THORR.  The English Thursday is a later form, in which the phonetic rule of the Scandinavian tongue has been followed.  The god of thunder, keeper of the hammer, the ever-fighting slayer of trolls and destroyer of evil spirits, the friend of mankind, the defender of the earth, the heavens and the gods; for without Thor and his hammer the earth would become the helpless prey of the giants.  He was the consecrator, the hammer being the cross or holy sign of the ancient heathen.  Thor was the son of Odin and Fjorgyn (mother earth); he was blunt, hot-tempered, without fraud or guile, of few words but of ready stroke—such was Thor, the favorite deity of our forefathers.  The finest legends of the Younger Edda and the best lays of the Elder Edda refer to Thor.  His hall is Bilskirner.  He slays Thjasse, Thrym, Hrungner, and other giants.  In Ragnarok he slays the Midgard-serpent, but falls after retreating nine paces, poisoned by the serpent's breath.  Thor. (Teutonic Mythology, Rydberg-Anderson, v.3, 1907)