View source for Mjölnir

{{short description|Hammer of the god Thor in Norse mythology}}
{{redirect|Thor's Hammer}}
{{redirect|Mjölner|the Swedish ships|HSwMS Mjölner{{!}}HSwMS ''Mjölner''|other uses|Mjolnir (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
[[File:Claes Kurck Skåne hammer - HST DIG55488 original.jpg|thumb|A silver-gilded [[Thor|Thor's]] hammer found in [[Scania]], Sweden, that once belonged to the collection of Baron Claes Kurck.]]
'''Mjölnir''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|m|j|ɒ|l|n|ɪər}} {{respell|MYOL|neer}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|m|j|ɔː|l|n|ɪər}} {{respell|MYAWL|neer}};<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|Mjolnir}}</ref> from [[Old Norse]] '''Mjǫllnir''' {{IPA|non|ˈmjɔlːnir|}}) is the [[hammer]] of the [[thunder god]] [[Thor]] in [[Norse mythology]], used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. The hammer is attested in numerous sources, including the 11th century runic [[Kvinneby amulet]], the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', a collection of eddic poetry compiled in the 13th century, and the ''[[Prose Edda]]'', a collection of prose and poetry compiled in the 13th century. The hammer was commonly worn as a [[pendant]] during the [[Viking Age]] in the [[Scandinavia]]n cultural sphere, and Thor and his hammer occur depicted on a variety of objects from the archaeological record. Today the symbol appears in a wide variety of media and is again worn as a pendant by various groups, including adherents of modern [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Heathenry]].
==Etymology==
The etymology of the hammer's name, ''Mjǫllnir'', is disputed among [[historical linguistics|historical linguists]]. Old Norse ''Mjǫllnir'' developed from [[Proto-Norse]] *''melluniaR'' and one proposed derivation connects this form to [[Old Church Slavonic]] ''mlunuji'' and Russian ''molnija'' meaning 'lightning' (either borrowed from a Slavic source or both stemming from a common source) and subsequently yielding the meaning 'lightning-maker'. Another proposal connects ''Mjǫllnir'' to Old Norse ''mjǫll'' meaning 'new snow' and modern [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] ''mjalli'' meaning 'the color white', rendering ''Mjǫllnir'' as 'shining lightning weapon'. Finally, another proposal connects Old Norse ''Mjǫllnir'' to Old Norse ''mala'' meaning 'to grind' and [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''malwjan'' 'to grind', yielding ''Mjǫllnir'' as meaning 'the grinder'.<ref name="SIMEK-2007-219-2020">Simek 2007: 219–220.</ref>
==Attestations==
===Kvinneby amulet===
[[File:Kvinnebyamuletten 225526.jpg|thumb|One side of the Kvinneby amulet]]
Likely worn around the neck, the [[Kvinneby amulet]] is a small copper amulet found in [[Öland]], Sweden that dates from the 11th century and features an Old Norse [[Younger futhark]] inscription that invokes Thor and his hammer. [[Runology|Runologists]] Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees translate the amulet as follows:
:'Here I carve for you (runes of) help, Bofi.
:Help me! Knowledge (?) is certain for you.
:And may the lightning hold all evil away from Bofi.
:May Thor protect him with his hammer which came from out of the sea.
:Flee from evil! It (?) gets nothing from Bofi.
:The gods are under him and over him.'<ref name="MACLEOD-MEES-2006-29">MacLeod & Mees 2006: 28.</ref>
The amulet inscription references narratives recorded hundreds of years later in both the ''Poetic Edda'' and ''Prose Edda'' (see discussion regarding ''Hymiskviða'' and ''Gylfaginning'' below).<ref name="MACLEOD-MEES-2006-29"/>
===''Poetic Edda''===
In the ''Poetic Edda'', Mjölnir is mentioned in the eddic poems ''[[Vafþrúðnismál]]'', ''[[Hymiskviða]]'', ''[[Lokasenna]]'', and ''[[Þrymskviða]]''. In a stanza from ''Vafþrúðnismál'', the wise [[jötunn]] [[Vafþrúðnir]] tells the disguised god Odin that after the events of [[Ragnarök]], [[Móði and Magni]], sons of Thor, will wield Mjölnir:
{|
|
::<small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] 1866 translation:</small>
:Vidar and Vali will the gods' holy fanes inhabit,
:when Surt's fires will be quenched.
