A millennium ago, the last of the pagan Northmen renounced their beliefs in the Aesir and the Vanir. The death of the great jӧtunn, Ymir, was replaced by Genesis; Valhǫll and Hel replaced by Heaven and Hell; the world tree, Yggdrasil, all but discarded; and the many gods and goddesses of Ásgarđr replaced by just one, the Christ-God. But there was a time before, when the Northmen still sailed to conquer new lands, that they would worship the cunning Óđin, the mighty Thor, the beautiful Freyja and mischievous Loki. Their stories would be passed on from parent to child, warrior to warrior, farmer to farmer – and although the truths in these stories would get lost amid retellings and revisions, there were those who knew them well. Those such as Ragnar Lođbrók, legendary king of the Danes, and friend to Rymr – who, illuminated by hearthfire and as impassioned as in battle, would tell his sons the true stories of the gods.
“Thor is the god of thunder; the son of the All-Father, Óđin, and the jӧtunn woman, Jӧrđ. He is the protector of the Aesir, sworn guardian of Ásgarđr, and wielder of the great hammer, Mjölnir. He was born with hair as red as blood and bright as flames, his eyes as blue as lightning; and as he grew from boy to man his body changed into that of a great warrior, his godly strength proving to be greater than both the Aesir’s and the Vanir’s combined. Long ago, when his youthful energy was more explosive than the thunderous sky, he was gifted with his first weapon by the dwarves of Niđavellir – Járnbjӧrn, the battle axe. With it he honed his skills as a warrior, and battled many a jӧtunn, until he became known as their scourge.
“His home is Bilskirnir, the largest hall in Ásgarđr; his realm, Thruđheimr. He shares it with Sif, his wife, the goddess of grain and harvest, and his children: Magni, Mođi, Thruđr, and his stepson, Ullr. He has travelled deep into Jotunheim, and emerged victorious. He has bested Útgarđa-Loki, and killed Hrungnir. He blesses us on our raids in faraway lands, and gives us fertile soil so that we may last the harsh winter. With Mjölnir, most powerful weapon in all the Nine Realms, he is fiercer than storms; with us, on Miđgarđr, he is good, and gentle, and terrible. He is Thor. He is our friend. Destined is he to kill the Midgard Serpent, Jörmungandr... just as the Serpent is destined to kill him, when Ragnarök comes, destroying everything, and everyone.”
But there is something that not Ragnar, not the Northmen, not even the Gods accounted for. Thor is not in Ásgarđr anymore.