Ask a class of sixth graders who Thor is, and almost every hand goes up. Ask whether they know the story where Thor puts on a wedding dress to get his hammer back, and the room goes quiet, then starts laughing. That reaction is exactly why this myth works so well in a classroom. Students arrive thinking they know the character, and leave realizing the original stories are stranger, funnier, and much older than any movie.
This free Grade 6 worksheet retells one of the best-loved Norse myths in clear, modern prose, followed by questions that help students see what makes a myth a myth.
The myth in brief
Thor, god of thunder, wakes one morning to find Mjolnir, his hammer and Asgard’s main protection against the giants, gone. Loki, the gods’ clever and unreliable trickster, borrows the goddess Freyja’s falcon-feather cloak and flies off to investigate. He finds Thrym, king of the giants, who cheerfully admits to the theft. The price for the hammer’s return: Freyja as his bride.
Freyja refuses so furiously that her necklace snaps. The gods’ watchman, Heimdall, suggests the only plan anyone can think of. Thor will go to the wedding himself, veiled, wearing Freyja’s necklace, with Loki along as his bridesmaid.
Three moments worth pausing on
The myth is short, but three moments carry most of its meaning. These make good stopping points when you read it aloud.
The snapped necklace. Freyja’s anger is so strong it breaks her jewelry. It’s a small detail, but it tells students something important about myths: gods have big, physical emotions, and their feelings can change the world around them. Ask students what a modern story would do to show the same anger.
Loki’s excuses. At the feast, the “bride” eats an entire ox and eight salmon and drinks three barrels of mead. When Thrym stares, Loki explains that Freyja was too excited to eat for eight nights. When Thrym lifts the veil and sees blazing eyes, Loki adds that she hasn’t slept for eight nights either. These lines are pure comedy, and they show Loki’s real skill: thinking fast under pressure. Students who only know Loki as a villain are often surprised to see him saving the day.
The hammer in the lap. Thrym orders the hammer laid in the bride’s lap to bless the marriage. It’s the giant’s biggest mistake, and the moment the whole trick has been building toward. Ask students why the storyteller might have saved the hammer’s return for a wedding ritual rather than a fight. It’s a nice way into talking about irony and structure.
What the worksheet asks
The worksheet follows the site’s familiar four-part format:
- Multiple choice on why the hammer mattered, Thrym’s demand, whose idea the disguise was, and Loki’s excuse
- True or false statements that check careful reading, including whether Freyja agreed to the marriage
- Characteristics of myths: students identify two features of a myth in the story, then compare Thor and Loki and explain how Loki’s cleverness gets the hammer back
- An open-ended question asking what the myth suggests the Norse people valued
The separate answer key includes sample responses for the written questions.
Comparing Norse and Greek myths
This story pairs naturally with the Greek myths many students meet in earlier grades. Here’s a quick comparison you can use for discussion:
| “Thor and the Stolen Hammer” (Norse) | “King Midas and the Golden Touch” (Greek) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main problem | A stolen weapon puts the gods’ home at risk | A king’s wish turns everything he touches to gold |
| Tone | Comic and boisterous | Serious, a warning tale |
| What wins the day | Cleverness, disguise, and strength | Humility and asking for forgiveness |
| Lesson | Protecting home sometimes means looking foolish | Greed costs what matters most |
Students who’ve read King Midas and the Golden Touch, our Grade 4 Greek myth, can fill in a chart like this themselves. It’s a quick way to see how two cultures used stories differently.
Mix-ups to watch for
A few misunderstandings come up often with this myth.
“Loki is the bad guy.” In many modern films he is, but in this myth he’s the hero’s partner. Ask students to find evidence of Loki helping, and they’ll see a more complicated character.
“Myths are just made-up stories.” Myths were stories a culture used to explain the world and share its values. Asking “What did the Norse people believe was important?” moves students past “it’s fake” toward real analysis.
Mixing up Freyja and Thrym’s roles. Some students think Freyja stole the hammer, because her name appears so often. A quick character list before reading prevents this.
Where to go next
Students who enjoy myths can keep going with The Map That Drew Itself, a Grade 5 fantasy that shows how modern writers borrow the same magical ingredients. For more Grade 6 reading, try The Class Election, a realistic story about a much quieter kind of courage, or the clue-filled mystery The Lighthouse Cipher. For performance practice, the comedy Group Project, Party of Four shares this myth’s sense of humor.
When students are ready for a myth with a more serious tone, The Weaver of Stars explains how the constellations came to be. You can also browse all of our Grade 6 worksheets.
Get the worksheet
Download the Grade 6 Norse myth worksheet and its answer key below. The story takes about ten minutes to read aloud, which leaves plenty of time for the best part: watching students react when the “bride” finishes her eighth salmon.
For More grade 6 worksheets, Visit Grade 6 Reading Comprehension Worksheets.