sign in sign up
<<
Home , Asgard (comics), Beast (comics), Dwarves (Marvel Comics), Eitri, Eitri (character), Elves (Marvel Comics)

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

6th Grade ELA: Text Set

Directions: Read and annotate the connected texts in this packet. As you read, look for evidence of ​ elements of . Once you have read all of the texts, complete the questions that follow in a complete paragraph, then choose one writing prompt to write a full essay. Responses should be turned into your teacher, and can be completed on paper or digitally.

Text 1: “’s Stolen ” Translated excerpt from Poetic ​ By D. L. Ashliman

Thor awoke with a start. His hammer, the mighty Mjöllnir, was missing. He shook his shaggy head, and his bristled with anger as he groped around him.

He shouted to , "My hammer has been stolen! No one in heaven or on can know what a loss this is for me!"

Forthwith they rushed to 's shining halls.

"Freyja," said Thor, "will you lend me your feathered coat to help me seek my hammer?"

Freyja said, "I would lend it to you even if it were made of gold or silver."

Then Loki put on the feathered coat and, leaving , winged his way to Jotunheim, the world of .

Thrym, the lord of giants, sat upon a mound, smoothing his horses' manes and twisting golden halters for his hounds. He said, "How are the Æsir1? How are the ? Why have you come to Jotunheim?"

Loki said, "It is ill with the Æsir; it is ill with the elves. Tell me, have you hidden the Thunderer's hammer?"

Thrym said, "Yes, I have hidden Thor's hammer eight leagues deep in the earth. No one can win it back from me, unless he brings to me fair Freyja as a bride."

Loki flew away, the feathered coat rustling. He left behind the world of giants and winged his way back to the world of the .

1 Main group of gods and in Norse mythology

1 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

Thor met him there in the middle court. He said, "Were your labors successful? Tell me the tidings before you . Sitting causes one to forget, and lying causes one to lie."

Loki said, "Yes, my labors met with success. Thrym, the lord of giants, has your hammer; but no one can win Mjöllnir from him, unless he brings to him fair Freyja as a bride."

Forthwith they rushed to find fair Freyja. "Dress yourself in bridal linen," said Thor. "You and I are on our way to the world of giants."

At this Freyja foamed with rage. The halls of Asgard shook with her anger. The necklace of the Brisings broke apart. "You may call me -crazy, if I go with you to Jotunheim," she said.

Straight away all the gods and goddesses gathered to discuss how they could recover Thor's hammer.

Heimdall, the fairest of the gods, like all the Vanir2 could see into the future. "Let us dress Thor in bridal linen," he said, "and let him wear the necklace of the Brisings. Tie housewife's keys about his waist, and pin bridal jewels upon his breast. Let him wear women's clothes, with a dainty on his head."

The Thunderer, mightiest of gods, replied, "The gods will call me womanish if I put on bridal linen."

Then Loki, son of , said, "Thor, be still! With such foolish words the giants will soon be living here in Asgard if you do not get your hammer from them."

So they dressed Thor in bridal linen, tied the necklace of Brisings around his neck and housewife's keys about his waist. They pinned bridal jewels upon his breast, and dressed him in women's clothes, with a dainty hood on his head.

Then Loki, son of Laufey, said, "I will accompany you as your maid-servant. Together we shall go to Jotunheim."

Forthwith the were driven home to be harnessed. The mountains trembled, and the earth burned with fire as 's son rode to Jotunheim.

Thrym, the lord of giants, said to his kin, "Stand up, you Jotuns, and put straw on the benches. They are bringing fair Freyja, daughter of Njord from Noatun, to be my bride. I have golden-horned cattle grazing in my yard. They are pure- oxen, a joy to giants. I have treasures aplenty and rule over great riches. Freyja is the only that I lack."

2 group of gods in Norse mythology associated with , , and the ability to see the future

2 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

Day soon became evening, and was brought to the giants' table. There Thor ate an and eight whole , in addition to all the dainties that were served to the women. Furthermore, he drank three measures of .

Thrym, the lord of giants, said, "Have you ever seen a bride eat and drink so heartily?"

The maid-servant wisely answered thus: "Freyja was so eager to come to Jotunheim that she has eaten nothing for eight nights."

Thrym stooped beneath his bride's veil, wanting to kiss her, then jumped back the whole length of the hall. "Why are Freyja's eyes so fearful?" he said. "I think that fire is flaming from her eyes."

The maid-servant wisely answered the thus: "Freyja was so eager to come to Jotunheim that she has not slept for eight nights."

Then a poor sister of one of the giants came in and dared to beg a gift from the bride. "If you want my and friendship then give me the gold rings from your ," she said.

