Which element is named after the Norse god of thunder?

The element named after the Norse god of thunder is thorium. Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius gave it this name after identifying a new element in 1828. The name refers to Thor, the Norse deity associated especially with thunder and war.

The discovery began with a black mineral found by Norwegian mineralogist Morten Thrane Esmark on Løvøya, an island off Norway. Berzelius analyzed the mineral and recognized that it contained a previously unknown element. The mineral was later called thorite, reflecting the same mythological connection.

Thorium has the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It is a naturally occurring radioactive metal found mainly in minerals such as monazite. Thorium is more abundant in Earth’s crust than uranium, but it is not itself a conventional fissile fuel; in nuclear technology, thorium-232 can absorb neutrons and eventually produce uranium-233. The distractors are also named after celestial or mythological figures, but only thorium honors Thor.