Drawing of a 4.6 cm gold-plated silver Mjolnir pendant found at Bredsätra on Öland, Sweden. The original is housed at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities.

In Norse mythology, Mjolnir or Mjollnir is the hammer of the Thunder god Thor. Mjolnir may refer to: Mjolnir, the Hammer of Thor, in Norse mythology Mjølnir impact crater MJOLNIR battle armor, the combat suit from the Marathon Trilogy and Halo video games Thors Hammer (Stargate), a device from the television program Stargate Thors Hammer (Stargate), a device from the television... Image File history File links Mjollnir. ... Image File history File links Mjollnir. ... For the Finnish island, see Åland. ... Swedish Museum of National Antiquities (Historiska museet) is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden that is responsible for Swedish cultural history and art from the Stone Age to the 16th century. ... Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples, including those who settled on Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ...

Distinctively shaped, Mjolnir (pronounced [ˈmyɔlnɪr] or MUOLL-neer) was depicted as one of the most fearsome weapons in Norse mythology in late Icelandic sources. There, it is used to slay any challengers to Æsir supremacy. Though generally recognized and depicted as a hammer, Mjolnir is sometimes referred to as an axe or club.^[1] Legends surrounding Mjolnir's origins vary: some relate that the Svartálfar Sindri and Brokkr made it at the command of Loki. In Old Norse, the Æsir (singular Ás, feminine Ásynja, feminine plural Ásynjur, Anglo-Saxon Ós, from Proto-Germanic *Ansuz) are the principal gods of the pantheon of Norse mythology. ... In Norse mythology, the svartálfar (black elves) or dökkálfar (dark elves) are supernatural beings (Old Norse vættir, wights) that are said to reside in the underground world of Svartálfheim. ... In Norse mythology, Sindri (from the Old Norse sindr: slag) is the name of both a character (probably a dwarf) and a hall that will serve as a dwelling place for the souls of the virtuous after Ragnarök. ... Brokkr is a dwarf from Norse mythology, brother of Eitri (or Sindri). ... For other uses, see Loki (disambiguation). ...

In the 13th century Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson gives a summary of Mjolnir's special qualities: The Younger Edda, known also as the Prose Edda or Snorris Edda is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. ... A statue of Snorri Sturluson by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland was erected at Reykholt in 1947. ...

"He [Thor] would be able to strike as firmly as he wanted, whatever his aim, and the hammer would never fail, and if he threw it at something, it would never miss and never fly so far from his hand that it would not find its way back, and when he wanted, it would be so small that it could be carried inside his tunic."^[1]

Etymology

"Mjolnir" simply means "crusher" referring to its pulverizing effect. It is related to words such as the Icelandic verbs mölva (to crush) and mala (to grind), but similar words, all stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root melə can be found in almost all European languages, e.g. the Slavic melvo (grain to be ground) and molotu (hammer), the Dutch meel (meal), the Russian Молоток (molotok - hammer), the Greek μύλος (mylos - mill) and the Latin malleus (hammer) as well as the Latin mola (mill). The English meal, mill and maul are direct relatives, while mallet and molar arrived via Latin. It has been suggested that although the name reflects Mjolnir's awesome powers it might also allude to Thor's agricultural nature, as he was primarily worshiped by farmers.

An alternative theory suggests that Mjolnir might be related to the Russian word молния (molniya) and the Welsh word mellt (both words being translated as "lightning"). This second theory parallels with the idea that Thor, being a god of thunder, therefore might have used lightning as his weapon.^[2] For other uses, see Thor (disambiguation). ...

