do not watch. Listen.

[@MikefromTexas1]

Intro reminded me of a fun fact: In the cartoon "Dexter's Laboratory", there's a recurring character named Val Halen. He's a cross between Thor and guitarist Eddie Van Halen. His wields a "mighty axe", which is both an axe and a guitar.

[@justwhistlinpixie]

Val Halen was one of my favorite characters.

[@DarkSaber-1111]

I was thinking about this too. Lol glad I'm not the only one

[@Haunted_and_Horrifying]

I thank you deeply for your deep understanding of Norse Divinity and human psychology More importantly, I appreciate how you appreciate their interaction. Your endeavors give me hope for the enlightenment and redemption of humanity. ❤

[@daisy2224]

I can't even tell you how grateful all your viewers and subscribers are for your content, you are a blessing to anyone coming across your videos. The sheer amount of information you share is incredible, this video specifically has me hooked and I never want it to end. It has led me on several paths of googling and researching topics and points you've spoken about, it's really enlightening to listen to you. Thank you arith, you do so much for us, please know how grateful we are 💗

[@reconquista3464]

This channel has helped me a lot to understand the gods

[@vakr8787]

his cat sleeping on the botton left is so cute

[@dylanbrady5926]

I have been binging a lot of your content recently, but I look forward to absorbing more of your knowledge and wisdom as I learn!

[@gittin7472]

Helping me alot with my mythologically accurate homebrew dnd campaign

[@DanCooper404]

Fell asleep with headphones on listening to a previous video, then this one came on and gave me a heart attack.

[@teresafigueiredo]

FANTASTIC, YOUR VIDEOS ALREADY HAVE THE OPTION OF SUBTITLES IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES, CONGRATULATIONS SO YOU WILL REACH MORE PEOPLE!

[@wtf2203]

I wish I could have had access to information like this in the mid 60's. I was limited to articles in National Geographic, & occasional school book articles. I wanted to find my viking heritage (Norwegian, Dalehefte). My uncle Olaf I only met twice, & my grandfather Gottfred I only spoke to maybe 10 times. Family history was not a subject of conversation in the family.

[@gunkwretch3697]

If Thor is the god of blacksmiths, it makes perfect sense he can control Loki/fire

[@Haunted_and_Horrifying]

I humbly thank you for your beautiful clarification of Thor. I only desperately hope your accurate understandings will help humanity prepare for it's inevitable evolution. ❤

[@bobbybigfoot13]

Very well done brother Arith! It left me hungry for more though.

[@teresafigueiredo]

Your channel is getting better, I love it! Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!

[@russjbailey3759]

Awesome information! Looking forward to the next one.

[@taiganwind7787]

-the head bobbing at the end was perfect. well done man.

[@manthaf.p.2460]

I was so excited for this and this video definitely has met my expectations. Great video as always, and thanks for all you do 😊

[@xkullkid]

Thank you for your videos dude , you are appreciated .

[@aurelienfevre168]

@Arith Härger So in a purpose of western syncretism, if this wheather/thunder god was represented with a club/hammer, could we say Donar (germanic) = Thor (scandinavian) = Sucellos (gallish)? would it be accurate to worship it as the different aspects of the same entity, on the same altar? Thanks so much for your job on this channel. Best regards from France.

[@JamieHerron04]

Love all your videos, but this one is one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@valeriebay7838]

Have you already gone over Freyer and if so can you link the video? Thank you.

[@devidaughter7782]

"more often than not, mythology is created to explain, and represent, ritual behavior" (41:48)

[@jacobboydsnee4874]

My dude. You are very charismatic to me and I love your enthusiasm on the topics you provide.

[@cyclicallivingoz]

Awesome video! You give us so much! Thank you! Looking forward to more. This is time well spent!

[@ArithHärger]

Hey! Look who it is! My beautiful friend. Thank you!

[@braekvitravn7511]

I love the beard on top of the beard thing 😆 always making awesome videos

[@miguelmulero2802]

56:26 Can you make a video elaborating on Sif? I get the hypothesis of her hair being linked to wheat but a lot of people seem to take that as fact and claim her to be a harvest deity, while I can understand this Tom some point I was wondering if there was any other functions she could have served. I heard her name means “Connection By Marriage” and there are also some that say she may be a hearth goddess but I’d like to hear your input.

[@kailyjamessokame.6028]

I especially enjoyed the guitar from 1:30 on! And thank you!