:Môdi and Magni will Miöllnir possess,
:and warfare strive to end.<ref name="THORPE-1866-18">Thorpe 1866: 18.</ref>
|
::<small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] 1923 translation:</small>
:"In the gods' home Vithar and Vali shall dwell,
:When the fires of Surt have sunk;
:Mothi and Magni shall Mjollnir have
:When Vingnir falls in fight."<ref name="BELLOWS-1923-82">Bellows 1923: 82.</ref>
|
::<small>[[Carolyne Larrington]] 2014 revised translation:</small>
:'Vidar and Vali will live in the gods' sanctuaries,
:when Surt's fire is slaked;
:Modi and Magni shall have Miollnir
:and demonstrate battle-strength.'<ref name="LARRINGTON-2014-45">Larrington 2014: 45.</ref>
|
|}
In ''Hymiskviða'', after gaining a tremendous cauldron that the jötunn (and personified ocean) [[Ægir]] has requested so that he may brew the gods ale, Thor battles malicious jötnar with the hammer (referred to here as ''whales'' as a poetic device):
{|
|
|
::<small>Benjamin Thorpe 1866 translation:</small>
:From his shoulders he lifted the kettle down;
:Miöllnir hurled forth towards the savage crew,
:and slew all the mountain-giants,
:who with Hýimir had him pursued.<ref name="THORPE-1866-60">Thorpe 1866: 60.</ref>
|
::<small>Henry Adams Bellows 1923 translation:</small>
:He stood and cast from his back the kettle,
:And Mjollnir, the lover of murder, he wielded;
:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
:So all the whales of the waste he slew.<ref name="THORPE-1923-149">Thorpe 1923: 149. In a footnote accompanying this stanza, Bellows says "No gap is indicated in the manuscripts. Some editors put the missing line as 2, some as 3, and some, leaving the present three lines together, add a fourth, and metrically incorrect, one from late paper manuscripts: 'Who with Hymir followed after.'"</ref>
|
::<small>Carolyne Larrington 2014 revised translation:</small>
:He lifted from his shoulders the outstanding cauldron,
:he swung Miollnir before him, keen to kill,
:and he struck down all the lava-whales.<ref name="LARRINGTON-2014-79">Larrington 2014: 79, 294.</ref>
|
|}
[[File:Loki leaves the hall and threatens the Æsir with fire by Frølich.jpg|thumb|Thor raises his hammer as Loki leaves {{lang|non|[[Ægir]]|italic=no}}'s hall, by {{lang|da|Frølich|italic=no}} (1895)]]
In ''Lokasenna'', in which the deity [[Loki]] and other gods trade insults (see [[flyting]]). In the poem, the gods threaten Loki with Mjölnir as part of a [[refrain]] repeated in all four stanzas in which he speaks.<ref name="LARRINGTON-90-91">Larrington 2014: 90–91.</ref>
The hammer is a focal point of the eddic poem ''Þrymskviða''. In the poem, Thor wakes one day to find that his hammer is missing. Furious, the god pulls his beard, shakes his head, and searches for the absent weapon. Thor consults with Loki, informing him that only he knows that his hammer is missing.<ref name="LARRINGTON-2014-93">Larrington 2014: 93.</ref>
Thor and Loki go to the goddess [[Freyja]], and Loki asks her if he might use her [[Fjaðrhamr|feather garment]]. Freyja readily agrees, Loki puts on the cloak, and flies to [[Jötunheimr]]. There he finds the jötunn [[Þrymr]] sitting on a [[tumulus|burial mound]] and caring for his animals.<ref name="LARRINGTON-2014-94">Larrington 2014: 94.</ref>
The two speak, and Þrymr confirms to Loki that he has stolen the hammer. Þrymr says that he has buried it deep in the ground and no one will ever get it back unless they bring him Freyja to be his wife. Loki flies back to [[Asgard]] and meets with Thor. Thor asks Loki if he has any news, and Loki tells Thor Þrymr's ultimatum.<ref name="LARRINGTON-2014-94"/>