Prose Edda

The most popular version of the creation of Mjolnir myth, found in the poem Skáldskaparmál from Snorri's Edda,^[3] is as follows. In one story Loki sends up to the dwarves called the sons of Ivaldi (or Ovaldi's sons) that create precious items for the gods: Odin's spear Gungnir, and Frey's foldable boat Skidbladnir. Then Loki bets his head that Sindri (or Eitri) and his brother Brokk would never succeed in making items more beautiful that those of Ivaldi's sons. The bet is accepted and the two brothers begin working. Thus Eitri puts a pig's skin in the forge and tells his brother (Brokk) never to stop blowing until he comes and takes out what he put in. The second part of the Younger Edda of Snorri Sturluson the Skáldskaparmál or language of poetry is effectively a dialogue between the Norse god of the sea, Ægir and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both Norse mythology and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined. ... Snorri Sturlason (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ... Ivaldi, an early Teutonic deity, is also called Wade (or Vate), Keeper of the Ford in Germanic and Anglo-Saxon mythology. ... In Norse mythology, Gungnir (also Gungni, Gungner, or Gungrir) was the name of Odins javelin. ... Freyr is a very important god in Old Norse religion. ... In Norse mythology, Skíðblaðnir (Often Anglicized as Skidbladnir) is the ship of Freyr. ... In Norse mythology, Sindri is the name of both a dwarf and a hall that will serve as a dwelling place for the souls of the virtuous during Ragnarök. ... In Norse mythology, Eitri is a dwarf, brother of Brokk. ... In Norse mythology, Brokk is a dwarf, brother of Eitri. ...

A fly, actually Loki in disguise, comes and bites Brokk on the arm but he continued to blow. Then Eitri takes out Gullinbursti which is Frey's boar with shining bristles. Then Eitri puts some gold in the furnace and gives Brokk the same order. Loki in the fly guise comes again and bites Brokk's neck twice as hard. But as before nothing happened and Eitri took out Draupnir, Odin's ring, having duplicates falling from itself every ninth night. Gullinbursti (meaning Golden Mane) is a boar in Norse mythology. ... Freyr is a very important god in Old Norse religion. ... Draupnir is a golden arm ring possessed by Odin, the ruling god of Norse mythology. ...

Eitri then puts Iron in the forge and tells Brokk to never stop blowing. Loki comes again and bites Brokk on the eyelid much harder than before and the blood made him stop blowing for a short while. When Eitri came and took out Mjolnir, the handle was a bit short (making it one handed) and also the handle was not perpendicular to the head-piece. Yet Eitri and Brokk won the bet which was Loki's head, but the bet could not be honoured since they needed to cut the neck as well which was not part of the deal. So Brokk sewed Loki's mouth to teach him a lesson.

Poetic Edda

Thor possessed a formidable chariot, which is drawn by two goats. A belt and iron gloves were used to lift Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the focal point of many of Thor's adventures.

This is clearly illustrated in a poem found in the Poetic Edda titled Þrymskviða. The myth relates that the giant, Þrymr, steals Mjolnir from Thor and then demands fair goddess Freyja in exchange. Loki, the god notorious for his duplicity, conspires with the other Æsir to recover Mjolnir by disguising Thor as Freyja and presenting him as the "goddess" to Þrymr. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. ... Thor dresses up as a bride and Loki as a bridesmaid. ... In Norse mythology, King Thrym (uproar) (Þrymr) of the Jotuns (frost giants) stole Mjollnir, Thors hammer, to extort the gods into giving him Freyja as his wife. ... A statue of Freyja at DjurgÃ¥rden, Stockholm, Sweden. ... For other uses, see Loki (disambiguation). ... In Old Norse, the Æsir (singular Ás, feminine Ásynja, feminine plural Ásynjur, Anglo-Saxon Ós, from Proto-Germanic *Ansuz) are the principal gods of the pantheon of Norse mythology. ...

At a banquet Þrymr holds in honor of the impending union, the dim-witted Þrymr takes the bait. Unable to contain his passion for his new maiden with long, blond locks (and broad shoulders), as Þrymr approaches the bride by placing Mjolnir on "her" lap, Thor rips off his disguise and destroys Þrymr and his giant cohorts.

Emblemic usage

The three main types of Thor's hammer pendants: (A) Finnish, (B) Swedish, (C) Icelandic.^{[citation needed]}

Myths, artifacts, and institutions revolving around Thor indicate his prominent place in the mind of medieval Scandinavians. His following ranged in influence, but the Viking warrior aristocracy were particularly inspired by Thor's ferocity in battle. In the medieval legal arena, according to Joseph Campbell, "(a)t the Icelandic Things (court assemblies) the god invoked in the testimony of oaths, as 'the Almighty God,' was Thor." Image File history File links Ukkosjumalan_aseet. ... Image File history File links Ukkosjumalan_aseet. ... For other uses, see Joseph Campbell (disambiguation). ... A thing or ting (Old Norse and Icelandic: þing; other modern Scandinavian: ting) was the governing assembly in Germanic societies, made up of the free men of the community and presided by lawspeakers. ...

