Thor is frequently connected with stars in both literature and art. I have produced this article as a summary of all the Thorist star lore I am aware of, however it is likely that not all of these constellations were attributed to Thor at the same place and at the same time. As with many other symbols the star constellations would have been dedicated to different gods, as today we have different familiar names for the larger constellations. It would make sense if the main constellations were given to the worshippers own patron (if possible). In the northern sky the two most obvious are probably Ursa Major and Orion, the former was given to a numerous gods while the latter was claimed by Frigg, Freyja and the Virgin Mary.
I have used the Latin names for the stars as they are the most universally known.
This is the saucepan shaped constellation which points to the pole star. It is most frequently known as the Plough in England and the Big Dipper (i.e. a deep spoon) in the USA. All across Scandinavia and in Germany this constellation is known as the Wain. This constellation seems to have been ascribed to at least three of the Norse gods, Odin, Irmin and Thor. When given to Thor the constellation is called 'Karl Wagen', Karl being the familiar title given to the god in Scandinavia, normally translated as 'the Old Man'. This name is found in Denmark, Sweden and Iceland. It is highly likely that the Wain was given to any prominent deity who travelled in a chariot, which would also include Freyr, Freyja, and the old earth goddess Nerthus. The name Irmin is interesting as this elusive god may be Tyr.
R H Allen (1) quotes an old rhyme describing the god figures at Upsala which describes Thor as follows:
The God Thor was the highest of them,
He sat naked as a child,
Seven stars in his hand and Charles's Wain.
Prudence Jones also quotes a similar source from Messenius (2) stating that this writer believed the seven stars to be the Pleiades, but as these are a considerable distance from Ursa Major, she suggests Ursa Minor instead. Following this logic Jones suggests that Ursa Minor represents Thor's hammer. I drew the accompanying illustration based on this theory, with Ursa Major forming the wagon and Ursa Minor the hammer, Polaris is doing a most untypical star of Bethlehem impression over Thor's head.
Again the link between Thor and stars is very strong. Charles's Wain is yet another name for the plough and is derived from Charlemane. Thor is often described as racing across the sky (part of the job for a Thundergod) so the stars are very appropriate symbols for him, and especially for his wagon. In the Haustlong poem (4) this idea comes across very strongly:
'The son of Jord (Thor) drove to the game of iron (battle) and the moon's way (sky) thundered beneath him.'
This is a smaller version of Ursa Major which lies much closer to the pole star than its larger image. This constellation is probably best known in England as the Little Bear. Early Scandinavia's called it the Small Chariot, or Freyja's Wain or the Throne of Thor.
The constellation is roughly chair shaped. Chairs were very unusual in the early middle ages and symbolised high authority. Common folk sat on benches or stools, hence the modern term 'chairman' for a leader, the only person important enough to be seated in comfort. The only obvious god figure of Thor that survives is seated on an elaborate decorated chair or throne, and larger god figures may have had similar thrones.
Thus both the images and the star constellation show Thor as a dominant god, this name for the constellation was probably not recognised outside the cult of Thor.
A bit of guesswork here! Two stars are mentioned several times in the Eddic myths called Thiassi's eyes, which are probably the bright twin stars of Gemini. They best known from the story of Skadi, an enraged giantess who demands compensation from the gods after Thiassi's death. As part of the payment Odin made two stars out of her fathers eyes.
However the Lay of Harbard (3) contests the Skadi story. Thor describes how he was responsible for this constellation.....
'Strong Thjatsi, the thurs, I overthrew in battle,
and the awful eyes of Alvaldi's son
I cast on the cloudless sky.
Those be the mighty marks of my great works'.
Again the stars can be claimed by several gods but here there is a marked difference in their meaning, Odin's act was meant as an apologetic memorial while Thor's resembles a hunter mounting a trophy. The battle Thor boasts of does not tie in with the Skadi story where all the gods kill Thiassi by burning him in a great fire, but both tales seem to refer to Gemini.
No this is not a Latin name, I don't claim to know where this star is. The Whetstone story gives a fragment of another myth, where Thor carries Aurvandil back from Giantland in a basket. One of Aurvandil's toes froze on the journey and broke off. Thor tossed it into the sky and made it into a star. The name Aurvandil is well known in the north and is found in Anglo-Saxon as Earendel. It may also be connected to the Gloucestershire story of Wandil the giant. Wandil stole the spring but the gods defeated him and threw his body into the sky, where his eyes stare down as the Gemini stars (2).
However it is unclear whether these connected myths refer to the same stars or even if the names describe a single star or a constellation.
Polaris is the pole star, if you walk towards it you are travelling north. For early sailors this star was invaluable and the Anglo-Saxons called it the Ship Star.
The Scandinavians knew this star as the 'God's Nail' which again suggests the cult of Thor. The article on the Symbolism of the Whetstone in Thunder 4 pointed out the belief that Thor has a fragment of stone or iron in his forehead representing the god's control of fire. Nails were also hammered into housepillars dedicated to the god which supported the centre of the house, so the link between the god's nail and the axis of the heavens is very tempting. Furthermore in northern Scandinavia Polaris is nearly overhead, adding to the link between the nail and the world pillar.
In later artwork from the late middle ages to the turn of the century, Thor is often shown with a halo of stars. This symbolism may stem from the descriptions given above of the godfigures at Uppsala and it is in representations of the Uppsala images that the stars are most obvious.
Overall these myths show two things very clearly, Thor is primarily a sky god and the stars were obvious motifs to use in his myths, and secondly Thor dominates the other gods in star folklore proving his popularity among the Teutonic peoples.
(1) Star Names Their Lore and Meaning, Richard Hinkley Allen, Dover Pub Inc 1963 (reprint from 1899).
(2) Northern Myths of the Constellations, Prudence Jones, Fenris Wolf 1991.
(3) The Poetic Edda, Trans. Lee M Hollander, Texas Univ Press, 1987.
(4) Edda, Snorri Sturluson, Trans. Anthony Faulkes, Everyman, 1987.