Chapter 3: the Myths Summary

The next written lecture that Sophie receives is titled, "the Mythological World Picture," which is about the myths that various ancient peoples used to explain the world. First, the course paper looks at the Nordic myths. There is the story of the God Thor, who has a hammer that makes the thunder and the rain come. Note that the English word thunder has the same root as the name Thor. Thor is a powerful God that gives people rain so that the crops grow and they have food to eat. Surrounding the land of the Nordic Gods are giants. The myth states that the giants are able to steal Thor's hammer, so Thor must retrieve it. When Thor does not have his hammer, there is no rain and the crops cannot grow. In the myth, Thor dresses up as...