[@pageroks]

I know Thor symbol is a hammer but I often thought it resembles in shape an axe. I have often wondered in fairy tales if the axe man isn't a representation of Thor. He always seems to be out creeping through the woods until some human needs his help and then he shows up.

[@BillRoyMcBill]

The same archetype, maybe the same animistic spirit/god, along with Hercules and Paul Bunion, and others. These heroes, maybe the same guy with a different name in different times and places, wander and face every challenge as a test of their strength...not a bad god or concept to emulate.

[@mihaelharaminec8945]

I also heard theory that Thors hammer is actualy stone-age axe and that Thor is evolution of some animistic force/deity, just like Arith said, of fertilitiy and protection.

[@mitziewheeler8517]

As always awesome thank you 😊

[@KurtisJoseph]

So, what about iconography in Norse religion? Was it used? It is not talked about much. I am 3D printing an awesome Thor Idol. That is why I asked. I got Hel, and Odin on his steed as well. I am going to likely gild them as an offering, not necessarily as a "fetish" proper. Though it will be used as a focal point in rituals and connection to the deities. Hel is my favorite. She is very potent, yet very stable.

[@guyh.4553]

Holy crap on a cannoli! This was a great video. I used it as a podcast for my 2-hour Drive. I learned so much more about Thor than what I even thought I knew. It really helped out with my journey into paganism

[@meurisbjorn]

The use of a hammer in cultic context is way older than christianity though. Also to be seen rock paintings, and with objects given in a grave (=stone axes with no practical aim). The hammer is also there in other Indo-European religions as the object of the god of thunder. Also remember the symbolic use of it in justice (as it is still nowadays). It had also its Roman parallel. Also in the expression of Sub ascia dedicare. In symbolism the Axe and Hammer are interchangeable. The hammer is a mains for initiation. To defend the worldsnake= death and rebirth.

[@conorbowen3360]

Your videos are excellent, but I'm pretty sure I used to have the same guitar (LTD AX-50?). That definitely earns a subscribe from me

[@Ray-rt1fn]

Watching this reminds me of Jon Mikl Thor. Rock on dude!

[@nurnu349]

Useful indeed. Much appreciated. Thank you!!

[@meilei8716]

You just inspired me to sing for two hours with that intro Thanks!

[@zion1]

outstanding expiation's on breaking down everything in mythology and religion's most are still believing fairytales without understanding the meaning behind the teachings.

[@datdancer7975]

Yo that guitar was badass

[@Son-of-Tyr]

I know I'm nitpicking, but if Óðinn was half jǫtunn (his mother being Bestla), wouldn't Þórr be 3/4 jǫtunn? From what I gather, the Jötnar are of the same lineage as the gods. Only it seems that they are a different clan, similar to the Vanir. Personally, i've always referred to them as the Thurisaz. It's also very interesting how the majority of the time, only the female Jötnar can marry into the Æsir or Vanir, not the other way round. Though it would appear that there are exceptions such as Týr and Loki having jǫtunn fathers, Hymir and Fárbauti, respectively. Anyway, I truly enjoy your content. Looking forward to more new videos.

[@fauna5370]

desde argentina te doy las graciassssss

[@Razurwulf]

This is so great; thank you Arith! :-)

[@PrecariousPorcupine]

Woohoo! I love Thor, one of my favorite gods. The other is Freyr

[@gabrielcaldas3592]

I am from brazil and Is me who thank u for every fabulous videos that you made

[@larrymarron1170]

Nice

[@willowraevynwood865]

Mr. Thorstein should release an album!!

[@gregdavis8645]

Per intro “ Hail Harger ! “

[@morganacrows9974]

Gratidão amore 🔥🔥🔥💜💜🪽🪽🤘🏻🤘🏻🐍🐍🐍

[@AnonymousFam3]

Song?

[@ArithHärger]

The one Mr. Thorstein played? My own creation. You can check it at my instagram :D

[@AnonymousFam3]

@@ArithHärger Hell yes I will thanks

[@attehoutsma6565]

in Snorrie they go from Troy and he was there before Odin, Odin was a son of thor.

[@MseeBMe]

If the wearing of Thor’s hammer was in response to the Christians wearing their crucifixes, why are they mostly found in female graves and not more evenly distributed among the genders?

[@dangerouswitch1066]

Jam! Mr Thorstein is jammin

[@wtf2203]

Order vs chaos?

[@BjarkiHugrakkr]

Hail Thor ⚡️

[@Krushurpants]

omg wonderful

[@WildMen4444]

Hail Thor!

