Other Comprehensive Income - Additonal Information (Detail) (Pension And Postretirement Benefit Costs)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Pension And Postretirement Benefit Costs
Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Loss Adjustment Expense	40.00%
Percentage Of Other Operating Expenses	60.00%

Percentage of amounts reclassified from AOCI for pension and post retirement benefits allocated to loss adjustment expenses.

No definition available.

Name:	thg_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossPercentageOfAmountsReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeForPensionAndPostRetirementBenefitsAllocatedToLossAdjustmentExpenses
Namespace Prefix:	thg_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration