Thorfinn, also known as Thor, is a Viking ghost from the early 1000s and the oldest ghost at the Woodstone Mansion. He appears in the American sitcom Ghosts.
Biography[]
History[]
Thorfinn is the ghost of a Viking, that is, an early Medieval Norse sea trader and pillager. He was born in 971 or 972 CE in Norway.[1]
When young, his family would have a large meal before his father left for war. He doesn't remember what those meals tasted like because it's been so long,[2] but he recalls that his father used to yell at him out of anger because he ate all the ram's testicles.[3]
He was married to a Norwegian woman named Olga. Together they had at least one son, Bjorn, who was a small child when Thorfinn left Norway for the last time before his death. Before he left, he tried to get his son to say "good-bye" and "father", but the child was too young.[4]
Thorfinn sailed down the coast with his shipmates from present-day Canada to search inland for furs. He was subsequently left behind "for reasons unknown."[5] While walking inland, he befriended a squirrel that he named "Oskar", but was forced to kill and eat it due to hunger. He has frequent nightmares about the incident.[6]
Other of his anecdotes include battling a pack of wolves once,[7] and being shipwrecked or marooned in an uninhabited island, where he named a seal "Sven" before eating it.
Thorfinn often mentions his deep hatred of Danes, and has gleefully mentioned cruel practices against them, such as hanging Dane heads on a house's front[8] and gifting a box to a Dane woman that has her son's head inside. However, it is ambiguous if he did any of these actions himself. He claims to have strangled at least one person to death, perhaps several people.[9]
Death[]
After being abandoned on the coast, Thorfinn walked up the Hudson Valley for months until he reached the place where Woodstone Mansion would be built on, centuries later. The land appears to have been completely uninhabited at the time. Thorfinn presumably was the first white man in the area, as no historical record of Vikings being present there survived.[10]
One day, while hunting, a storm gathered and he was struck by lightning attracted by his metal helmet. The helmet tumbled forward and is not present in his ghost form, unlike other pieces of his gear including his shield and battle axe. This could imply that he didn't die instantly, though he shows no trace of injuries caused by lightning, either. According to Thorfinn, this happened "seven winters after the Battle of Svolder."[11] As the battle took place in either 999 or 1000, this would place his death in either 1006 or 1007. He reported that he died before the age of 35.
For hundreds of years, he watched his corpse rot and then his bones be swallowed by the earth with no person touching them.[12] His time afterward is mysterious. He claims he liked the 1190s, and that he thought the 1490s were "pretty wild".[13] However, no other ghost is confirmed to have existed on the property until Sasappis died in the 1510s. The two shared a wigwam for a time afterwards, during which Sasappis witnessed Thorfinn having nightmares.[14] Thor never told the other ghosts that he was left behind by his shipmates.[15]
He was in two successive romantic relationships with other ghosts, named Luella and Flat Maria (the latter because she was run over by a cattle herd). They were "sucked off" (moved on to the afterlife) before Hetty died in 1895.[16]
Though not close as ghosts, Hetty could see him when she was a child. He would sing her to sleep every night, but she called him "Gordon" because she couldn't pronounce his name. This memory stayed with her as she grew older, but the memory of Thorfinn became hazier as she outgrew her ability to see ghosts.[17]
His remains were unearthed in 2021 during remodeling work near the fountain in front of Woodstone. Thorfinn asked Sam and Jay Arondekar to give his body a funeral per the Viking custom in an attempt to get him sucked off, but this didn't happen. When it seemed that the plan was working, Flower confessed her love for Thor, but she took it back after Thorfinn wasn't sucked off. He also placed a curse on the livings when they considered cancelling the funeral and selling his bones to a museum.[18]
After learning that his son came looking for him and is now a ghost in the neighboring Farnsby Mansion, Thorfinn first wanted to known what Bjorn's first kill was and how many Dane heads he displayed outside his cottage, but he was furious to learn that Bjorn had actually married a Dane. He was ready to tell Bjorn that he was no longer his son, but he changed his mind after being talked out of it by Flower and Isaac.[19] Since then, Thorfinn has been able to communicate directly with his son by yelling out of a window in each property.[20]
Thorfinn also concealed his nightmares from other ghosts besides Sasappis until he had to share a room with Trevor. Since Thor wouldn't talk about it, Sam chose to seek therapy and talk about the nightmares as if they were her own in order to help Thor.[21]
By the episode Trevor's Pants, he has developed a crush on Flower. They went on a date together in A Date To Remember and became one of the resident couples at Woodstone. In Woodstone's Hottest Couple, Stephanie attempted to break them up by pointing that they had nothing in common, but by the end of the episode they realized they both like owls. Thor also tried to have a double date with Hetty and Trevor in the same episode, but Hetty avoided inviting them.
In The Christmas Spirit, he says that he doesn't like Christmas because it took the best parts of the Norse Yule Festival, but he warms to the festival after possessing Sam's body for the day and experiencing the magic of Christmas—cookies, the Fest of Seven Fishes, getting a present (a Viking ship in a bottle), and saving the life of Bela Arondekar's boyfriend, Eric.