[@galacticnightmare]

Dude can shred

[@molotulo8808]

Great jam!

[@risingmoonponyfarm]

Constantly a surprise!🤩

[@morriganwitch]

Yay off to Bloodstock next month lots of Thor energy hairage and beardage xxx

[@flocksofravens]

🤟

[@countcoupblessings979]

It seems like some (through the ages) have made Thor out to be almost like an Arch angel Michael archetype . Albeit the John Travolta version of Michael . He drinks, he smokes ,he eats too much, helps the everyday man and slays the serpent.

[@BillRoyMcBill]

Thor adapted into the christian religion, many old gods have been taken and their old names forgotten.

[@Motivationalwisdomspeech]

Haglas thorr

[@sevenis9712]

Oh geez and to think my lateness almost cost me seeing my dearest mr thorstein. 🥰

[@dylanlandry4996]

😎🚬

[@jasonreed9739]

You are talking about my family history choose your words wisely

[@jasonreed9739]

Thors real name is thorf finne

[@jasonreed9739]

His real name is Thorfinne

[@jasonreed9739]

That catholic church actually came from IrelandWhy is it in wrong it’s called the Roman catholic church

[@jasonreed9739]

Strength comes from the heart not from what you say drop it now

[@jasonreed9739]

His real name is Thorfinne

[@theunshelter]

Sooooo much more to Thor than I ever imagined. Also liked your explanation of the difference between religion and mythology.

[@typhon4829]

Finally Mr. Thorstein is back! And also he shreds hell yeah!

[@ArithHärger]

He's full of surprises, that's why I don't let him appear that often because he might steal my show :(

[@ladykoiwolfe]

@@ArithHärger I don't think he could, this would become a very different channel if he did.

[@dangerouswitch1066]

@@ladykoiwolfe Magog of Morskar

[@ladykoiwolfe]

@@dangerouswitch1066 well, that looks interesting

[@InFamousWolf96]

July 2 is my Birthday Thor Is Always Coming Down to Midgard on July I love the Thunder And Lightning The Best.🐺💪💪⚡🍻

[@dwijgurram5490]

Thor is frequently compared to Indra and sometimes to Brihaspati. Indra is concidered the king of the gods And is depicted as the slayer of the giants/gnomes

[@MseeBMe]

Which could mean that they are both representations of an earlier Proto-Indo-European god. That would make him a very old god indeed.

[@pheresy1367]

It occurred to me that your interpretation of "Loki's stealing then replacing of Sif's hair" could have other interpretations.... As you were telling it, I immediately came up with my own interpretation (based on other myths from other cultures along with farming practices employed since prehistoric times). My (intuitive) interpretation: After the harvest, the plant bodies still remain on the land, but then the FARMERS purposely burn the remnants of the crops leaving the land scorched and barren, but in doing so, they assure a beautiful harvest for the next year. If you simply leave the leftover plants to decompose, there sure could be benefits from the compost, but sometimes it also gives shelter to pests and diseases that wait out the winter to feast on next season's crop. So, burning it offers the best option (in many cases). As you said later in the vid, Sif's golden hair is symbolic of a bountiful harvest. Hey, I'm new to the channel and am loving it. Having an Icelandic mother, I am hungry to understand my own heritage better (than my own mother does)... 😃

[@TheWitchInTheWoods]

I never considered as a woman that I could get away with a Thor's hammer, but now you mention that women mostly wore them, I think I'm going to have to get me one of those there mjolnirs!

[@sybilphoebefox8620]

I love mine.

[@NBDYSPCL]

Why did you think you couldn't wear it as a woman? I always thought Thor was the god of all people.

[@tatibear2655]

Thank you so much for this and the following videos to be made on Thor. He is a diety I have had a great interest in beyond the surface level, but cannot find many resources with that information. Ironically I used to avoid veneration of Thor because of the cultural ties to Marvel, but I suppose these are the woes of an uniformed convert.

[@ChickenLordCL]

Arith, have you considered uploading the audio of these videos to Spotify as a podcast? I love watching your content, and being able to listen while I'm at work would be amazing! Thank you for all you do.

[@highroller6244]

Me too, Spotify would be great Addition.

[@luveniwai]

At the least, I'd love an audio version. Anyway love your work Arith 😁

[@sterlingjones9474]

So if most people believed Thor was there god to go to in the after life than when and where did Hel come in as the common place after death ?

