History SadlyMythtaken / TheMightyThor

** In the comics, Thor can use Mjölnir to fly by hurling it and holding onto the strap of the lanyard. In Norse mythology, the hammer didn't have such capability and Thor relied on a chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (which also appear in the comics) to travel long distances. In fact, a somewhat common occasion was Thor struggling to pass through bodies of water when on foot, something which he wouldn't have trouble with if he could go over them.
** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was eventually explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic giant Thrym in the "[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]" to demand a marriage with Freyja as ransom, with no mention of him using special methods to take it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft; even then, though, it isn't explained exactly how the gloves allow Thor to use Mjölnir, such as using them to better protect his hand when using the weapon or compensating for the short handle. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir might have been influenced by {{Excalibur}} from Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]
** In general, Mjölnir in Marvel Comics has many [[AdaptationalSuperPowerChange different abilities from the mythological hammer]]; while its exact set of properties [[DependingOnTheWriter isn't always clear]], the weapon has been shown to manipulate matter, control souls, absorb and redirect energy, create wormholes, allow its wielder to fly and, due to Odin's enchantment, grant Thor's powers to anyone worthy to hold it, none of which Mjölnir can do in Norse myths. The opposite is true as well, as one of Mjölnir's forgers in mythology, Brokk, says the hammer is unbreakable, would never be thrown so far away that it wouldn't find its way back to its wielder's hand, would never miss its target, and could be so small that Thor could carry it in his shirt for transport if he wished to (possibly as a pendant)[[note]]Whether Brokk meant that Mjölnir could magically shrink or that it was naturally small due to its unusually short handle isn't clear[[/note]]. In the comics, while Mjölnir also always returns to Thor's hand, it isn't unbreakable, as it has been damaged or destroyed on several occasions (although by extraordinary forces), it isn't stated to never miss when thrown, and it is not able to shrink or otherwise very compact. On a minor note, its flat, cubic shape also differs from how Mjölnir is most famously represented in pendants in ancient Norse culture, in which it often has a curved shape meeting up towards an angle on the top.

** With rare exceptions like Loki, Hela and Utgard-Loki, the Giants are often depicted as [[StupidEvil thuggish, uncivilized, brutal,]] [[AdaptationalDumbass simple-minded and weak in magic]], preferring violence and brute strength over strategy and spellcraft. In Norse mythology, however, while they were indeed strongly associated with fundamental, chaotic and tough forces of nature, the giants were just as well-known for sorcery, trickery, cunning and shapeshifting, as many jötnar like Utgarða-Loki, Gríðr, Gróa and Þjazi outwitted, challenged or helped the Aesir with their skill in magic, which rivaled or even surpassed that of the gods. Notably, the Norns were deities who shaped the course of fate and were refered to as giant-maids. Furthermore, a few jötnar were also quite smart, sagacious and eloquent, with the jötunn Vafþrúðnir being nearly as wise and knowledgeable as Odin and only narrowly losing a battle of wits against him; Odin himself on several occasions sought or stole knowledge from the Giants, most notably stealing the Mead of Poetry from Suttungr and taking out his eye for a drink from Mimir's well of wisdom, who is implied to be a giant according to some scholars. The portrayal of giants in general as always dim-witted, barbaric, relatively less powerful and easy to outwit only becomes stronger in Scandinavia in post-medieval folklore, in which they are frequently interchangeable with [[OurTrollsAreDifferent the modern ideas of trolls]] (who exist as a separate race in the Marvel universe).
** The Giants are generally [[AdaptationalVillainy much meaner and more destructive]] than in Norse myth. While they were certainly foes of the gods and brought Ragnarök, represented untamed forces of nature and some were considered threats to humanity, they had a much more important, helpful and complex role in mythology than simply one-dimensional evil antagonists. Not only were most gods (like Odin, Thor, Heimdall, Týr, Magni and Loki) direct children of jötnar, but some gods were jötnar themselves, like Skaði, and many gods (like Freyr, Thor, Njörd and Odin) had relationships with giantesses. Moreover, it was from Ymir's body that the gods fashioned the world in the myths, and two giants were the ones to pull the sun and the moon. In short, rather than being mostly AlwaysChaoticEvil, there were as many giants who were either neutral or actively helped the gods and the natural order as there were monstrous giants with foul motivations.

** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was eventually explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic giant Thrym in the "[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]" to demand a marriage with Freyja as payment, with no mention of him using special methods to take it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft; even then, though, it isn't explained exactly how the gloves allow Thor to use Mjölnir, such as using them to better protect his hand when using the weapon or compensating for the short handle. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir might have been influenced by {{Excalibur}} from Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]

* Overall, the comics are more inspired by the 19th century Germanic romanticization of Norse myths and old English and Shakesperean motifs than by the original extant sources, including several motifs such as winged and horned helmets, which were never used in the Viking age, and Thor being clean-shaved and blonde rather than red-bearded, like in the painting ''Art/ThorsFightWithTheGiants''.

** With rare exceptions like Loki, Hela and Utgard-Loki, the Giants are often depicted as [[StupidEvil thuggish, uncivilized, brutal,]] [[AdaptationalDumbass simple-minded and weak in magic]], preferring violence and brute strength over strategy and spellcraft. In Norse mythology, however, while they were indeed strongly associated with fundamental, chaotic and brutal forces of nature, the giants were just as well-known for sorcery, trickery, cunning and shapeshifting, as many jötnar like Utgarða-Loki, Gríðr, Gróa and Þjazi outwitted, challenged or helped the Aesir with their skill in magic, which rivaled or even surpassed that of the gods. Notably, the Norns were deities who shaped the course of fate and were refered to as giant-maids. Furthermore, a few jötnar were also quite smart, sagacious and eloquent, with the jötunn Vafþrúðnir being nearly as wise and knowledgeable as Odin and only narrowly losing a battle of wits against him; Odin himself on several occasions sought or stole knowledge from the Giants, most notably stealing the Mead of Poetry from Suttungr and taking out his eye for a drink from Mimir's well of wisdom, who is implied to be a giant according to some scholars. The portrayal of giants in general as dim-witted, barbaric, relatively less powerful and easy to outwit only becomes stronger in Scandinavia in post-medieval folklore, in which they are frequently interchangeable with [[OurTrollsAreDifferent the modern ideas of trolls]] (who exist as a separate race in the Marvel universe).
** The Giants are generally [[AdaptationalVillainy much meaner and more destructive]] than in Norse myth. While they were certainly foes of the gods and brought Ragnarök, represented untamed forces of nature and were considered threats to humanity, they had a much more important, helpful and complex role in mythology than simply one-dimensional evil antagonists. Not only were most gods (like Odin, Thor, Heimdall, Týr, Magni and Loki) direct children of jötnar, but some gods were jötnar themselves, like Skaði, and many gods (like Freyr, Thor, Njörd and Odin) had relationships with giantesses. Moreover, it was from Ymir's body that the gods fashioned the world in the myths. In short, rather than being mostly AlwaysChaoticEvil, there were as many giants who were either neutral or actively helped the gods and the natural order as there were monstrous giants with foul motivations.

** Heimdall and Sif are portrayed as siblings, which isn't said or implied in myth. While Sif doesn't have a recorded parentage, Heimdall is stated in a handful of sources to be the son of nine sisters.

** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was eventually explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic giant Thrym in the "[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]" to demand a marriage with Freyja as payment, with no mention of him using special methods to take it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft; even then, though, it is unclear exactly how the gloves allow him to use it though, as the aforementioned giants managed to pick up Mjölnir and Magni and Modi were prophesied to wield the hammer after Ragnarök, so it is possible that Thor was meant to use the gloves to better protect his hand when using the weapon or to compensate for the short handle. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir might have been influenced by {{Excalibur}} from Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]

** They also got some of his parentage wrong. Loki is known as Laufeyjarson in the original myths, but not because Laufey is his father like in the comics. Laufey is actually the name of his ''mother'', and Loki's father is named Fárbauti instead. The reason why Loki is refered to by a matronymic rather than by the more traditional patronymic is unknown -- it could be that Fárbauti either disowned Loki, passed away or was an absent father, Laufey was of a higher social hierarchy than Fárbauti and better-regarded by the Aesir, a symbolism of Loki's trespassing of gender roles, and/or a preference for [[AlliterativeName poetic alliteration]], but regardless, Laufey is explicitly his mother.

** The Giants are often portrayed as blue-skinned humanoid beings of immense height, with the average giant being around twenty feet/6.1 meters tall and human-sized giants like Loki being the exception. However, despite "giant" being the easiest and most common translation of "jötunn" ("jötnar" in plural), not all giants in Norse mythology were necessarily gigantic; there were immense ones such as Ymir, the primeval progenitor of the jötnar, Jörmungandr, the serpent so massive that it encircled the world, and Skrymir, the mountain-sized disguise used by Útgarða-Loki, but most of the time their descriptions don't specify notably large sizes, and jötnar several times interacted with the Aesir under the same roof with no particular mention of size differences. In fact, the exact distinction between gods and jötnar isn't very clearly defined in Norse myths, to the point some studies recommend seeing their differences as less biological and more or less cultural. Furthermore, while there were many truly monstrous jötnar in Norse myth (such as Týr's nine-hundred headed grandmother, Fenrir and Jörmungandr), there were also giants associated with great beauty, like Gunnlöd and Gerdr.

** In general, Mjölnir in Marvel Comics has many [[AdaptationalSuperPowerChange different abilities from the mythological hammer]]; while its exact set of properties [[DependingOnTheWriter isn't always clear]], the weapon has been shown to manipulate matter, control souls, absorb and redirect energy, create wormholes, allow its wielder to fly and, due to Odin's enchantment, grant Thor's powers to anyone worthy to hold it, none of which Mjölnir can do in Norse myths. The opposite is true as well, as one of Mjölnir's forgers in mythology, Brokk, says the hammer is unbreakable, would never be thrown so far away that it wouldn't find its way back to its wielder's hand, would never miss its target, and could be so small that Thor could carry it in his shirt if he wished to (possibly as a pendant)[[note]]If Brokk meant that Mjölnir could magically shrink or if was naturally small due to its unusually short handle isn't clear[[/note]]. In the comics, while Mjölnir also always returns to Thor's hand, it isn't unbreakable, as it has been damaged or destroyed on several occasions (although by extraordinary forces), it isn't stated to never miss when thrown, and it is not able to shrink or otherwise very compact.

** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was eventually explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic giant Thrym in the "[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]" to demand a marriage with Freyja as payment, with no mention of him using special methods to take it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft; even then, though, it is unclear exactly how necessary they are, as the aforementioned giants managed to pick up Mjölnir and Magni and Modi were prophesied to wield the hammer after Ragnarök, so it is possible that Thor was meant to use the gloves to better protect his hand when using the weapon. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir is a concept possibly influenced by {{Excalibur}} from Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]

** They also got some of his parentage wrong. Loki is known as Laufeyjarson in the original myths, but not because Laufey is his father like in the comics. Laufey is actually the name of his ''mother'', and Loki's father is named Fárbauti instead. The reason why Loki is refered to by a matronymic rather than by the more traditional patronymic is unknown -- it could be that Fárbauti either disowned Loki, passed away or was an absent father, Laufey was of a higher social hierarchy than Fárbauti and better-regarded by the Aesir, a symbolism of Loki's trespassing of gender roles, and/or a preference for [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal poetic alliteration]], but regardless, Laufey is explicitly his mother.

** The Giants are often portrayed as blue-colored humanoid beings of immense height, with the average giant being around twenty feet/6.1 meters tall and human-sized giants like Loki being the exception. However, despite "giant" being the easiest and most common translation of "jötunn" ("jötnar" in plural), not all giants in Norse mythology were necessarily gigantic; there were immense ones such as Ymir, the primeval progenitor of the jötnar, Jörmungandr, the serpent so massive that it encircled the world, and Skrymir, the mountain-sized disguise assumed by Útgarða-Loki, but most of the time their descriptions don't specify notably large sizes, and jötnar several times interacted with the Aesir under the same roof with no particular mention of size differences. In fact, the exact distinction between gods and jötnar isn't very clearly defined in Norse myths, to the point some studies recommend seeing their differences as less biological and more or less cultural. Furthermore, while there were many truly monstrous jötnar in Norse myth (such as Týr's nine-hundred headed grandmother, Fenrir and Jörmungandr), there were also giants associated with great beauty, like Gunnlöd and Gerdr.
** With rare exceptions like Loki, the Giants are often depicted as [[StupidEvil thuggish, uncivilized, brutal,]] [[AdaptationalDumbass simple-minded and weak in magic]], preferring violence and brute strength over strategy and spellcraft. In Norse mythology, however, while they were indeed strongly associated with fundamental, chaotic and brutal forces of nature, the giants were just as well-known for magic, trickery, cunning and shapeshifting, as many jötnar like Utgarða-Loki, Gríðr, Gróa and Þjazi either outwitted, challenged or helped the Aesir with their skill in magic, which rivaled or even surpassed that of the gods. Notably, the Norns were deities who shaped the course of fate and were refered to as giant-maids. Furthermore, a few jötnar were also quite smart, sagacious and eloquent, with the jötunn Vafþrúðnir being nearly as wise and knowledgeable as Odin and only narrowly losing a battle of wits against him; Odin himself on several occasions sought or stole knowledge from the Giants, most notably stealing the Mead of Poetry from Suttungr and taking out his eye for a drink from the well of wisdom guarded by Mimir, who is implied to be a giant according to some scholars. The portrayal of giants in general as dim-witted, barbaric, relatively less powerful and easy to outwit only becomes stronger in Scandinavia in post-medieval folklore, in which they are frequently interchangeable with [[OurTrollsAreDifferent the modern ideas of trolls]] (who exist as a separate race in the Marvel universe).
** The Giants are generally [[AdaptationalVillainy much meaner and more destructive]] than in Norse myth. While they were certainly foes of the gods and brought Ragnarök, represented untamed forces of nature and were considered threats to humanity, they had a much more important, helpful and complex role in mythology than simply one-dimensional evil antagonists. Not only were most gods (like Odin, Thor, Heimdall, Týr and Loki) direct children of jötnar, but some gods were jötnar themselves, like Skaði, and many gods (like Freyr, Thor, Njörd and Odin) had relationships with giantesses. Moreover, it was from Ymir's body that the gods fashioned the world in the myths. In short, rather than being mostly AlwaysChaoticEvil, there were as many giants who were either neutral or actively helped the gods and the natural order as there were monstrous giants with foul motivations.

** Frey is portrayed as Idunn's brother and Freyja's father. He was actually Freyja's brother and Idunn's... it's not clear, but by some accounts her uncle. [[note]] It's possible they're going for a CompositeCharacter/DecompositeCharacter thing, since the character called Freyja has more in common with Odin's wife Frigga, while this Idunn has more in common with the mythical Freyja. [[/note]]

** Heimdall and Sif are portrayed as siblings, which is never said or implied in any myth. While Sif doesn't have a recorded parentage, Heimdall is stated in a handful of sources to be the son of nine sisters.

** With certain exceptions like Loki, the Giants are often depicted as [[StupidEvil thuggish, uncivilized, brutal, simple-minded and weak in magic]], preferring violence and brute strength over strategy and spellcraft. In Norse mythology, however, while they were indeed associated with fundamental and brutal forces of nature, the giants were just as known for magic, trickery, cunning and shapeshifting, as many jötnar like Utgarða-Loki, Gríðr, Gróa and Þjazi either outwitted, challenged or helped the Aesir with their skill in magic, which rivaled or even surpassed that of the gods. Notably, the Norns were deities who shaped the course of fate and were refered to as giant-maids. Furthermore, a few jötnar were also quite smart, sagacious and eloquent, with Vafþrúðnir being nearly as wise and knowledgeable as Odin and only narrowly losing a battle of wits against him; Odin himself on several occasions sought or stole knowledge from the Giants, most notably by stealing the Mead of Poetry from Suttungr and asking Mimir, who is implied to be a giant according to some scholars, for a drought from the well of wisdom. The portrayal of giants in general as dim-witted, barbaric, relatively less powerful and easy to outwit is only stronger in Scandinavia in post-medieval folklore, in which they are frequently interchangeable with [[OurTrollsAreDifferent the modern ideas of trolls]] (who exist as a separate race in the Marvel universe).
** The Giants are generally [[AdaptationalVillainy much meaner and more violent and destructive]] than in Norse myth. While they were certainly foes of the gods and brought Ragnarök, represented untamed forces of nature and were considered threats to humanity, they had a much more important, helpful and complex role in mythology than simply one-dimensional evil antagonists. Not only were most gods (like Odin, Thor, Heimdall, Týr and Loki) direct children of jötnar, but some gods were jötnar themselves, like Skaði, and many gods (like Freyr, Thor, Njörd and Odin) had relationships with giantesses. Moreover, it was from Ymir's body that the gods fashioned the world in the myths. In short, rather than being mostly AlwaysChaoticEvil, there were as many giants who were either neutral or actively helped the gods and the natural order as there were monstrous giants with foul motivations.

** With certain exceptions like Loki, the Giants are often depicted as [[StupidEvil thuggish, uncivilized, brutal, simple-minded and weak in magic]], preferring violence and brute strength over strategy and spellcraft. In Norse mythology, however, while they were indeed associated with fundamental and brutal forces of nature, the giants were just as known for magic, trickery, cunning and shapeshifting, as many jötnar like Utgarða-Loki, Gríðr, Gróa and Þjazi either outwitted, challenged or helped the Aesir with their skill in magic, which rivaled or even surpassed that of the gods. Notably, the Norns were deities who shaped the course of fate and were refered to as giant-maids. Furthermore, some jötnar were also quite smart, sagacious, and eloquent, with Vafþrúðnir being nearly as wise and knowledgeable as Odin and only narrowly losing a battle of wits against him, and Mimir being the one who offered Odin a drought from the well of wisdom; Odin himself on several occasions sought or directly stole knowledge from the Giants, most notably in the tale of the Mead of Poetry. The portrayal of giants in general as dim-witted, barbaric, relatively less powerful and easy to outwit is only stronger in Scandinavia in post-medieval folklore, in which they are frequently interchangeable with [[OurTrollsAreDifferent the modern ideas of trolls]] (who exist as a separate race in the Marvel universe).
** The Giants are generally [[AdaptationalVillainy much meaner and more violent and destructive]] than in Norse myth. While they were certainly foes of the gods and brought Ragnarök, represented untamed forces of nature and were considered threats to humanity, they had a much more important, helpful and complex role in mythology than simply one-dimensional evil antagonists. Not only were most gods (like Odin, Thor, Heimdall, Týr and Loki) direct children of jötnar, but some gods were jötnar themselves, like Skaði, and many gods (like Freyr, Thor, Njörd and Odin) had relationships with giantesses. Moreover, it was from Ymir's body that the gods fashioned the world in the myths. In short, rather than being mostly AlwaysChaoticEvil, there were as many giants who were either neutral or actively helped the gods as there were monstrous giants with foul motivations.

** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic giant Thrym in the "[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]" to demand a marriage with Freyja as payment, with no mention of him using special methods to take it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft; even then, though, it is unclear exactly how necessary they are, as the aforementioned giants managed to pick up Mjölnir and Magni and Modi were prophesied to wield the hammer after Ragnarök, so it is possible that Thor was meant to use the gloves to better protect his hand when using the weapon. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir is a concept possibly influenced by {{Excalibur}} from the Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]
** In general, Mjölnir in Marvel Comics has many [[AdaptationalSuperPowerChange different abilities from the mythological hammer]]; while its exact set of properties [[DependingOnTheWriter isn't always clear]], the weapon has been shown to manipulate matter, control souls, absorb and redirect energy, create wormholes, allow its wielder to fly and, due to Odin's enchantment, grant Thor's powers to anyone worthy to hold it, none of which Mjölnir can do in Norse myths. The opposite is true as well, as one of Mjölnir's forgers in mythology, Brokk, says the hammer is unbreakable, would never be thrown so far away that it wouldn't find its way back to its wielder's hand, would never miss its target, and could be so small that Thor could carry it in his shirt if he wished to (possibly as a pendant). In the comics, while Mjölnir also always returns to Thor's hand, it isn't unbreakable, as it has been damaged or destroyed on several occasions (although by extraordinary forces), it isn't stated to never miss when thrown, and it is not able to shrink or otherwise very compact.

** Sif's whole identity is predicated on her roles as fertility figure and Thor's wife: her very name is a word relating to familial ties (cognate to a plural Norse word for your inlaws, and Modern English sibling). And she's passive in the extant myths. (The hair thing may be a metaphor for farming: harvest this year's grain, and invest time and resources in the replacement crop, in which case she symbolises ''soil''.) Having her fighting is even weirder than Aphrodite/Venus.

** They also got some of his parentage wrong. Loki is known as Laufeyjarson in the original myths, but not because Laufey is his father like in the comics. Laufey is actually the name of his ''mother''. Loki has to use a matronymic rather than a patronymic because his father Farbaurti disowned him for being, by Jotun standards, small.

** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic giant Thrym in the "[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]" to demand a marriage with Freyja as payment, with no mention of him using special methods to transport it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft; even then, though, it is unclear exactly how necessary they are, as the aforementioned giants managed to lift Mjölnir and Magni and Modi were prophesied to wield it after Ragnarök, so it is possible that Thor was meant to use the gloves to better protect his hand when using the weapon. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir is a concept possibly influenced by {{Excalibur}} from the Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]
** In general, Mjölnir in Marvel Comics has many [[AdaptationalSuperPowerChange different abilities from the mythological hammer]]; while its exact set of properties [[DependingOnTheWriter isn't always clear]], the weapon has been shown to manipulate matter, control souls, absorb and redirect energy, create wormholes, allow its wielder to fly and, due to Odin's enchantment, grant Thor's powers to anyone worthy to hold it, none of which Mjölnir can do in Norse myths. The opposite is true as well, as one of Mjölnir's forgers in mythology, Brokk, says the hammer is unbreakable, would never be thrown so far away that it wouldn't find its way back to its wielder's hand, would never miss its target, and could be so small that Thor could carry it in his shirt if he wished to (possibly as a pendant). In the comics, while Mjölnir also always returns to Thor's hand, it isn't unbreakable, as it has been damaged or destroyed on several occasions (although by extraordinary forces) and it isn't stated to never miss when thrown.

** Thor is portrayed as a noble, inspiring, modern hero but the Thor of myth doesn't really fit that label (he predates it). While he was indeed a well-doing protector of humanity, he was also an ill-tempered BloodKnight who almost killed the giantess Hyrrokkin for shaking the ground when she pushed Baldr's enormous funerary ship and had to be talked down by the other gods, and threatened to kill Loki for his insults in the ''Lokasenna''. This is eventually addressed in universe, as Thor is often portrayed that way in his younger days, and he has tried to change as the definition of hero has changed.

** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic giant Thrym in the ''[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]'' to demand a marriage with Freyja as payment, with no mention of him using special methods to transport it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft, but even then it is unclear exactly how necessary they are, as the aforementioned giants managed to lift Mjölnir and Magni and Modi were prophesied to wield it after Ragnarök, so it is possible that Thor was meant to use the gloves to better protect his hand when using the weapon. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir is a concept possibly influenced by {{Excalibur}} from the Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]

** Mjölnir is portrayed as an enchanted weapon [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield that can only be wielded by those considered to be worthy]] and to whom it would grant the powers of Thor, which was explained to be a spell made by Odin to teach humility to his son. However, Mjölnir in mythology didn't have any restrictions of worthiness, nor could it grant Thor's powers to anyone, being in fact stolen by the antagonistic Giant Thrym in the ''[[Literature/PoeticEdda Þrymskviða]]'' to demand a marriage with Freyja as payment, with no mention of him using special methods to transport it to Jötunheim. The only requirement for Thor to wield it was his pair of iron gloves Járngreipr, which the ''Literature/ProseEdda'' once says must not be missing for Thor to grip the hammer's shaft, but even then it is unclear exactly how necessary they are, as the aforementioned Giants managed to lift Mjölnir and Magni and Modi were prophesied to wield it after Ragnarök, so it is possible that Thor was meant to use the gloves to better protect his hand when using the weapon. Only the worthy being able to wield Mjölnir is a concept possibly influenced by {{Excalibur}} from the Myth/ArthurianLegend, which in the versions where the sword was lodged in stone, can only be pulled by the rightful king of Britain; the inscription on Mjölnir even resembles a sentence in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''[[note]]"Whoso pulls out this Sword of this Stone and Anvil is rightfully King Born of all England."[[/note]]

* Overall, the comics have much more inspiration in the 19th century Germanic romanticization of Norse myths and in old English and Shakesperean motifs than in the original extant sources, including several motifs such as winged and horned helmets, which were never used in the Viking age, and Thor being clean-shaved and blonde rather than red-bearded, like in the painting ''Art/ThorsFightWithTheGiants''.

** Loki is Odin's adopted son, rather than his blood brother and cousin (their grandfathers were brothers), as he is in the myths. (And ergo he should be Thor's ''step-uncle''.) Loki is a blood brother to Thor as well. Loki is also a TricksterGod in the original mythology, rather than an outright bad guy. However, his relationship to the gods becomes increasingly antagonistic over time, and he ends up fighting against them.
** They also got some of his parentage wrong. Loki is known as Laufeysen in the original myths, but not because Laufey is his father like in the comics. Laufey is actually the name of his ''mother''. Loki has to use a matronymic rather than a patronymic because his father Farbaurti disowned him for being, by Jotun standards, small.

** In general, Mjölnir in Marvel Comics has many [[AdaptationalSuperPowerChange different abilities from the mythological hammer]]; while its exact set of properties [[DependingOnTheWriter isn't always clear]], the weapon has been shown to manipulate matter, control souls, absorb and redirect energy, create wormholes, allow its wielder fly and, due to Odin's enchantment, grant Thor's powers to anyone worthy to hold it, none of which Mjölnir can do in Norse myths. The opposite is true as well, as one of Mjölnir's forgers in mythology, Brokk, says the hammer is unbreakable, would never be thrown so far away that it wouldn't find its way back to its wielder's hand, would never miss its target, and could be so small that Thor could carry it in his shirt if he wished to (possibly as a pendant). In the comics, while Mjölnir also always returns to Thor's hand, it isn't unbreakable, as it has been damaged or destroyed on several occasions (although by extraordinary forces) and it isn't stated to never miss when thrown.

