In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-
wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak
trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing,
healing and fertility. The cognate deity in wider Germanic
mythology and paganism was known in Old English as Þunor and in
Old High German as Donar (runic þonar ᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱ), stemming from a
Common Germanic *Þunraz (meaning "thunder"). Ultimately stemming
from Proto-Indo-European religion, Thor is a prominently
mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic
peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to
the tribal expansions of the Migration Period, to his high
popularity during the Viking Age, when, in the face of the
process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, emblems of his
hammer, Mjölnir, were worn in defiance and Norse pagan personal
names containing the name of the god bear witness to his
popularity. Into the modern period, Thor continued to be
acknowledged in rural folklore throughout Germanic