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Side by sideParallel across traditions

Tawhirimatea vs Thor

Tawhirimatea
TawhirimateaPolynesian
Thor
ThorNorse

Both command storms and thunder.

At a glance

Tawhirimatea and Thor compared
TawhirimateaThor
TraditionPolynesian PantheonNorse Pantheon
Domainsweather, wind, storms, thunderthunder, lightning, strength, protection, storms
Symbolsstorm clouds, wind, hurricane, lightninghammer Mjolnir, belt Megingjord, iron gloves, goats, red beard
Also calledTawhiriDonar, Thunder God

Where they meet

Both are associated with storms and thunder.

Where they part

Only Tawhirimatea

Associated with weather and wind.

Only Thor

Associated with lightning, strength, and protection.

How each was worshipped

Tawhirimatea

Cult sites
No attested temple in the surviving record

Wind and storm after the parents are torn apart. You do not house the gale. Acknowledge him in weather tapu.

Thor

Cult sites
Uppsala temple beside Odin and Freyr; Wayside hammers and holy oaks more than a single great fane
Festivals
Thursday observances; Hammer-blessings of marriages and land

The most popular of the North's gods in the settlement period. Miniature hammers, Thursday, and oak. He fights giants and blesses the farm. Adam puts him in the high seat at Uppsala; farmers put him over the door.

The two figures

Polynesian Pantheon

Tawhirimatea

The Maori god of weather, winds, and storms. Tawhirimatea was the only one of Rangi and Papa's children to oppose their separation, and he still attacks his brothers with storms in revenge.

Tawhirimatea was born between Rangi and Papa like his brothers, but he alone remained loyal to his parents when the others chose to separate them. His grief and anger at their separation fuel the storms he sends against the earth to this day.

Tawhirimatea is the god of weather and storms in Maori mythology, one of the sons of Rangi and Papa. Unlike his brothers, he did not support the separation of their parents and has waged war against them ever since, his fury manifesting in the storms that batter the earth.

Read the full Tawhirimatea entry

Norse Pantheon

Thor

Son of Odin and the earth goddess Jord. God of thunder, lightning, and storms. Protector of mankind and the gods, wielding the mighty hammer Mjolnir.

Thor was born to Odin, the Allfather, and Jord, the personification of the earth itself. This union of sky and earth made Thor one of the mightiest beings in existence. From birth, he displayed incredible strength - as an infant, he could lift ten loads of bearskins. He grew quickly into the powerful protector of both gods and mortals. He married Sif, the golden-haired goddess, and with her had a daughter named Thrud. With the giantess Jarnsaxa, he fathered Magni and Modi, who will inherit Mjolnir after Ragnarok.

Thor is the defender of Asgard and Midgard, wielding the mighty hammer **Mjolnir**. Unlike the cunning Odin, Thor is straightforward, strong, and short-tempered, but fiercely loyal.

Read the full Thor entry
About this comparison

Comparisons pair figures that play a similar role across traditions, or that the myths connect within one. A shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.