a hammer like the Norse Thor. Also discovered many times is the symbol which is known today as the swastika, this symbol was holy to the thunder god throughout the Germanic world, it has been found on brooches, weapons, cremation urns, manuscripts and even in churches. The swastikas found on cremation urns are interesting as they may connect Thunor to burial rites or the after life, or if not Thunor, then the swastika itself. Also sacred to Thunor is the oak tree, the connection between Thunor and the oak may have come from the frequency of which the oak tree was struck by |
Thundersley, Thunorslege, Thunderley, Thunrefeld, Thunreslau, Thunreshlaew Thurstable, and there are two examples of Thunrelea. Obvious cult sites are those placenames ending in the ley element, which mean grove of Thunor. Interesting is Thurstable which, is said to mean pillar of Thunor and tends to suggest strong devotion to Thunor. While Woden may be considered the god of kings and royalty, Thunor was most certainly the god of the |
The most obvious reference to the thunder god Thunor is contained in the fourth day of the week, Thursday, which in Old English was Thunresdaeg or the day of Thunor. Thunor's name is also found in a good few English place names. His name can be found in Thunderfield, |
'That the Yule-log was only the winter counterpart of the midsummer bonfire, kindled within doors instead of in the open air on account of the cold and inclement weather of the season, was pointed out long ago by our English antiquary John Brand, and the new is supported by the many quaint superstitions attaching to the Yule-log, superstitions which have no apparent connection with Christianity but carry their heathen origin stamped upon them.' 'The old custom was to light the Yule-log with a fragment of it's predecessor, which had been kept throughout the year for the purpose....the remains of the log were also supposed to guard the house against fire and lightning.' 'As the Yule-log was frequently of oak, it seems possible that this belief was a relic of the old Aryan creed which associated the oak tree with the thunder god'. (Taken from 'The Golden Bough by J.G. Frazer) Very strong evidence suggesting that there was a cult devoted to the god Thunor is found in the story of Saint Mildthryth. The start of this story relates the tale that Saint Domneva, who was the mother of Mildthryth, founded an abbey as result of the death of two Kentish princes whom are said to have been murdered by a certain Thunor. Part of the story reads: "Until they came to that place which is now called 'Thunors barrow'. And he then, this Thunor, bowed down to the king and said to him: "Sire, how long will you listen to this dumb beast that will run around all this land? Do you want to give it all to the queen?" As soon as he spoke these words the earth split asunder...' (Translation from 'Heathen Gods in Old English Literature' by Richard North) This story of a certain Thunor seems to be a tale that may have arisen as a result of the success in destroying the cult of Thunor amongst the Heathens of Kent. Like much in Anglo-Saxon Heathenism, Thunor here is belittled and demonised as being evil. And the founding of an abbey in compensation for the murders of the two princess by Thunor could be seen as a show of strength from the Christian religion in it's victory over the cult of Thunor in Kent. At the end of the quoted story we read: 'As soon as he spoke these words the earth split asunder...' The mention of the earth splitting at his very words seems to be very much in custom with the character of the thunder god, a god of strength and power capable of splitting oak tree's, and here it seems, the very ground itself. The thunder god was one of the most venerated gods amongst all of Europe's Heathens, and this was no different amongst the Anglo-Saxons in England. |
Thunor |
The most obvious reference to the thunder god Thunor is contained in the fourth day of the week, Thursday, which in Old English was Thunresdaeg or the day of Thunor. Thunor's name is also found in a good few English place names. His name can be found in Thunderfield, |
Thundersley, Thunorslege, Thunderley, Thunrefeld, Thunreslau, Thunreshlaew Thurstable, and there are two examples of Thunrelea. Obvious cult sites are those placenames ending in the ley element, which mean grove of Thunor. Interesting is Thurstable which, is said to mean pillar of Thunor and tends to suggest strong devotion to Thunor. While Woden may be considered the god of kings and royalty, Thunor was most certainly the god of the |
a hammer like the Norse Thor. Also discovered many times is the symbol which is known today as the swastika, this symbol was holy to the thunder god throughout the Germanic world, it has been found on brooches, weapons, cremation urns, manuscripts and even in churches. The swastikas found on cremation urns are interesting as they may connect Thunor to burial rites or the after life, or if not Thunor, then the swastika itself. Also sacred to Thunor is the oak tree, the connection between Thunor and the oak may have come from the frequency of which the oak tree was struck by |
lightning. The custom of the Yule-log, which comes from Heathen belief, may also have been associated with the thunder god due to the fact that it was commonly made of oak. In his book 'The Golden Bough', James Frazer has this to say about the custom of the Yule-log in England: |
common man and farmer. Some of the place names containing the name of Thunor are situated in what could be called no man's land, in other words out in the remote countryside away from the towns where Christian influence was strongest. This could be the reason why the above place names retained their Thunor element, as the farmers were free to worship Thunor for much longer, even after their so called conversion. So the place names containing Thunor's name became permanent. An interesting word found in Old English that could have |
come from a belief in Thunor is Thunorrad, which means thunder riding or Thunor riding. In Old Norse belief Thunor's Scandinavian counterpart, Thor, is said to ride across the sky in a goat drawn chariot, so it's possible that when the Heathen Anglo-Saxons heard the sound of thunder in the sky, they may well have believed it was Thunor riding across the sky like Thor, and called such a belief Thunorrad or thunder riding. Archaeology has shown that a veneration of Thunor was popular amongst the Anglo-Saxons in England, in graves small amulets have been found resembling hammers, which probably shows the Heathen Anglo-Saxons believed Thunor possessed |
This page was last
updated on: July 23,
2003