Thor and Loki go to Freyja. One of the two asks Freyja to put on a bridal head-dress and come with them to Jötunheim. Freyja is so enraged by this request that the hall shakes, and her necklace, [[Brísingamen]], breaks off. The goddess refuses.<ref name="LARRINGTON-2014-94"/>
[[File:Ah, what a lovely maid it is! by Elmer Boyd Smith.jpg|thumb|''Ah, what a lovely maid it is!'' (1902) by [[Elmer Boyd Smith]]: Thor is unhappily dressed by the goddess {{lang|non|[[Freyja]]|italic=no}} and her attendants as herself]]
The gods meet together in counsel (see [[Thing (assembly)]]) and discuss how to get the hammer back. The god [[Heimdallr]] proposes that Thor put on a bridal head-dress and wear Brísingamen as if he were Freyja. Thor initially rejects the proposal, but Loki convinces him that if he doesn't, the jötnar in Jötunheim who stole his hammer will soon call Asgard their home. The gods dress Thor in bridal gear, Loki dresses as "Freyja's" maid to accompany him, and the two drive Thor's goat-led wagon to Jötunheimr, producing flames and splitting mountains along the way.<ref name="LARRINGTON-96">Larrington 2014: 96.</ref>
From the hall yard, Þrymr spots the duo arriving and tells his retinue to prepare by tossing straw on the hall benches. That night, Þrymr says that he is surprised to find his bride-to-be ferociously eating and drinking, consuming nine entrees—one ox and eight salmon—and three casks of mead. Loki responds that "Freyja" had neither drank nor eaten for eight nights before this one as she was so eager to come to Jötunheimr.<ref name="LARRINGTON-96"/>
Þrymr lifts "Freyja"'s bridal veil to kiss her, only to spring back: The bride's eyes were "terrifying", as if "fire is burning from them". The disguised Loki explains this was because "Freyja" had not slept for eight nights before this one, because she was so eager to arrive in Jötunheim (on the topic of the numbers three and nine in Norse myth, see [[numbers in Norse mythology]]).<ref name="LARRINGTON-96-97">Larrington 2014: 96–97.</ref>
Finally, Þrymr calls for Mjölnir to be brought forth to sanctify the bride with the assistance of the goddess [[Vár]]:
{|
|
::<small>Benjamin Thorpe 1866 translation:</small>
:Then said Thrym,
:the [[Jötunn|Thursars]]'s lord:
:Bring the hammer in,
:the bride to consecrate;
:lay Miöllnir
:on the maiden's knee;
:unite us each with other
:by the hand of Vör.<ref name=THORPE66>Thorpe (1866:66).</ref>
|
::<small>Henry Adams Bellows 1923 translation:</small>
:Then loud spake Thrym,
:the giants' leader:
:"Bring in the hammer
:to hallow the bride;
:On the maiden's knees
:let Mjollnir lie,
:That us both the hand
:of Vor may bless."<ref name=BELLOWS182>Bellows (1923).</ref>
|
::<small>Carolyne Larrington 2014 revised translation:</small>
:Then said Thrym, lord of ogres.
:'Bring in the hammer to sanctify the bride,
:lay Miollnir on the girl's lap.
:concentrate us together by the hand of Var!'<ref name="LARRINGTON-97">Larrington 2014: 97.</ref>
|
|}
"Freyja" sees the hammer and laughs internally before grabbing it, killing Þrymr and another jötunn, and pummeling the gathered wedding guests. The poem ends with a prose note indicating that this is how the god got his hammer back.<ref name="LARRINGTON-97"/>
===''Prose Edda''===
Mjölnir receives mention throughout the Prose Edda books ''Gylfaginning'' and ''Skáldskaparmál''.