Then Thrym, the lord of giants, said, "Bring me the hammer to bless the bride. Lay Mjöllnir on the maiden's lap, let the two of us thus be hallowed in the name of Vor, of vows!"

When Thor saw the hammer his heart laughed within him, and he took courage. He first slew Thrym, the lord of giants, then he crushed all the giant's kin. Finally he slew the old who had begged for a bridal gift. Instead of coins she got the crack of the hammer. Instead of rings she received the mark of Mjöllnir.

Thus Thor won back his hammer.

3 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

Text 2: “8 Ways Marvel’s Thor Differs from the Original Norse Mythology” By Leanne Louie

Although Marvel’s rendition of Thor retains many aspects of the original Norse mythology, it’s unsurprising that the writers changed a few elements of these ancient in order to bring them into the world of superheroes. There are the obvious things, like the addition of spaceships, shawarma joints, and enormous green rage monsters. But there are many subtler alterations Marvel made to these Scandinavian stories that might go unnoticed by the untrained eye.

Here are 8 ways Marvel’s Thor differs from the original Norse mythology:

8. Red and a Beard

Nowadays, when you picture the of , it’s probably the piercing blue eyes and golden blonde hair of that come to mind.

But in the original myths, Thor didn’t have the flowing blonde, Loreal-smooth hair that he has in the . Traditionally, Thor is red-haired and red-bearded. and did initially consider a red-headed version of Thor, but ultimately, decided to go with their own design of the character, one that Mr. Hemsworth does an impeccable job of bringing to life.

7. Loki Is 's Father, Not Odin

Although Loki may not seem like the parent type, he fathers many children in the original Norse myths. Unsurprisingly, his offspring are a rather unsavory bunch, particularly the three borne to him by the giantess Angrboda. In addition to the world Jörmungandr and the (yes, Fenrir Greyback from Harry Potter was named after him), Loki also sired , the goddess of . It was believed that warriors who died in battle were taken to feast in with Odin, but perishing by illness or old age meant spending an in the icy with Hel. This contrasts the Marvel movies, in which Hela is supposed to be Odin’s daughter. Plus, she’s portrayed by the radiant Cate Blanchett in the films, but in the original myths, half of her face is supposed to be beautiful… with the other half as dead as Nearly Headless Nick.

6. Loki Doesn't Help Thor During

In the film Thor: Ragnarok, Loki finally redeems ​ ​ himself, embracing the better angels of his nature and fighting alongside Thor in the final battle. But in the original myths about Ragnarok, the devil on Loki’s shoulder wins out and he allies himself

4 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

against the other gods. He chooses not only to fight against Thor, but also to lead an army of the dead to attack Asgard, crossing the line from a troubled into an outright villain. In the Marvel films, Loki may dance around this line, but he never quite crosses it. Rather, it’s Hela who ends up leading an army of the dead into Asgard.

5. Loki Is Not Thor's Adopted Brother

The strained relationship between Thor and Loki is core to the Marvel movies. If it weren't for his difficult relationship with his brother, Loki never would have attacked Earth, the wouldn’t have assembled, and we never would have found out how good of a chaser shawarma is for alien invasions.

But in the original mythology, Loki is no brother to Thor. In the by Snorri Sturlson, Loki is actually a ​ ​ step-brother of Odin’s. But a troubled relationship between brothers makes for a more compelling storyline than the relationship between a god and his… step-uncle? So we can understand why they went their way.

4. Doesn't Let Thor

In the films, we often see Thor swing his hammer around and take off after it like a rocket launching into space. But in the original mythology, does not grant Thor the ability to fly. Rather, it’s his chariot, drawn by the two goats Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, that allows him to soar through the skies like a bolt.

Although flying around with the god of thunder probably sounds like a great career for the likes of a , the job does come with its drawbacks. Unfortunately for the poor goats, Thor has been known to slaughter Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder for supper. But, to be fair, he always makes sure to resurrect them the next day using his hammer.

3. Thor Marries Goddess

Unsurprisingly, Thor does not in fact date an American astrophysicist named in traditional Norse mythology. Rather, he is married to Sif, the goddess of the harvest. Interestingly, it is Sif, not Thor, who is known for her flowing golden hair in the original myths. And, like Thor couldn’t stand the idea of a haircut in Thor: Ragnarok, Sif falls into a depression after Loki cuts her hair off as a prank. Eventually, after some rather forceful from Thor (the only kind of persuasion Thor is capable of), Loki gets the to make Sif new hair, similarly to how made Thor a new god-killing weapon in Avengers: War (but a little ​ ​ less epic).

