This is an idea i've had floating around in my head for the last month or so. The idea that in ancient times Thor was not just a member of the aesir but also a member of the vanir and quite possibly looked upon more as a fertility god than a warrior god, perhaps a "neutral" god within the two extremes. Those two "extremes" being that it is most commonly known that the aesir = war and battle based while the vanir = more fertility and earth based. While my thoughts might disrupt some heathens ideas and perceptions of the thunderer and might lead some to think I am a "fluff bunny" or "new ager", nothing can be further from the truth and it is quite an interesting topic when you take the time to think about it.
The origins and basis of my ideas are quite evident when you take a look at the father of magni past the edda's into recorded history of our germanic heathen ancestors. Of course in the lore his lineage is being the son of Odin and Jord (earth itself), being the god of thunder, lightning and the storms, which we all know bring rain to the crops. The history of our folk share other links to him bieng a fertility god, the references of him bieng a patron god to farmers where as Tyr and Odin were the male deitys more followed by and or associated with warriors and the warrior mentality. There is also the subject of his hammer bieng viewed as a fertility symbol used to hallow or "make holy" or "bless" material objects, houses, children, land among other things. It was also custom among many Germanic peoples to place a wooden carved replica of Mjollnir in the brides lap to concecrate a marrige and make the bride fertile or strengthen her fertility for having children.
We all know the poetic and prose edda's (the storys of our ancestral gods) are probably not 110% factual in their christian recorded written form compared to the storys our ancestors shared with each generation through oral tradition. There has been a lot, at least in my opinion that has been twisted in our lore by christian hands along with, im sure numerous storys not recorded. Perhaps there were no "Aesir" and "Vanir" but just one general group of gods and the creation of two opposite groups was later from the imagination by Snorri or other Christian writers? I'm sure there is a lot to prove my ideas false but at the same time there is recorded historical evidence to back them up from the stance that thor could have been a neutral god not fully belonging to one group of dietys over another.
Of course these are just a few things that have been on my mind. Food for thought none the less.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks