Þorri (ˈθɔrːi) is the Icelandic

Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...

 name of the personification of frost

Frost

Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...

 or winter

Winter

Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...

 in Norse mythology

Norse mythology

Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...

, and also the name of the fourth winter month (mid January - mid February) in the Icelandic calendar.

In the Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga

The Orkneyinga saga is a historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands, from their capture by the Norwegian king in the ninth century onwards until about 1200...

(13th century), Þorri is an early Norwegian king, the son of Snær

Snær

Snær Snærr, East Norse Sniō, Latin Nix, Nivis) 'snow', in Norse mythology seemingly a personification of snow, appearing in extant text as an euhemerized legendary Scandinavian king.-Icelandic tradition:...

 ('Snow') the Old, a descendant of Fornjót

Fornjót

Fornjót was an ancient giant in Norse mythology and a king of Finland. His children are Ægir , Logi and Kári ....

.
Þorri was father of two sons named Nór

Nór

Nór or Nori is firstly a mercantile title and secondly a Norse man's name. It is stated in Norse sources that Nór was the founder of Norway, from whom the land supposedly got its name...

 and Gór and a daughter named Gói ('thin snow, track-snow').

Hversu Noregr byggðist ("How Norway was settled", 12th century) states that the Kvens offered a yearly sacrifice to Þorri, at mid-winter.
Both the month name and the name of the midwinter sacrifice, Þorrablót

Þorrablót

Þorrablót , or Thurseblot, is an Icelandic midwinter festival that takes place in the month of Þorri, according to the Old Icelandic Calendar, which starts in late January and ends in late February. These festivals were started by Icelandic student associations in the latter half of the 19th century...

, are derived from the personal name Þorri. Orkneyinga saga by contrast states that the Þorrablót was established by Þorri.

The name Þorri has long been identified with that of Þórr, the name of the Norse thunder god, or thunder

Thunder

Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble . The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within...

 personified. Probably the Þorrablót was in origin a sacrifice dedicated to Þórr himself, and the figure of Þorri is a secondary aitiology derived form the name of the sacrifice. Nilsson thinks that the personification of Þorri "frost" and Goi "track-snow" was particular to Iceland.

The pagan sacrifice of Þorrablót disappeared with the Christianization of Iceland

Christianization of Iceland

Iceland converted to the Christian religion in 1000 AD. In Icelandic, this event is known as the kristnitaka .- Earliest observance :...

, but in the 19th century, a midwinter festival called Þorrablót was introduced in Romantic nationalism

Romantic nationalism

Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...

, and is still popular in contemporary Iceland, since the 1960s associated with a selection of traditional food, called Þorramatur

Þorramatur

Þorramatur is a selection of traditional Icelandic food, consisting mainly of meat and fish products cured in a traditional manner, cut into slices or bits and served with rúgbrauð , butter and brennivín...

. Regardless of actual etymology, it is a popular explanation of the name Þorri to take it as a diminutive of Þórr and it remains common practice to toast Þórr as part of the modern celebration.

See also

• Ded Moroz
  Ded Moroz
  Ded Moroz is a fictional character who in some Slavic cultures plays a role similar to that of Santa Claus. The literal translation of the name would be Grandfather Frost, although the name is often translated as Father Frost....
  
  
• Blot (sacrifice)
• Midwinter
• Midvinterblot
  Midvinterblot
  Midvinterblot is a painting created for the hall of the central staircase in Nationalmuseum in Stockholm by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson in 1915. It is Sweden's most debated painting....