2. Thor Needs Gloves to Wield His Hammer

In the Marvel films, Thor needs nothing but his own worthiness to wield Mjölnir. But in the original myths, he requires Járngreipr, a special set of gloves, to be able to use his hammer. Alongside Mjölnir and Megingjörð (a mystical belt that

5 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

increases his strength), these gloves are supposed to be one of Thor’s three most crucial possessions. However, they’re not included in the films. Although the reference was brief, the belt Megingjörð actually is used by Marvel’s version of Thor. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, it was revealed that the belt was being shipped ​ ​ for storage at the New Avengers Facility. While listing off items for packing, tries to pronounce the belt’s name, eventually giving up and just calling it “Thor’s magic belt.”

1. During Ragnarok, Thor And Loki Die

At of Thor: Ragnarok, Thor and Loki both survive ’s attack on Asgard and fly off in their ​ ​ spaceship unharmed. But this isn’t how Ragnarok went down in the original myths. In fact, pretty much every well-known god is supposed to die during Ragnarok, including Thor, Loki, Odin, and .

Plus, Surtur sets not just Asgard on fire, but the entire , leaving only a handful of gods and two alive to restart civilization. But if this had happened in the Marvel films, there wouldn't have been much left for to do, so we get why the writers decided to… well, not light the whole universe on fire.

Text 3: Excerpt from Thor #353 Marvel Comics

6 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

Text 4: “Ragnarok” Translated excerpt from Prose Edda ​

Loud blows Heimdal There will fall His uplifted horn. 's beloved. Odin speaks Odin's son goes With Mimer's head. To fight with the wolf, The straight−standing ash And Vidar goes on his way Ygdrasil3 quivers, To the wild . The old tree groans, With his hand he thrusts And the giant gets loose. His sword to the heart How fare the ases4? Of the giant's , How fare the elves? And avenges his father. All Jotunheim roars. Then goes the famous The asas hold counsel; Son of Hlodyn7 Before their stone−doors To fight with the serpent. Groan the dwarfs, Though about to die, The guides of the wedge−rock. He fears not the contest; Know you now more or not? All men From the east drives Hrym5, Abandon their homesteads Bears his before him. When the warder of Jormungand6 welters In wrath slays the serpent. In giant rage The sun grows dark, And smites the waves. The earth sinks into the sea, The eagle screams, The bright stars And with pale beak tears corpses From heaven vanish; gets loose. Fire rages, Heat blazes, Mountains dash together, And high flames play Giant maids are frightened, 'Gainst heaven itself. Heroes go the way to Hel, And again it is said as follows: And heaven is rent in twain. Vigrid is the name of the plain Then comes to Hlin Where in fight shall meet Another woe, Surt and the god. When Odin goes A hundred miles With the wolf to fight, It is every way. And Bele's bright slayer This field is marked out for them. To contend with Surt.

3 is an immense mythical tree that plays a central role in , where it connects the Nine Worlds 4 Gods that are a part of the Æsir 5 Captain of the ship Naglfar. During the conflict of Ragnarök he will set sail from Jotunheim, transporting the legions of jötnar toward the battlefield of Vígríðr to confront the gods in the final battle 6 and child of Loki 7 of Thor

7 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING & LEARNING Educate · Equip · Empower

Paragraph Responses For each of the questions below, respond in a complete paragraph that includes a claim and text evidence.

1. In the mythological story “Thor’s Stolen Hammer,” how is humor used? What do we learn about the Norse gods from the way the story uses humor? 2. “Thor’s Stolen Hammer” is a translation of an original Norse . How does the portrayal of Thor in this myth include characteristics of Thor outlined in the article “8 Ways Marvel’s Thor Differs from the Original Norse Mythology”? 3. Describe in your own words the scene being painted in “Ragnarok” from the Prose Edda. How do ​ ​ these events lead to the tone of this poem?

Writing Prompts Select one of the writing prompts below to write a full essay.

Argumentative Writing Prompt: Write an argumentative essay in which you make a claim on if Thor or Loki ​ is the more powerful god. Be sure to use evidence from at least two of the texts provided. ​ ​

Explanatory Writing Prompt: Norse mythology uses more darkness and violence than many other cultures. ​ Explain how darkness and violence influence the tone of Norse mythology. Develop your essay by providing clear details and relevant evidence from at least two of the texts provided. ​ ​

Narrative Writing Prompt: Write your own, original Norse myth (not a story currently in the Marvel ​ Cinematic Universe) involving Thor or Loki and at least two locations provided on the Norse Universe Tree.

Extension Activity (optional assignment, unless stated otherwise by your teacher)

Compare and contrast Norse mythology to .

8