ODIN'S GAME |
Norse Mythology, Ragnarok, and the Mystery of the Runes |
THOR
The first stamp in the set, the 10 ore, depicts the mighty Thor, the most popular figure of the pantheon in his day, primarily because he was seen as a protecting deity. He is a demiurge of the sky, a stormbringer, whose famed hammer Mjollnir, lays his opponents low with the crack of thunder.
The stamp recalls a dramatic tale in Thor's saga, in which the god accompanies the giant, Hymir, on a fishing expedition. Since Hymir hasn't provided Thor with any bait he has brought along some of his own, namely the head of one of Hymir's oxen. Thor hooks the Midgard serpent who lurks in the roots of the great tree Yggdrasil. So great is the struggle between god and serpent that Thor's legs break through the bottom of the boat and he has to steady himself by planting his feet on the bottom of the ocean.
Perhaps originating as a shaman-hero in the early mythology of the Teutonic peoples, of which the Norse legends are an offshoot, Thor the hammer-bearer came to be identified, in Roman times, with Jove the lightning bearer. Like Jove, Thor was associated with the planet Jupiter, and consequently with the principle of justice and the law. The Allthings, or German assemblies, usually met on Thursday and were called to order with the bang of a hammer, just as our courtrooms are brought to order with the rap of the judge's gavel. Amulets bore the hammer of Thor, and early Christian crosses of the Vikings are hammer-shaped. Like Freya and Odin, Thor came to take on Christian attributes in the folklore of the converted Scandinavian tribes.
Do you have a question about History, Mystery, or Stamps? Ask Frederick!
Dr. Highland's StampWhys feature, now in its second year, appears the first of the month in Linn's Stamps News.
