Who Defeated Thor in Norse Mythology?
By far, Thor has become the most famous Norse gods from Norse mythology thanks to the success of blockbusters adapting Thor's character. The common belief is that Thor is invincible and no one can defeat this god. But the original version of Thor was not like that. He - the original one - was defeated in Norse mythology. Here are some stories about how Thor was defeated in Norse mythology.
Elli
The most famous story about Thor's defeat for the Norse myth enthusiasts must be the fight between Thor and Elli.
Thor, Loki, and some servants embarked on a journey to the land of the giants. They encountered many troubles on the way but finally, they made it to the hall of Utgard-Loki the giant king. Thor and his companions were so small in size to compare with the giant in the hall. All of the giants laughed at them so hard that it made the gods angry.
And there came some competitions between the two parties. The first competition was the eating test among Loki and Logi. Loki lost the fight as Logi was the embodiment of fire which could consume whatever in the path. The second contest was about running. One of Thor's servants competed with Hugi the giant. And the servant lost to the hand of Hugi. Because Hugi was the embodiment of thought which could travel the fastest.
And there came the wrestling battle between Thor and Elli. Much to everyone's surprise, Thor lost the game. Elli won. And nothing would have been discussed more if Elli had not been an old woman. Yes, Thor was defeated by an old woman which became an insult to Thor.
Elli and Thor in the wrestling contest
After a few days, Thor and his companions were about to leave the land of the giant, Utgard-Loki revealed why Thor lost the fight. Actually, Elli was the embodiment of old age. Like Logi and Hugi, Elli was representative of something inevitable in life. Old age could beat anyone in life
Jormungand
In Norse mythology, Jormungand was the sworn enemy of Thor god of thunder and storm. From the beginning, Jormungand was destined to be the one who put an end to Thor's life. And it did happen in Ragnarok the Doom of Gods.
Jormungand was cast into the dark ocean where he finally grew up to a size that his body could encircle the whole Midgard.
Jormungand the Midgard Serpent in Norse mythology
When the sounds of his brothers and father calling from the land above, Jormungand rose from the ocean. When he lifted himself from the ocean, he caused the tremendous waves in the ocean and the ocean water engulfed part of Midgard. Jormungand's breath poisoned the whole sky. And he finally met the army of the giant crashing the gate of Asgard declaring war to the Norse Pantheon.
In the last battle of Jormungand and Thor. Thor did kill the serpent with his Mjolnir hammer in his hand. But the venom of Jormungand put an end to the life of Thor the brave god of thunder and storm. After killing Jormungand, Thor walked seven paces away from snake corpse only to fall down because of the serpent's poison. And then, Thor was put to rest along with his fallen brothers forever.
