In literature, "thunder" emerges as a multifaceted symbol that embodies both the force of nature and the might of the divine. It frequently marks the intervention of gods or the onset of dramatic strife, as when ancient epics depict gods hurling thunderbolts to signal war or judgment ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5]). At the same time, thunder often sets the tone for natural grandeur or impending catastrophe in narratives, heightening the emotional stakes—whether in tumultuous battle scenes ([6], [7]) or in moments when human passion mirrors the storm’s ferocity ([8], [9]). This dual use—both as a literal description of nature’s power and a figurative device to intensify the narrative—underscores thunder’s enduring role as a potent emblem of awe and authority in literary works ([10], [11], [12]).
- When the wielder of the thunder-bolt asketh thee for them, do thou never give him thy ear-rings!
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
- To stop his coursers, and to stand the fight; Thrice turn'd the chief, and thrice imperial Jove On Ida's summits thunder'd from above.
— from The Iliad by Homer
- And O thou versed in duty, thou hast heard how Hari with the view of overcoming his foes, entered into Sakra’s thunder-bolt, and lay concealed there.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
- And at this the earth was filled with sounds of thunder, and burning meteors.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
- Though Jove in thunder should command the war, Be just, consult my glory, and forbear.
— from The Iliad by Homer
- A while the Vánar chieftain gazed, Then from the earth a rock he raised Rent from a thunder-splitten height, And cast it with resistless might.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki
- It was a continuous roll of heavy thunder.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
- “Ye said true—ye hav’n’t seen Old Thunder yet, have ye?” “Who’s Old Thunder?” said I, again riveted with the insane earnestness of his manner.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville
- Hareton grew black as a thunder-cloud at this childish speech.
— from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
- And surrounded by the Brahmanas he resembled the thunder-wielding Indra standing in the midst of the celestials, and the Rishis.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
- By thunder, men, we must do something or go for it.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville
- Then came a thunder of applause, and everything was over.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova