It can be said that offering prayer is a rather puerile attempt to deal with real situations. Also, it can be said that modern people who say they "will pray for you" offer a puerile attempt to make the afflicted person feel better while at the same time giving the speaker of such a sense that they did something - without getting personally involved. Prayer also gives those who offer it a sense of personal divine connection and a false sense of self-importance. But prayer will not stop the barbarians at the gates (see my post 5/10/2017 - Barbarians at the Gates). The God Thor, protector of Midgard, shows us that there are times when hard men are necessary.
The Lore tells us of a time when Thor went fishing with the giant, Hymir. The giant did not and would not provide Thor with bait. So Thor killed Hymir's biggest Ox and cut off its head for bait - to catch and kill Jormungardr, the Midgard Serpent. Hymir never cared much for Thor, and he was not thrilled with losing his biggest Ox. Thor baits his hook and Jormungardr strikes.
The battle is ferocious. But Hymir the Giant is scared shitless. Thor manages to pull the head of the Serpent into the boat. As he reaches for his Hammer to kill Jormungardr, the scared shitless Hymir cuts the fishing line, freeing the beast. Thor is furious at losing the opportunity to kill the enemy of Midgard and tosses Hymir overboard. In a later tale within the Lore, Thor kills Hymir. The lessons of this tale should be clear.
First, do what is necessary to eliminate the threat. Be wary of your allies. And, stay focused on the cause. Finally, know and understand that there will be loss - none of which can be categorized as "acceptable" ( for the sake of this post, it matters not if you believe that Ragnarok is a "Christian edition" to the Lore. That tale tells us Thor meets the Serpent Jormungardr for the third time. Thor kills the beast. After taking nine steps backward, he falls dead from the serpent's poison).
When it's finally over, do not offer up prayers. Raise horns and praise to the fallen who brought down the Serpent.
Copyright @2017 Terry Unger