Emblematic of their devotion were the appearance of miniature replicas of Mjolnir. Widely popular in Scandinavia, they were used in Blóts and other sacral ceremonies, such as weddings. Many of these replicas were also found in graves and tended to be furnished with a loop, allowing them to be worn. They were most widely discovered in areas with a strong Christian influence including southern Norway, south-eastern Sweden, and Denmark.^[4] The Blót was the pagan Germanic sacrifice to Norse gods and Elves. ...

By the late 10th century, increased uniformity in Mjolnir’s design over previous centuries suggest it functioned as a popular accessory worn in defiance or imitation of the Christian cross.^{[citation needed]} A reliquary in the form of an ornate Christian Cross Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope...

The shape taken by these pendants varied by region. The Icelandic variant was cross-shaped, while Swedish and Norwegian variants tended to be arrow or T-shaped. About 50 specimens of such hammers were found widely dispersed throughout Scandinavia, dating from the 9th to 11th centuries. A few such examples were also found in England. An iron Thor's hammer pendant excavated in Yorkshire, dating to ca. AD 1000 bears an unical inscription preceded and followed by a cross, interpreted as indicating a Christian owner syncretizing pagan and Christian symbolism.^[5] A 10th century soapstone mold found at Trendgården, Jutland, Denmark is notable for allowing the casting of both crucifix and Thor's hammer pendants.^[6] A silver specimen found near Fossi (now in the National Museum of Iceland), Iceland can be interpreted as either a Christian cross or a Thor's hammer. Unusually, the elongated limb of the cross ends in a beast's (perhaps a wolf's) head. For other uses, see T (disambiguation). ... Jutland Peninsula Jutland (Danish: Jylland; German: Jütland; Frisian Jutlân; Low German Jötlann) is the western, continental part of Denmark as well as one of the three historical Lands of Denmark, dividing the North Sea from the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea. ... The National Museum of Iceland (Þjóðminjasafn Íslands) was established on 24 February 1863, with Jón Árnason the first curator of the Icelandic collection, previously kept in Danish museums. ...

According to some scholars, the swastika shape may have been a variant popular in Anglo-Saxon England prior to Christianization, especially in East Anglia and Kent.^[7] Wilson (1894) points out that while the swastika had been "vulgarly called in Scandinavia the hammer of Thor", the symbol properly so called had a Y or T shape.^[8] This article is about the symbol. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Y (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see T (disambiguation). ...

Stones found in Denmark and southern Sweden bear an inscription of a hammer. Sometimes accompanying the carved hammer was an inscription calling for Thor to safeguard the stone. For example, the stone of Virring in Denmark had the inscription, "þur uiki þisi kuml" which translates into English as "May Thor Hallow this memorial." There are several examples of a similar inscription, each one asking for Thor to "Hallow" or protect the specific artifact. Such inscriptions may have been in response to the Christians, who would ask for God's protection over their dead.^[9]

A precedent of these Viking Age Thor's hammer amulets are recorded for the migration period Alemanni, who took to wearing Roman "Hercules' Clubs" as symbols of Donar.^[10] A possible remnant of these Donar amulets Alpine paganism was recorded in 1897, as a custom of Unterinn (South Tyrolian Alps) of incising a T-shape above front doors for protection against evils of all kinds, especially storms. ^[11] The Alamanni, Allemanni or Alemanni, are a Germanic tribe, first mentioned by Dio Cassius, under the year 213. ... This article is about Thor, the god of Norse mythology. ...

Modern usage

Many practitioners of Germanic neopagan faiths wear Mjolnir pendants as a symbol of that faith worldwide. Renditions of Mjolnir are designed, crafted and sold by some Germanic Neopagan groups and individuals.^[12] Some controversy has occurred concerning the potential recognition of the symbol as a religious symbol by the United States government.^[13] The Mjolnir is one of the primary symbols of Germanic neopaganism. ...

