What did the Vikings mean by Hvitakristr, or White Christ?

 One of the meanings of hvitr is that a man was a coward. There was even an expression, "your liver is white," which meant that someone was a weakling.

Vikings looked up to the manly and virile god Thor, "Red Thor", called red not only because of his red beard and blazing red eyes, but also because of the blood that a warrior shed.

 

 The god of the missionaries from the south testified and called on people to "love your neighbor" and "turn the other cheek", this was, of course, in stark contrast to Red Thor, a weak figure, the weakest god, a hvítr Christ, a Hvítakristr .

 

 

The contradictions between Asatru and Christianity crystallized around the "gap" between White Christ and Red Thor, and this became a recurring theme in fairy tales at the time of Scandinavia's (forced) Christianization. One example is this mocking poem that describes how Thor lowered the Christian priest Thang Brand’s vessels and thereby showed that Christ was the weaker god:

 

 

Þórr brá Þvinnils dýri Þangbrands ór stað longu, hristi borð ok beysti barðs ok laust við jorðu; munat skíð um sæ síðan sundfært Atals grundar, hregg því at hart tók leggja, hánum kennt, í spánu. Braut fyrir bjollu gæti (bond ráku val strandar) mogfellandi mellu móstalls vísund allan; hlífðit Kristr, þá er kneyfði knorr, málfeta varrar; lítt hygg ek at Guð gætti Gylfa hreins at einu.