My Favorite Norse God: Thor

In celebration of the release of SECRETS OF THE ASH TREE by Siv Maria Ottem, she's hosting a blog hop wherein we all post a post about our favorite Norse God. You know I couldn't say no to a blog hop about Norse Gods, guys, come on.

I think it goes without saying who my favorite Norse God is, at this point. Especially if you're a regular reader of the blog! But if you aren't, and somehow we have never crossed paths in the blogosphere -- in my life, there is no competition for the title. My absolute most favorite Norse God is Thor, and from this love a great number of creative endeavors have been born. The Fate of the Gods series, for one, and Thor in Zombie Land, of course. A number of sketches of dubious quality, and my sometimes-avatar image of Mjolnir, created in paint. Pretty much my whole web presence is an ode to Thor Love, and my personal slogan on social media (which I didn't come up with myself so I cannot take credit) is "Come for Thor, Stay for More." (and you should check out my twitter background if you've been enjoying Name that Butt, just sayin')

You might be asking yourself, "but why do you love Thor so much?" And if so, allow me to quote from a blogpost I wrote a while back about his essential character:

I think the reason Thor was so beloved was because he always helped his people. Thor was the god that could be depended on, no matter what had happened, to go out and do what had to be done-- whether that was beating down on Loki, or killing off giants, or drinking a ton of mead, or dressing up as a woman. Thor was intensely loyal, unwavering, and good.
[...]
Thor might have had a short temper, but just because he was angry didn't mean he wouldn't help you out. And maybe that was what was most appealing about him. Unlike many of the other gods, in any pantheon, Thor was not a god to hold a grudge. He was quick to forgive. Quick to move on. And for humans, imperfect as we are, as we know ourselves to be, a god who forgives would be attractive.
[...]
This is Thor's character. This is the god who was loved by his people, and honored more than all the others. The god who showed, if not love, at least benevolence toward those who did not have his strength, and called themselves his friend, regardless of whether their actions proved their words or not. Is it any wonder that he was so popular? In his essence, Thor was not just a god of thunder, and wielder of incredible raw power, Thor was also, in character, a god of friendship.

Maybe that's why he's my favorite, when it comes down to it. For all his faults, for all his violence, his heart was in the right place.

 And if you want to know more about my love of Thor, and particularly, my most favorite version of Thor in pop culture, as well as Thor's role in my Fate of the Gods novels, tune back in November 5th for my own Thor Love blog hop, to celebrate the release of FATE FORGOTTEN, book two in the Fate of the Gods trilogy!