Mjolnir

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For other uses, see Mjolnir (disambiguation).
Drawing of an archeological find of a gold plated hammer in silver.
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Drawing of an archeological find of a gold plated hammer in silver.
Many people, both in the past and present, carry or wear hammer-shaped pendants. This is often done to show devotion to Thor. Also wearing such a pendant may be an effort to obtain protection from the god. A=Finnish type (Ukonvasara) B=Swedish type C=Icelandic type
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Many people, both in the past and present, carry or wear hammer-shaped pendants. This is often done to show devotion to Thor. Also wearing such a pendant may be an effort to obtain protection from the god.
A=Finnish type (Ukonvasara) B=Swedish type C=Icelandic type

In Norse mythology, Mjolnir (also commonly spelt Mjollner, Mjølnir, Mjølner, or Mjölner) (IPA pronunciation:[Mjolnər]) is the hammer of Thor, the god of lightning, thunder, wind, and rain.

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[edit] Etymology

The origin for the word "Mjolnir" is unknown, though etymological speculation has provided theories for its literal translation. The Icelandic verbs mölva (to crush) and mala (to grind) have been suggested as possible translations. Another 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. [1]

[edit] Overview

Mjolnir is the most fearsome weapon in the arsenal of the Norse pantheon and is used to slay any challengers to Æsir supremacy. While referred to as a club, an axe, and a hammer, Mjolnir was thought to be capable of toppling giants and entire mountains with a single blow. [2] Legend surrounding the war hammer’s origins vary: some relate that "The Black Elves" (that live under the ground where the roots of Yggdrasil being to form, in Svartalfheimr; svartalf being a dwarf or "black elf"), Sindri and Brokk made it at the behest of the calculating Loki; other tales contend that it descended to earth as a meteorite. Consequently, many Norse pagans believed that lightning strikes were a manifestation of Mjolnir on earth.

In keeping with Norse pre-Christian traditions, Mjolnir symbolizes regeneration, and not merely destruction. Viking brutality unleashed over several centuries demonstrated that these concepts were closely interwoven; Medieval Viking life hinged on fomenting mayhem. As for Norse myth, evocative allusions depict Mjolnir strengthening both male virility and female fertility. As the Norse gods were often only as powerful as the tools and weapons they possessed, Mjolnir is a pivotal archetype for the survival and perpetuation of the Norsemen and their customs. In its mythic context, one can conclude that without Mjolnir, Thor’s ability to maintain the cosmic equilibrium would be imperiled by giants, the sea-dwelling world serpent, and possibly, even reckless gods.

Mjolnir is often represented with a bent handle (see the myth below). The rune Tiwaz, usually thought to be a symbol of the god Tyr, is thought by some to represent Thor's hammer. Mjolnir may also mean fertility, the phallus that impregnates the earth.

Sometimes Thor's Hammer is like a "boomerang". Usually, it is used as normal warhammer. There may be a connection between Thor's throwing hammer and the francisca throwing axes of the Franks.

[edit] Norse myth

The most popular version of the creation of Mjollnir myth, found in the poem Skáldskaparmál from Snorri's Edda[3], is as follows. In one story Loki ends 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. A fly 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. A fly comes 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. Then Eitri puts Iron in the forge and tells Brokk to never stop blowing. Another fly comes and bites Brokk on the eyelid much harder than before and the blood made him stop blowing for a short while. When Eitri came it took out Mjolnir, but 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. The fly that kept pestering Brokk was supposedly Loki trying to make sure the two brothers lost the bet.

While Thor possessed a formidable chariot, belt, and iron gloves used to lift Mjolnir, Mjolnir is the focal point of many of Thor's adventures.

This is clearly illustrated in a poem found in Snorri's Edda titled Trymskvida, perhaps the most humorous of Thor's trials. 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. At a banquet Þrymr holds in honor of the impending union, the dim-witted Þrymr takes the bait marvellously. 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.

Snorri's Edda gives a detailed description of Mjolnir's special qualities:

"...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."[4]

[edit] Culture

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 the late Joseph Campbell, "(a)t the Icelandic Things (court assemblies) the god invoked in the testimony of oaths, as 'the Almighty God,' was Thor."

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 where 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. [5] By the late 10th century, increased uniformity in Mjolnir’s design over previous centuries suggest it functioned as a popular accessory worn in defiance of the Christian cross – even while sometimes being worn alongside it. This may be part of why wearing the cross upside down is considered defiant.

It is also said that Mjolnir was used by Thor to slay Jormungandr, one of Loki's children. Thor had slain the Beast in its own poison.

Stones found in Denmark and southern Sweden bare an inscribed picture of a hammer to invoke god's protection. Sometimes accompanying the carved hammer was an inscription calling for Thor to safegaurd that stone. For example, the stone of Virring in Denmark had the enscription, "þur uiki þisi kuml" "May Thór 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 following the example of the Christians, who would ask for God's protection over their dead.[6]

Despite the dominance of Christianity in Scandinavia for roughly a millennium, Mjolnir is far from extinct. At annual festivals reviving the Viking past – replete with rowdy feasts and brawls – the Mjolnir motif is apparent everywhere from the amulets worn to the hammer tattoos emblazoned on chests and biceps. Today, some Scandinavian fishermen continue to wear Mjolnir for protection, and many practitioners of the modern-day Asatru faith wear Mjolnir pendants as a symbol of that faith.

[edit] Other spellings

[edit] See also

  • Mjolnir in popular culture
  • Labrys or Pelekys, the double-headed axe wielded by thundergod Zeus in Greek mythology.
  • Vajra, the thunderbolt weapon wielded by Indra in Hindu mythology.
  • The Battle Axe culture left burial goods including stone axes, probably status symbols rather than actual weapons.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Turville-Petre, E.O.G. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964. p81
  2. ^ Davis, Kenneth. Don't Know Much About Mythology. New York: Harper Collins, 2005. p.305
  3. ^ Snorri's Edda, Skaldskaparmal. 41.
  4. ^ Orchard, Andy. Norse Myth and Legend. London: Cassell, 2002. p.255
  5. ^ Turville-Petre, E.O.G. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964. p83
  6. ^ Turville-Petre, E.O.G. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964. p82-83

[edit] 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 Pennsyvania 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.

[edit] External links

 Norse mythology
List of Norse gods | Æsir | Vanir | Giants | Elves | Dwarves | Valkyries | Einherjar | Norns | Odin | Thor | Freyr | Freyja | Loki | Balder | Tyr | Yggdrasil | Ginnungagap | Ragnarök
Sources: Poetic Edda | Prose Edda | The Sagas | Volsung Cycle | Tyrfing Cycle | Rune stones | Old Norse language | Orthography | Later influence
Society: Viking Age | Skald | Kenning | Blót | Seid | Numbers
The nine worlds of Norse mythology | People, places and things

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