| “ | And for you, Thor — Mjölnir, the hammer. It is unbreakable, and when thrown always return to your hand. And it can be made small enough to fit inside your shirt, if you ever need to hide it. There is... one small flaw, not that it matters. Its handle is a bit short. Not as my brother intended. I take full responsibility, as it was I who worked the bellows. | „ |
| ~ Brokk presenting Mjölnir to Thor and his fellow Gods of Asgard in Erik Evensen's Gods of Asgard. |
Mjölnir (from the Old Norse word "Mjǫllnir", literallly meaning "That Which Crushes" in English) is a supernatural hammer belonged to Thor from Norse Mythology, which he utilizes both as weapon and instrument to bless things.
History[]
Mjölnir, along with Gullinbursti (Freyr's golden boar) and Draupnir (Odin's multiplying golden ring), were forged by two dwarven brothers Brok and Eitri as both the gift for their divine clients Gods of Asgard and part of competition against Sons of Ivaldi who also crafted theirs (Skíðblaðnir (Freyr's longship), Gungnir (Odin's enchanted spear), and Sif's golden mystical wig). The contest itself was orchestrated by Loki to avoid Thor's wrath for shaving his beloved wife Sif's hair clean. Despite their best efforts, Loki's sabotage in a bid to win the wager between them and the brothers saw Brok and Eitri unwittingly made the handle of Thor's hammer shorter than intended during its creation, resulting it became a one-handed weapon instead of two-handed. Despite such setback, the Gods praised Mjölnir as the best among gifts Loki brought to them, having foreseen its inestimable help in their battles against Jötnar. Indeed, up until receiving his signature hammer, their champion Thor broke or lost every weapon given to him.
From there, Thor carried Mjölnir throughout his adventures, typically in conjunction of Megingjörð (special belt that doubles his already incredible strength) and Járngreipr (a pair of gauntlets to help him better handle Mjölnir's powers). The hammer was once stolen by a Jötunn named Þrym who would return it in exchange of Freya's hand in marriage. Believing the Jötunn too treacherous to fulfill his part of the bargain and not wanting to sell out one of their own, Gods of Asgard instead sent Thor who begrudgingly disguised himself as Freya with Loki accompanying him as per Heimdall's suggestion. As soon as Mjölnir within his grasp, Thor unmasked himself and wreaked havoc upon everyone present in the supposed marriage between Þrym and Freya. It was also the instance where Thor didn't bring Megingjörð and Járngreipr with him.
After Thor and his destined nemesis Jörmungandr killed each other at the height of Ragnarök, Mjölnir was recovered by his two sons Magni and Modi.
Powers[]
Resembling a smithing hammer with symmetrical, trapezoid-shaped head adorned with ornate engravings which included a trefoil knot, Mjölnir was created both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. Contrary to popular depiction/belief, it was designed as the conduit for the Thunder God's supernatural powers as opposed of their source; the ability to manipulate weather storms and elements associated with it, blessing manipulation, and tremendous physiological attributes he best known for are all innate within him as Æsir-Jǫtunn hybrid. Up until he received his iconic supernatural hammer, Thor was infamous for breaking and/or losing all other weapons that were forged for him as neither of them were able to handle his physical and magical might. The Prose Edda even describes the hammer as being unbreakable so it would never fail under Thor's immense strength, never missing the target it was thrown at, always returning to Thor's hand no matter how far he threw it and being of a convenient size so it was easy to carry around. Moreover, sufficient great strength is the prerequisite to properly wield it rather than worthiness — a concept that may very well inspired by Excalibur from Arthurian tales which only accepts the worthy heir of Camelot and popularized by the hammer's Marvel Comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe iterations — considering other sufficiently powerful beings such as Þrymr and Loki was more than capable to wield it on ease. Even his sons and successors Magni and Móði shared the hammer in order to utilize its powers effectively.
In Popular Culture[]
As one of iconic objects in Norse mythology, it's no surprise Mjölnir has been described in many films, comics, videogames, and books, as well as traditional lore, usually alongside its wielder Thor.
As stated previously, one of Mjölnir's most iconic iterations being the one in Marvel Comics and later, Marvel Cinematic Universe series which portrayed it as an actual war hammer with rectangular head not unlike sledgehammers. The weapon appeared to be influenced by Excalibur from Arthurian tales and related legends as the weapon was enchanted so only those who worthy that can wield it. However, the same Mjölnir iteration is apparently among the cause of misconception where Thor's hammer being the source of his powers and that he rendered helpless without it; unlike in myths where the weapon merely serves as the conduit through which Thor channeled his mystical powers, it endows worthy wielders same powers as its owner.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The English name Mjolnir comes from the particular Old Norse name for Thor's Hammer. Mjǫllnir is related to the Old Prussian mealde meaning “lightning” and the Latvian milna meaning “hammer of the thunder god”.
- The name also translates from both Old Norse Mjǫllnir, from Proto-Germanic *meldunjaz, and from Proto-Indo-European *meldʰ-n- ("lightning").
- The Old Norse name "Mjǫllnir", akin to Old Church Slavonic "mlĭniji", Russian "mólniya", Old Prussian "mealde" ("lightning"), and Latvian milna hammer of the thunder god
- It is also known as "Mjöllnir", "Mjölnir", "Mjøllnir", and "Mjølnir".
- The original name carries over to most modern Nordic/Scandinavian languages (such as Swedish, Norweigan, Icelandic, Danish, etc).
- Most likely people can recognize that the name is very similar to the word "Mjöl" (flour), but none probably will never immediately see the connection. To "mjöla" something, originally meant to crush it, which makes the hammer's name roughly mean "Crusher".
- Later in the 21st century A.D., the internet (particularly the website "Google") have or may have made a modern translation or mistranslation of the name "Mjölnir" from the Icelandic tongue as "flours" in the English dialect, evoking the mythological weapon's new name "Flour Smasher".