Thor of Thunder

My pre-Christian ancestors believed in a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder and lightening.

Thor, whose name is the origin of the weekday Thursday and whose father was the famous Odin, claims a fair space in Viking poetry.

"Thor is out with his hammer again." The many thunder storms in this part of the world during the summer remind us of this particular god of old Norse mythology.

The other day I wandered down the road with our oldest munchkin, Emma. Thunder roared above us and I explained in simple turns--so that both she and I could understand--about clouds crashing together and the noise such an event produced.

Reactions to thunder and lightening are varied. My aunt was scared to death of thunder storms, pulled out all electrical cords, and stayed far away from the sockets. Our last dog, Choice ran into the shower and stayed there until the storm passed, while Hector, the Wheaten Terrier stands out on the porch and looks up towards the sky, wondering what that sound is.

We used to bring our kids outside to watch the weather phenomena. Our favorite lightening storms were definitely in Austria. The whole landscape lit up from spurts of lightening in a row and ran along the mountain range beyond our property. And just as their ancestors were thrilled as dark clouds rolled in across distant hills after vigorous rituals of dancing and chanting to invoke rain, so our children enjoyed watching the scenery change and mother nature do her thing.


People approach me, wondering why I--a happy, cheerful being--paint dark and rainy skies on many of my paintings. The reason is simple; I like thunder clouds. They are pretty. The colors are magnificent.

I can recommend the 2011 movie "Thor". It's exciting and at times touching. That the Australian actor, Chris Hemsworth, plays Thor is definitely no drawback. I bet the son of Odin looked something like that.

Today's water colors are of rainy, stormy days.