====''Gylfaginning''====
Early in ''Gylfaginning'', High describes the god Thor and his "three special possessions": his hammer Mjölnir, his iron gloves [[Járngreipr]], and his belt [[Megingjörð]]. High explains that Thor must wear his gloves with his hammer, and that Mjölnir is well known among the jötnar due to the skulls of many jötunn it has smashed over time.<ref name="FAULKES-22">Faulkes 1987: 22.</ref>
The enthroned figure of Third reluctantly relates a tale in which Thor and Loki are riding in Thor's chariot, pulled by his two goats, [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr]]. Loki and Thor stop at the home of a peasant farmer, and there they are given lodging for a night. Thor slaughters his goats, skins them and puts them in a pot. When the goats are cooked, Loki and Thor sit down for their evening meal. Thor invites the peasant family to share the meal with him and they do so.<ref name="FAULKES-37-38">Faulkes 1987: 37–38.</ref>
At the end of the meal, Thor places the skins of the goat on the opposing side of the fire and tells the peasants to throw the bones of the goats on to the goatskins. The peasant's son Þjálfi takes one of the goat ham-bones and uses a knife to split it open, breaking the bone to get to the marrow. After staying the night at the peasants house, Thor wakes up and gets dressed before the break of dawn. Thor takes the hammer Mjölnir, raises it, and blesses the goat skins. Resurrected, the goats stand, but one of the two goats is lame in the hind leg. Noting this new lameness, Thor exclaims that someone has mistreated the bones of his goats; that someone broke the ham-bone during the meal the night before.<ref name="FAULKES-38">Faulkes 1987: 38.</ref>
[[File:I am the giant Skrymir by Elmer Boyd Smith.jpg|thumb|Þjálfi and Röskva turn away in fear as Thor and Loki face the immense [[jötunn]] Skrymir in an illustration (1902) by [[Elmer Boyd Smith]].]]
In a tale recounted by Third, the gods Loki and Thor, along with Thor's servants [[Þjálfi and Röskva]], encounter an enormous forest when they arrive in Jötunheimr. The group has difficulty finding lodging until they encounter a huge and peculiar building with a very wide entrance. They decide to spend the night in the structure. At midnight they experience an earthquake and decide to search the building. They find nothing. Mjölnir in hand, Thor guards the hall's entrance until the crew hears intense groaning and rumbling.<ref name="FAULKES-38-39">Faulkes 1987: 38–39.</ref>
At dawn, Thor leaves the hall and sees an enormous man asleep and loudly snoring. Thor realizes he had in fact heard the snoring of this tremendous man. The god puts on his belt, his strength increases, and the man stands. Seeing his height, Third says that "and the say that Thor was for once was afraid to strike him with the hammer, and asked him for his name". The large man says that his name is Skrýmir and reveals that Thor, Loki, Þjálfi, and Röskva had slept not in a hall but rather in Skrýmir's glove.<ref name="FAULKES-39">Faulkes 1987: 39.</ref>
Skrýmir tells Thor that he doesn't need to introduce himself because he already knows that he is Thor. Later in the trip, Thor attacks Skrýmir as he sleeps in three separate occasions: In the first instance, Skrýmir awakes and asks if a leaf has fallen on his head; in the second instance, Skrýmir awakes and asks if an acorn fell on his head; and on the third and final instance, Skrýmir asks if birds above him may have knocked twigs down on to his head.<ref name="FAULKES-39-40">Faulkes 1987: 39–40.</ref>
Later Skrýmir reveals that this had all been an illusion: For example, the enormous Skrýmir was in fact the sorcerer [[Útgarða-Loki]] and the blows Thor landed terrified him: He details that had they hit him, they would have killed him, and that his blows had hammered a deep valley in the landscape.<ref name="FAULKES-44-45">Faulkes 1987: 44–45.</ref>