** In general, Mjölnir in Marvel Comics has many [[AdaptationalSuperPowerChange different abilities from the mythological hammer]]; while its exact set of properties [[DependingOnTheWriter isn't always clear]], the weapon has been show to manipulate matter, control souls, absorb and redirect energy, create wormholes, allow its wielder fly and, due to Odin's enchantment, grant Thor's powers to anyone worthy to hold it, none of which Mjölnir can do in Norse myths. The opposite is true as well, as one of Mjölnir's forgers in mythology, Brokk, says the hammer is unbreakable, would never be thrown too far away that it wouldn't find its way back to its wielder's hand, would never miss its target, and, if Thor wished to, is so small that he could carry it in his shirt (possibly as a pendant). In the comics, while Mjölnir also always returns to Thor's hand, it isn't unbreakable, as it has been damaged or destroyed on several occasions (although by extraordinary forces) and it isn't stated to never miss when thrown.

** In general, Mjölnir in Marvel Comics has many [[AdaptationalPowerChange different abilities from the mythological hammer]]; while its exact set of properties [[DependingOfTheWriter isn't always clear]], the weapon has been show to manipulate matter, control souls, absorb and redirect energy, create wormholes, allow its wielder fly and, due to Odin's enchantment, grant Thor's powers to anyone worthy to hold it, none of which Mjölnir can do in Norse myths. The opposite is true as well, as one of Mjölnir's forgers in mythology, Brokk, says the hammer is unbreakable, would never be thrown too far away that it wouldn't find its way back to its wielder's hand, would never miss its target, and, if Thor wished to, is so small that he could carry it in his shirt (possibly as a pendant). In the comics, while Mjölnir also always returns to Thor's hand, it isn't unbreakable, as it has been damaged or destroyed on several occasions (although by extraordinary forces) and it isn't stated to never miss when thrown.

* Overall, the comics have much more inspiration in the 19th century Germanic romanticization of Norse myths than in the original extant sources, including several motifs such as winged and horned helmets, which were never used in the Viking age, and Thor being clean-shaved and blonde rather than red-bearded, like in the painting ''Art/ThorsFightWithTheGiants''.

** Thor was married to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sif the goddess Sif]], but that did not stop him from fathering children with giantesses or romancing a mortal woman.
** Thor is portrayed as a noble, inspiring, modern hero but the Thor of myth doesn't really fit that label (he predates it). While he was indeed a well-doing protector of humanity, he was also an ill-tempered BloodKnight who almost killed the giantess Hyrrokkin for shaking the ground after she pushed Baldr's enormous funerary ship and had to be talked down by the other gods and threatened to kill Loki for his insults in the ''Lokasenna'', as well as a womanizer who probably wouldn't be tied down to a single mortal woman. This is eventually addressed in universe, as Thor is often portrayed that way in his younger days, and he has tried to change as the definition of hero has changed.

** Thor is portrayed as a noble, inspiring, modern hero but the Thor of myth doesn't really fit that label (he predates it). He was an ill-tempered BloodKnight, and a womanizer who probably wouldn't be tied down to a single mortal woman. This is eventually addressed in universe, as Thor is often portrayed that way in his younger days, and he has tried to change as the definition of hero has changed.

* Amora the Enchantress is based on Freya, who ''was'' indeed an enchantress, and very beautiful but she was never evil. And what kind of name for a ''Norse'' goddess is Amora, anyway? Freyja shows up later as a separate being.

* Thor:

* Loki:

Norse myth gets played very fast and loose in ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor''. However, after (one presumes) a lot of corrections by mail, the writers did attempt to explain some of it by having the Norse gods be continually destroyed in Ragnarok and then reborn, with small differences between incarnations.

** Loki is Odin's adopted son, rather than his blood brother, as he is in the myths. (And ergo he should be Thor's ''step-uncle''.) Loki is a blood brother to Thor as well. Loki is also a TricksterGod in the original mythology, rather than an outright bad guy. However, his relationship to the gods becomes increasingly antagonistic over time, and he ends up fighting against them.

''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': Norse myth gets played very fast and loose. However, after (one presumes) a lot of corrections by mail, the writers did attempt to explain some of it by having the Norse gods be continually destroyed in Ragnarok and then reborn, with small differences between incarnations.