Outside Germanic neopaganism, Mjolnir pendants are also widely popular in the heavy metal (especially Black Metal, Viking Metal, Death Metal) and "Dark" subcultures, besides, to a lesser extent, among Rockers or biker gangs. In Ireland and Britain, Mjolnir pendants identify those involved in Dark Age reenactment, particularly those with a Viking persona or interest in Scandinavian history. They are likewise popular as a "Germanic" symbol in Neo-Nazi and "neo-völkisch" subcultures. Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... Viking metal is a term used in reference to heavy metal music with a dramatic emphasis on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the life and times of Northern and Central Europeans prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia. ... This article is about the musical genre. ... The term dark culture (German Schwarze Szene, Portuguese cultura dark, Spanish cultura oscura), also called dark scene, is an umbrella term, used to describe a summary of parts of several subcultures. ... The definitive Wild One. ... A Motorcycle gang (also known as a Biker gang) is a gang whose members are motorcycle riders. ... Dark Ages reenactment is generally considered a sub-branch of Medieval reenactment focussing on the 1st millennium AD beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire and ending with the High Middle Ages. ... For other uses, see Viking (disambiguation). ... The terms Neo-Nazism and Neo-Fascism refer to any social or political movement to revive Nazism or Fascism, respectively, and postdates the Second World War. ...

See also

• Battle Axe culture
• Bracteate
• Donar's oak
• Hercules' Club (amulet)
• Irminsul
• Labrys
• Vajra

Approximate extent of the Corded Ware horizon with adjacent 3rd millennium cultures (after EIEC). ... A bracteate (from the Latin bractea, a thin piece of metal) is a flat, thin, single-sided gold coin produced in Northern Europe predominantly during the Migration Period of the Germanic Iron Age, but the name is also used for later produced coins of silver produced in Central Europe during... Thors Oak was an ancient tree sacred to the Germanic tribe of the Catti, ancestors of todays Hessians, and one of the most important sacred sites of the Germans. ... Detail of the bent Irminsul on the Externsteine relief. ... Minoan symbolic labrys of gold, 2nd millennium BC: many have been found in the sacred cave of Arkalochori on Crete) Labrys is the term for a doubleheaded axe, known to the Classical Greeks as pelekus πέλεκυς or sagaris (the term for a single-bladed axe being hēmipelekus half-pelekus, e. ... Vajrasattva holds the vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left hand. ...

Footnotes

References

• Baker, Alan. The Viking. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.
• Bulfinch's Mythology. New York: Avenel, 1978.
• Campbell, Joseph. The Masks of God: Occidental Mythology. New York: Penguin, 1964.
• Davis, Kenneth. Don't Know Much About Mythology. New York: Harper Collins, 2005.
• DuBois, Thomas A. Nordic Religions in the Viking Age. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999.
• Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little Brown & Company, 1942.
• Munch, Peter Andreus. Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes. trans. Sigurd Bernhard Hustvedt. New York: AMS Press, 1970.
• Orchard, Andy. Norse Myth and Legend. London: Cassell, 2002.
• Turville-Petre, E.O.G. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964.
• Loote Motz, The Germanic Thunderweapon, Viking Society Saga Book Vol 24 part 5 (1997).
• Loote Motz, "The Hammer and the Rod: A Discussion of þorr's Weapons", Germanic Studies in Honour of Anatoly Liberman, Odese (1997), 243-252.
• Tora Wall, Torshammarhängen - en uppsats om tolkningen av vikingtida hammarhängen (Thor's hammer pendants - a paper about interpretations of Viking Age hammer pendants) Department of Archaeology, University of Gothenburg (1999).
• Thorsten Capelle, 'Thorshammer' in: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde, vol. 30 (2005), 487-490.
• H. Beck, H. Jahnkuhn, 'Axtkult' in: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde, vol. 1 (1973), 562-568.

Thomas Bulfinch (July 15, 1796 - May 27, 1867) was an American writer, born in Newton, Massachusetts to a highly-educated but not rich Bostonian merchant family. ... Kenneth C. Davis is the author of books such as Dont Know Much About History and Dont Know Much About Geography. ... Edith Hamilton (August 12, 1867 - May 31, 1963) was a classicist and educator before she became a writer on mythology. ... Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes is a 1942 book written by Edith Hamilton. ... Edward Oswald Gabriel Turville-Petre F.B.A. (known as Gabriel) (March 25, 1908 – February 17, 1978) was Professor of Ancient Icelandic Literature and Antiquities at University of Oxford. ...

External links

• Thor's Hammer