''Gylfaginning'' contains a retelling of the material found in ''Hymiskviða'' (discussed above). In this version, Thor throws his hammer and strikes off the head of the great serpent [[Jörmungandr]]. Third notes, however, that he does not believe that this occurred: Third says he believes that the serpent still lives in the sea, coiled around the world.<ref name="FAULKES-48">Faulkes 1987: 48.</ref>
Later in ''Gylfaginning'', High recounts the death and ship funeral of the god [[Baldr]]. The gods are unable to move the ship on their own, and so request that the powerful jötunn [[Hyrrokkin]] comes from [[Jötunheim]] to help. Hyrrokin arrives riding a wolf with vipers as reins. Hyrrokkin pushes the ship, and it launches with her first touch, it launches with intense flames and earthquakes. This infuriates Thor: He desires to crush Hyyrokkin's skull with his hammer but the other gods convince him not to attack her.<ref name="FAULKES-49">Faulkes 1987: 49.</ref>
Baldr's body is carried on to the ship. Baldr's wife, the goddess [[Nanna (Norse deity)|Nanna]], sees it, and she dies of sorrow. The assembled place her with Baldr on the ship's pyre, before lighting it. Thor consecrates the boring ship with his hammer. A [[Dwarf (folklore)|dwarf]] named Lit runs before his feet, and he kicks him into the flames, where he burns.<ref name="FAULKES-49"/>
''Gylfaginning'' concludes with a foretelling of the events of [[Ragnarök]], during which the world suffers from cataclysm and disasters before returning green and beautiful. High describes the return of various gods after Ragnarök, including Thor's sons Móði and Magni, who return to Asgard holding their father's hammer, Mjölnir. This account quotes the ''Völuspá'' stanza above.<ref name="FAULKES-56">Faulkes 1987: 56.</ref>
====''Skáldskaparmál''====
The ''Prose Edda'' book ''Skáldskaparmál'' contains a few mentions of the hammer, including an instance of its mention in [[skaldic poetry]]. A section dedicated to [[kenning]]s used by poets to refer to the god says that Thor can be referred to as "ruler and owner" of Mjölnir.<ref name="FAULKES-72">Faulkes 1987: 72.</ref>
The section cites a piece from 9th century skald [[Bragi Boddason]] that references the hammer:
:Oflugbardi's terrifier [Thor] lifted his hammer in his right hand when he recognized the coal-fish that bounds all lands [the Midgard serpent].<ref name="FAULKES-72"/>
The section also cites a piece from [[Gamli gnævaðarskáld]] who mentions the hammer:
:While Bilskirnir's lord, who never nursed treachery in his heart, did quickly destroy the sea-bed-fish [Midgard serpent] with gorge-whales [giant's] bane [Miollnir].<ref name="FAULKES-72"/>
''Skáldskaparmál'' provides an account of Thor's use of Mjölnir in a fight with the jötunn [[Hrungnir]]. In it, after the gods had grown tired of Hrungnir's obnoxious boasting in Asgard, they call on Thor, who immediately appears, his hammer raised. Thor ultimately duels Hrungnir, and to the duel Hrungnir brings a [[Sharpening stone|whetstone]] as a weapon. Thor throws the hammer at Hrungnir and Hrungnir responds by throwing the whetstone at Thor, and Mjölnir splits it in two. One part of the whetstone becomes the predecessor of all whetstones, whereas the other part lodges itself into Thor's head. Meanwhile, Mjölnir smashes Hrungnir's skull into fragments.<ref name="FAULKES-79-82">Faulkes 1987: 79–82.</ref>
In reference to this tale, the section provides extended excerpts from ''[[Haustlöng]]'', a piece attributed to 10th century skald [[Þjóðólfr of Hvinir]]. Þjóðólfr's poem mentions Mjölnir in a few different instances, such as "The rock-gentlemen [giant] did not have to wait long after that for a swift blow from the tough multitude-smashing friend [Thor] of hammer-face-troll [Miollnir]" and "There sank down the gully-land [mountain] prince [giant] before the tough hammer and the rock-Dane-breaker [Thor] forced back the mighty defiant one."<ref name="FAULKES-80-81">Faulkes 1987: 80–81.</ref>
[[Image:The third gift — an enormous hammer by Elmer Boyd Smith.jpg|thumb|right|''The third gift — an enormous hammer'' (1902) by [[Elmer Boyd Smith]]. The bottom right corner depicts the ship ''Skíðblaðnir'' "afloat" the goddess [[Sif]]'s new hair.]]
