Week 7 Mythology Thor compare to Textbook

Student’s Name:
Professor’s Name:
Course number:
Date:
Week 7 Mythology Thor compare to Textbook
Norse mythology has been the subject and point of reference for many movies in modern day Hollywood with Marvel being the frontrunners. After production of comics about Thor, Loki, Odin among other Norse gods, the fan base had grown significantly thus prompting the urge to produce a movie. Thor is the main character in the film that talks about his heroic adventures and experiences after he was banished by his father to live with the humans on earth for igniting an ancient war with the frost giants. He gets help from scientists who help him adjust to the new and strange land and the habits of people, his mythical and mysterious hammer also falls on earth, and no one can pull it out of the ground. The film does its best in depicting and presenting the mythological beliefs while keeping the story intact.
The reason for reviewing the movie was due to the widespread publicity about the movie over social media. Everyone was trying to make jokes about Thor and from that, an aspect of humor in all the memes and jokes brought out the urge to check out the movie in the theaters. Mythology is always an interesting topic that captures the audience because of its uniqueness and the sense of originality. Therefore, interest in the movie is not a concern. But with humor interlaced within Mythological stories comes the yearning to view the film and relate to the ancient myths and see how much was captured and what was left out (Lindow, 21).

This is because Norse myths and objects like Mjolnir, his hammer all had background stories about their origins and their powers and this gives and interesting critiquing ideas. In analysis how the movie managed to capture the vast history and help a new individual to Norse mythology understand the film.
Reading about Norse mythology is inspiring and enlightening at all levels, as they help retrace the cultures, lives, beliefs and traditions of the people during the time. From these myths, some life virtues are absorbed, and their essence in life are felt and understood by relating with the characters and their experiences. Understanding these mythologies aids in appreciating the origins of some traditions and names like ‘Thursday’ from ‘Thor’s day’ and other happenings around us that may seem meaningless now but were of great significance in the past (Montelius, 72). The setting of the stories describing the gods and giants for example Thor carries with it some humor and more understanding of their ways of life and traditions on marriage and resolving conflicts
In comparing the readings and the production of the film, both similarities and differences were significantly observable. Starting with the similarities; the power and the character of the main character, Thor, is clearly brought out in both the film and the story. Thor is portrayed as an arrogant and carefree person that leads to him being thrown out by his father to live with the humans. The power and the story associated with Thor’s hammer are also illustrated to the viewers; this is done by giving its background and how it operates. From the story, Loki tells Freya, “Will you lend me your falcon-feathered cloak so that I can fly to Jetunheim to search for Thor’s hammer…for no one but the giant would have taken it!” (Rosenberg, 475). Resemblances are also seen regarding the characters, Thor, Odin and Loki are talked about in both instances, and their characters do not deviate from their stories. Where Thor, for instance, remains as a savior of his people both the gods in the readings and the humans in the film.
There was contrast on the other hand when it came to the physique and the appearance of the gods. In the readings is described as a redhead and with a beard and also with dangerous red eyes that showed their masculinity and might. But in the movie, Thor has a shaven beard and his hair blonde, and his eyes are blue. According to Norse mythology, for Thor to fly he needed his chariot of goats but in its adaptation, the chariot was omitted and can fly only using his hammer (Montelius, 73). The movie introduced a new villain that was believed to be an instrument of evil that was meant to destroy the human unlike in the myths where Thor fights with his mates against the Giants. The cinematography of the film did not bring out the ancient times but rather a modern kingdom with more sophisticated actors which distorts the actual feeling and recreating the scenarios.
The disclosures from the film that were unclear and difficult to understand without motion, for example, the coming back of Thor’s Mjolnir when he throws it (Lindow, 21) were better understood.The movie also enhances knowledge on the backgrounds and histories of some of the aspects that could not be captured in the books. The movie is also comprehensible to an audience that has no knowledge of mythology, and this film may spark some interest in them. The actors of the film relatively illustrate the masculinity and characters of the gods, and lastly, the cast and the supporting cast are excellent in their roles and would interest any view.

Works Cited
Lindow, John. “Mythology and mythography.” Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Critical Guide 45 (2005): 21.
Montelius, Oscar. “The Sun-God’s Axe and Thor’s Hammer.” Folklore 21.1 (1910): 60-78.
Rosenberg, Donna. “The Theft of Thor Hammer.” World Mythology. 475-477.
BIBLIOGRAPHY