Thor's son; inherits Mjölnir together with Magni after Ragnarok.
Modi (Old Norse Móði, 'the brave' or 'the wrathful') is the son of Thor. Unlike his half-brother Magni, whose mother is named as Jarnsaxa, Modi's mother is not identified in the surviving sources. Modi is extremely sparsely attested and appears primarily in eschatological contexts, as one of the gods who survive Ragnarok and carry forward his father's legacy into the new world.
In Vafþrúðnismál 51 the giant Vafthrudnir states that Magni and Modi will possess Mjölnir after Thor's fall in the battle against Jörmungandr. Gylfaginning 53 confirms this and places the brothers among the surviving gods on Idavollr in the renewed earth. Modi's name, which can be interpreted as 'courage' or 'wrath', suggests a quality of battle-eagerness and fury, fitting for an heir to Thor's temperament. Beyond these references, accounts of Modi's individual deeds are absent, and he remains a figure whose full significance cannot be determined from existing sources.
Sources in the Eddas
- Vafþrúðnismál 51
- Vafthrudnir states that Modi and Magni inherit Mjölnir after Thor's fall at Ragnarok.
- Gylfaginning 53
- Snorri places Modi and Magni among the gods who survive Ragnarok and gather at Idavollr.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Modi is Thor's son and inherits Mjölnir with Magni after Ragnarok, attested in Vafþrúðnismál 51.
He is named among the surviving gods in Gylfaginning 53.
B What we think we know
Modi's mother is not named, and it is debated whether he is a full or half-brother to Magni.
Whether Modi and Magni had a mythological function beyond serving as Thor's heirs is unclear.
C What we do not know
It is unknown whether Modi had any cultic function in pre-Christian Norse religion.