I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THOR + PARENTING . cause he’s such a seemingly reckless parent at times , case in point being introducing his eight year old daughter to venom ( @brockbiote ) but at the same time , it’s so indicative of how he was raised . Thor had everything growing up , he was served life on a silver platter , courtesy of being a prince in one of the wealthiest realms in the Nine . and at the same time , he sought knowledge through experience .
he learned to hunt , he found out which trees were best suited for climbing . he learned painful lessons about how nature could kick his arse . he slept under the stars and became acquainted with every constellation . he conversed with the nornir , the most powerful beings in the cosmos , to learn about his past , present , and future . he meditated at the roots of yggdrasil to reach clarity and understand the nine realms . he spent days with Heimdallr , learning to master all - sight , something he still hasn’t quite achieved . he fought , endlessly , agonisingly , to learn different combat techniques and understand how to best his opponent based on their skillset .
learning by doing , by experiencing , is the only way he’s found himself where he is today ------------------------ as a being who understands his powers , the nine realms , his fate , his people , his enemies , his rule over Ásgarðr , and so on . and of course there’s an element of watching and listening there too ; he’ll never admit it but the reason he’s such an excellent king is because he’s learnt , from Odin , what not to do . and the reason he knows so much about the worlds and their citizens is because he listened , captivated , to Heimdallr’s tales about them .
so if his children want to scale the tallest mountain , or spend a day in the blistering heat of Muspellheimr to understand just how hot it really is , or find out more about the eleven poisonous rivers that leave the mouth of hvergelmir , Thor’s all for it . caution and protectiveness are displayed through his being there , keeping an eye out , but he’s also aware that his children are , even at such young ages , stronger than he’ll ever be . so he knows how far he can let them go , to obtain knowledge and understanding . he grew up to realise that knowledge , over physical strength , was the real power . he’s grateful his children understand this already .