''Skáldskaparmál'' also contains a prose account of Thor's encounter with [[Geirröðr]]: The prose introduction notes that Thor arrived at Geirröðr's courts without his hammer. In its place, he uses a pole given to him by his jötunn lover, [[Gríðr]].<ref name="FAULKES-81-82">Faulkes 1987: 81–82.</ref>
The final mention of the hammer in ''Skáldskaparmál'' offers an explanation of its manufacture by the [[Dwarf (folklore)|dwarf]] brothers [[Eitri]] and [[Brokkr]]. In this narrative, Loki cuts the goddess [[Sif]]'s hair. Upon discovering this, Thor grabs Loki and threatens to crush every bone in his body if he does not come up with a solution. Loki goes to the [[svartálfar]], and for him the [[Sons of Ivaldi]] make three special items: Sif's hair of gold, Freyr's ship [[Skíðblaðnir]], and Odin's spear [[Gungnir]].<ref name="FAULKES-96">Faulkes 1987: 96.</ref>
Seeing this, Loki wagers his head with the dwarf [[Brokkr]] on whether his brother [[Eitri]] can make three more items of equal quality. As Eitri works on the three precious objects, a fly enters the room and bites him three times: First, the fly lands on the dwarf's arm and bites it, but Brokkr does not react: He places a pig skin in the forge and from it pulls the golden boar [[Gullinbursti]]; second, the fly lands on and bites the back of the dwarf's neck, but he does not react: after inserting gold, he pulls from the forge [[Draupnir]], a golden ring that produces eight more of itself every nine nights; and third and final, the fly lands on the dwarf's eyelid and bites him, causing blood to obscure his vision. Nonetheless, Brokkr inserts iron into the forge and pulls from it a hammer, Mjölnir.<ref name="FAULKES-96"/>
The gods Odin, Thor, and Freyr assemble to judge the quality of these items. While reviewing items and explaining their function, Brokkr says the following about Mjölnir:
:Then he gave Thor the hammer and said he would be able to strike as heavily as he liked, whatever the target, and the hammer would not fail, and if he threw it at something, it would never miss, and never fly so far that it would not find its way back to his hand, and if he liked, it was so small that it could be kept inside his shirt. But there was this defect in it that the end of the hammer was rather short.<ref name="FAULKES-97">Faulkes 1987: 97.</ref>
The three assembled gods judge the hammer to be the best of all the objects, and the tale continues without further mention of the object.<ref name="FAULKES-97"/>
==Archaeological record==
===Hammer pendants, rings, coins, typology, taxonomy, and Eitri database===
Around 1000 pendants in distinctive shapes representing the hammer of Thor have been unearthed in what are today the [[Nordic countries]], England, northern Germany, the Baltic countries and Russia. Most have very simple designs in iron or silver. Around 100 have more advanced designs with ornaments.<ref name="natmus">Natmus.dk 2014.</ref> The pendants have been found in a variety of contexts (including at urban sites, and in hoards) and occur in a variety of shapes. As of 2004, 10% of all finds were from graves, nearly all of which are cremations.<ref name="NORDEIDE-218-219">Nordeide 2006: 218–219.</ref> The burials are often identified as women's graves.<ref name="natmus"/> In addition to pendants, the hammer has been found depicted on objects such as on two Arabic coins found at an urban dig site.<ref name="NORDEIDE-218"/>
Here are four examples of Mjölnir finds, their dating, and their discovery context:
{| border="1" class="wikitable sortable"
!Location discovered
!Material & decoration
!Dating
!Other information
!{{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
|[[Verdal]], [[Trøndelag]], Norway
|Silver, decorated
|Undated
|Stray find
|<ref name="NORDEIDE-218">Nordeide 2006: 218.</ref>
|-
|Hilde, [[Stryn]], Norway
|Ring with nine hammers
|10th century
|Found in a female cremation burial in a boat in a mound
|<ref name="NORDEIDE-218"/>
|-
|Kaupang, [[Larvik]], Norway
|Iron, undecorated
|Around 800–960
|None
|<ref name="NORDEIDE-218"/>
|-
|Købelev, [[Lolland]], Denmark
|Inscription
|10th century
|Only hammer found with a runic inscription; the text says "Hmar × is", meaning "This is a hammer".