Appearance[]
Thor, towering at over 6 feet, exudes a rugged presence, adorned in a combination of furs, a simple cloth shirt, armor, and animal skins. The furs emit a pungent odor due to being soaked in wolfs' urine. His straight, brown hair is shaved at the back and sides, while his bushy reddish-brown beard frames his face. Within his beard, three braids serve as poignant reminders of his fallen brothers in battle. With broad shoulders and a sturdy build, Thorfinn emanates strength and resilience. Strapped on his back is a shield, and a sword or dagger is securely fastened in his belt. His chest is adorned with leather straps intricately carved with Nordic runes. Numerous battle scars mark his body, but the most prominent one graces the left side of his face, a testament to his past encounters.
Special Power[]
Thorfin's ability, Electromagnetic Disruption, allows him to manipulate electrical currents with a mere thought, potentially causing lights, chandeliers, and appliances to glitch or malfunction. He can also blow out individual lightbulbs, creating minor explosions, but his power has limits, and extensive use can leave him exhausted and weakened. If he pushes himself too far, he may end up on his knees, drained of energy.
Personality[]
He is one of the loudest ghosts and often puts up a fearless attitude.
He likes children. He was close to his son in life, often trying to get him to say father at least once. He was greatly excited to hear from Sam that he was near him and wasted no time in learning about the life he lived. He almost disowned his son for his marriage to a Danish woman but stopped after being called "Father", something he wanted for the longest time and wasted no time in catching up with him.
Having been a ghost for centuries, he is envious of those who immediately pass. However, he is now paranoid of going to Hell after witnessing Elias Woodstone going after he refused to redeem himself. Thorfinn later said he is not afraid of the portal but not opposed to changing to avoid this fate. His advice to counsel is with violence as noted in The Perfect Assistant.
Thor understands what irony is but still call cars "landships".[22] In Alberta's Descendant, he says landships have seats made of "cow", which prompts Pete to ask if he is actually messing with them, because he has heard him using the word "leather" before. He likes watching Viking documentaries on TV, and reality TV makes him catty.
Like the other ghosts, due to being dead for so long and not seeing a living who can see them, Thor has grown a very strong selfish streak, expecting Sam and Jay to pull off their requests with ease, such as travelling to Norway to see his dead shipmates. When Thor possessed Sam, he was determined to gain full control, and after being ejected, wished for possessing Sam as a Christmas tradition.
Quotes[]
"Oh! Oh! It’s one of those—how you say — it’s a ship on land. Landship! Landship!"
— Pilot
"The bones have spoken, and they have foreseen your doom!"
— Hello!
"No mead? So what do you drink at your orgies?"
— Viking Funeral
"Do what you must, but know this: Jörmungandr the Midgard Serpent will be visiting you in your nightsleeps, and your firstborn child will have head of cabbage"
— Viking Funeral
"Why not apologize sooner? Cost nothing, fix everything"
— Pete's Wife
"Thor like putting head of Dane in basket. Give basket to Dane's mother. Surprise!"
Trivia[]
- Opening intro objects:
- Viking helmet (Viking Funeral)
- Battle sword (The Baby Bjorn)
- Barn owl (The Owl)
- Painting of a fjord in Norway (Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues)
- He is noticeably absent in the episodes:
- He is the American version of Robin.
- He did not sleep for "many moons" after watching Pete die.[23]
- He doesn't like Alberta's hat, as mentioned in The Family Business.
- In Spies, he and Nigel Chessum learn that they both like watching ants.
- He found Molly attractive and when seeing her again, he was pleased.
- He taught Pete some self-defense moves, which helped him avoid Hell in Weekend From Hell.
- He found Elias's power amazing in the episode The Vault, which was repeated when he returned.
- Thor calls Flat Maria his "little pancake".
- Thorfinn calls himself Thor and speaks of himself in the third person. A flashback shows he already did this when he was alive.
- The shipmates that left Thor behind included Gunnar, Ivar, and "other Ivar".
- He believes in the old Norse gods and religion, often referencing them.
- He likes fish, particularly cod and herring, and also butter.
- In A Very Arondekar Christmas, it's shown that Thor knows Lenape.
- Thor appears to be familiar with the Apple ecosystem, such as the iOS updates.
Gallery[]
Promos[]
Stills[]
Screenshots[]
References[]
- ↑ In Trevor's Body Thor said he was 35 when he was struck by lightning and died
- ↑ "A Date To Remember"
- ↑ "The Baby Bjorn"
- ↑ "The Baby Bjorn"
- ↑ "Viking Funeral"
- ↑ "Thorapy"
- ↑ "Dinner Party"
- ↑ "The Baby Bjorn"
- ↑ Halloween 2: The Ghost of Hetty's Past
- ↑ "Viking Funeral"
- ↑ "Viking Funeral"
- ↑ "Viking Funeral"
- ↑ "Spies"
- ↑ "Thorapy"
- ↑ "Viking Funeral"
- ↑ "Man of Your Dreams"
- ↑ Alberta's Fan
- ↑ "Viking Funeral"
- ↑ "The Baby Bjorn"
- ↑ "The Perfect Assistant"
- ↑ "Thorapy"
- ↑ "Alberta's Podcast"
- ↑ Dumb Deaths