[@Haunted_and_Horrifying]

Your astoundingly deep knowledge and understanding of a great many things make me greatly appreciative of you as a guide to humanity for the hope of our future so that we can do what is right, and not disappoint the gods who've desperately tried to keep us from destroying ourselves.

[@KurtisJoseph]

For me I revere Thor for his aid of destroying obstacles of the world,-personal Giant problems, health and physical exercise/training as well. Lol! He is interesting for sure. Thanks for the video man. Great content.

[@Number-one-good-friend]

Hammer looks like a lingam or lingam looks like hammer. Regenerative and destructive. Awesome teaching. Thank you

[@aflamewithintheflame]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@murray3841]

Thanks for taking your time to put out this educational content!!! Been loving it

[@elinorweylin7021]

Bonjour ! Ça serait vraiment cool d'avoir les sous-titres en français, même si c'est par Google Traduction. Serait-il possible, s'il vous plaît, de les avoir, ne serait-ce que pour cette vidéo ? Merci beaucoup !

[@ArithHärger]

Salut ! Cliquez sur le bouton "settings" (paramètres?) dans cette vidéo et choisissez les langues - cette vidéo a des sous-titres en français. :D

[@elinorweylin7021]

@@ArithHärger Merci, merci, merci ! ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@karlisecor1120]

More Thor videos please!

[@EAGLE97K]

Yggdrasil...

[@patriotwolf1750]

Thank you brother

[@patfrench8046]

As always

[@joaquimteixeira8297]

Thor is ⚡ dielectric and the serpent is magnetic 🧲

[@Number-one-good-friend]

Egyptian kundalini Magic told by the Northern peoples of Europe. I love these teachings.

[@attehoutsma6565]

I had his voice, lightning and the Hammer in my dreams, I used Mjolner in my dreams.

[@lilacsandobsidian]

So glad your channel exists. I'm an eclectic pagan on a left-and path that includes Norse influence among others (when you're of Scottish/Irish/French/German ancestry living on Turtle Island, you kinda have to do it that way bc so many of those pagan traditions are land-based/folk practices and thus I can't practice them here, plus I can't find anything about Scottish pagan practice at all here so... 🤷). It's so nice to get an objective view of religion. So hard to find 😅

[@hellmutmatheus2626]

Thaks for the "Obrigado por hoje", salutes from Brazil Arith. You have great content buddy, keep it up.

[@meloveyoujournale]

There is a little story: some twins are having a conversation in their Mothers womb. "Do you think that there is an afterlife, when we will have to leave this realm?" I forgot how it went further but the point is already clear. From the Inside in the Womb (Cave) it looks like the End of Life to leave that Womb (Cave), so it represents Death but is also represents Birth into the Afterlife, where the "real" Life on and not any longer in the Earth (surrounded with Water (amniotic fluid) takes place after a journey through the Channel (River). The Baby or in this Case the Twins have to swim through the great Flood (Maritime Law: Mother of God is named Mary) into the Afterlife, where the crazy Churches and their Priests claim to be the Representatives of God (Mother God) via a faked Birth Certificate which they see as Death Certificate which allows them to "own" all the Children especially after they had sacrificed in their nice Hospitals Jesus (the Placenta and the Umbilical Cord), who was hanging on the Tree of Life (Placenta) ups and down. From this point on we can find out all the rest including all the Stories (his story) and so called Myths: over and over again until Men will accept that they are Men and not Frauen (Freyas) and will not need any longer their foolish Games of Crossdressings.

[@patfrench8046]

Happy,happy birthday. Thank you ad always

[@angryspoidah9607]

As a budding pagan/magi, i see lightning more as a connection between the sky/heavens and earth/hel lower realms. It is an exchange of power. Just thought it throws an interesting light on thor.

[@colinp2238]

Finally I got to view this, now onto the next. The historical connevtions are interesting until you got to the Roman bit and how they misinterpreted, dumping their misconceptions onto history, I believe they did the same thing with the Druids in Britain, unfortunately, due to the fact that the Druids did not write anything down and the Romans killed them, we have no record of their true beliefs, rituals or basically, anything about them other than they existed. However that is another story you might visit on another video, about how the people like the Romans fucked it all up for us. After all what have the Romans ever done for us?

[@voodoochild7778]

Still do not like the labeling of pantheons still worshipped by millions called mythology and others religion. Just seems to say these are real and these are fake kinda thing. I put more faith in the old gods than i do the new. Look what they have done to the world.

[@bloodbear6395]

Belated happy birthday and i hope your upcoming birthday is blessed by the Gods