The mighty ‘Thor’ swings in for Saddleback movie night
The film stars Kenneth Branagh as the Norse god
Social{Live} presented by Saddleback College’s Associated Student Government, is showcasing their first movie night of the semester featuring Paramount pictures epic film “Thor” on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Math/Science/Engineering building, Room 313.
“Thor” is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and was released in theaters on May 6 to positive reviews grossing over $437 million worldwide. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, “Thor” stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular character with Natalie Portman as Jane Foster.
Thor is part of the Norse pantheon of gods ruled over by Odin in the mystical realm of Asgard. Thor is the god of thunder and rain, being one of the more popular gods worshipped by the infamous vikings of ancient Norway.
Thor wields his distinctive war hammer,Mjolnir, which translates as “crusher” from the ancient Norse language.
According to Norse mythology, there is also Loki, the god of mischief and trickery. In the Marvel comics chronology, Loki is written as Thor’s greatest nemesis, challenging him in a variety of ways and making life miserable for Thor and those around him.
There are more than Asgardians in Norse mythology however, the main enemies of the Asgardians and Thor in particular are the Frost Giants who are nestled in a similar realm opposite of Asgard. According to the mythology, these fearsome creatures wield ice and cold itself to cause chaos for Earth and Asgard.
Though Thor and the Asgardian deities are no longer worshipped, their influence still stands with the calender day Thursday having it’s root in the phrase “Thor’s Day.”
Thor was introduced in 1962 in the comic book, “Journey into Mystery,” issue no. 83, written and drawn by comic book creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The duo also created many other characters inhabiting the Marvel comics universe including “The Fantastic Four” and “X-Men.”
The movie, as well as the comic book it is based, on differs in many ways from the classic depiction of the Norse gods. For example, it is explained in the Thor comic books that he and his fellow gods are in fact not deities at all.
They are a race of beings that are extremely long lived and are so advanced in technology that it can resemble magic to a mere human. In the comic books, when they appeared in northern Europe, they were revered as Gods.