Thor Knai was born Torbjørn Knai the 22nd of June in Tromsø, Norway, north of the polar circle. His dad an officer and his mom an entrepreneur. His parents dicorced at two and moved to Oslo where Thor spent the next 16 years of his life (Thor by the Oslo-fjord, right). During his school years Thor was involved in a variety of different activites like team sports, martial arts and role-playing which awoke his passion for acting. He was always active in school plays and drama groups and at the age of 14 his mother found a casting call in the newspaper for a new mini-series for NRK, a national television network. Thor landed a supporting part, impressing the director by telling her the origin of his name and part of his mysterious family history, including a sage known for his knowledge of magic arts featured in Norwegian folk lore tales by Asbjørnsen & Moe.
The name “Thor” or “Tor” is the name of the Norse god of Thunder (illustrated left) and “–bjørn” translates to "bear", which is the animal form that Odin, leader of the Norse gods, father of Thor and god of wisdom, used when he traveled the mortal realm. ”Knai”, originally “Knja-vin” is also a Viking name over a thousand years old and translates to “river bend (Knja) by fertile plain (-vin)” in old Norse. “Vin” or “Vine” is recognizable from when the Vikings first came to North America and called part of it “Vinland” or “Vineland” because of its vast, fertile plains. Throughout the Viking age, it was considered blasphemy to have the same name as a god. The fall of Saint Olav at Stiklestad in 1030 A.D. and King Harold Hardrada at Stamford Bridge in 1066 A.D heralded the end of the Viking age and the christening of Norway, after which the names of the old gods became popular.
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