|<ref>Natmus.dk 2014; Imer 2017: 193.</ref>
|}
In 1999, German archaeologist Jörn Staecker proposed a typology for the hammer finds based on decorative style and material properties (such as amber, iron, or silver). In 2019, American scholar Katherine Suzanne Beard proposed an extension of the typology based on factors such as hammer shape and suspension type.<ref name="BEARD-2019-14-15">Beard 2019: 14–15.</ref> In 2019, Beard also launched ''[http://eitridb.com/ Eitri: The Norse Artifacts Database]'', an online database that lists numerous hammer finds and includes data about their composition and discovery context.<ref name="EITRI">[http://eitridb.com/ ''Eitri: The Norse Artifacts Database'' may be viewed online here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120161100/http://eitridb.com/ |date=20 January 2021 }} (last accessed 18 January 2021). Beard developed the database as part of her MA thesis at the [[University of Iceland]] under superivision by Terry Gunnell. Some of these entries may also be found in Beard 2019: 171–228.</ref>
The development of the hammer pendants has been the subject of study by a variety of scholars. The hammers amulets appear to have developed from an earlier tradition of similar pendants among the north Germanic peoples.<ref name="BEARD-2019-124-125">Beard 2019: 124–125.</ref> Scholars have also noted that the hammer may have developed from a pendant worn by other ancient Germanic people, the so-called [[Hercules' Club (amulet)|club of Hercules amulet]].<ref name="SIMEK-1993-14-15">Simek 1993: 14–15.</ref> The increase in popularity of the amulet in the Viking Age and some variants of it shape may have been a response to the use of Christian cross pendants appearing more commonly in the region during the process of Christianization.<ref name="BEARD-2019-124-125"/>
<gallery>
File:Thor's hammer, Bredsättra, Öland.jpg|Drawing of a 4.6&nbsp;cm gold-plated silver {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}} pendant found at {{lang|sv|Bredsätra|italic=no}} on {{lang|sv|[[Öland]]|italic=no}}, Sweden
File:Thor's hammer, Fitjar.jpg|Drawing of a silver Thor's hammer amulet found in {{lang|no|[[Fitjar]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|no|[[Hordaland]]|italic=no}}, Norway
File:Torshammare Muller 1888-1895 pl41.jpg|Drawing of Thor's hammer amulet from {{lang|da|[[Mandemark]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|da|[[Møn]]|italic=no}}, Denmark
File:Torshammare_fr_Skåne_(KVHoA_Akademiens_Månadsblad_1895_s102_fig82)_vit_bakgr.jpg|Drawing of a silver-gilted Thor's hammer found in [[Scania]], Sweden
File:Thorshammer from Rømersdal (Original Piece).jpg|Photograph of a hammer from Rømersdal, Bornholm, Denmark, dated c. 790-1100 CE
</gallery>
In Viking Age cremation graves in the [[Mälaren]] area, [[Åland]] and Russia, there are finds of what archaeologists have named Thor's hammer-rings. These are iron rings with multiple amulets attached; many but not all amulets are shaped like hammers. Found in cinerary urns, in graves for both sexes but more often in women's graves, the amulet rings may have played a role in cremation practices, but their exact function is unknown. The earliest examples are from the [[Vendel Period]] but they appear to have become more common in the late Viking Age, which might be connected to political and religious conflicts.<ref>Williams 2013: 200–201.</ref>
===Eyrarland Statue===
{{main|Eyrarland Statue}}
[[File:Reykjavik - Thor-Figur 1.jpg|thumb|The [[Eyrarland Statue]], a statue of a seated figure from about AD 1000 that was recovered at the Eyrarland farm in the area of [[Akureyri]], Iceland.]]
The [[Eyrarland Statue]], a copper alloy figure found near {{lang|is|[[Akureyri]]|italic=no}}, Iceland dating from around the 11th century, may depict Thor seated and gripping his hammer.<ref name="ORCHARD161">Orchard 1997: 161.</ref>
===Rune stones and picture stones===
Pictorial representations of Thor's hammer appear on several [[runestone]]s, such as [[Laeborg Runestone|DR 26]], [[Danish Runic Inscription 48|DR 48]] and [[Danish Runic Inscription 120|DR 120]] in Denmark and [[Bjärby Runestones#Vg 113|VG 113]], [[Södermanland Runic Inscription 86|Sö 86]] and [[Stenkvista runestone|Sö 111]] in Sweden.<ref>McKinnell, Simek, Düwel (2004: 116–133).</ref> At least three stones depict Thor fishing for the serpent {{lang|non|[[Jörmungandr]]|italic=no}}, and two of them feature hammers: the [[Altuna Runestone]] in {{lang|sv|Altuna|italic=no}}, Sweden and the [[St Mary's Church, Gosforth|Gosforth depiction]] in [[Gosforth, Cumbria|Gosforth]], England.
<gallery>
File:Sö 111, Stenkvista.jpg|A runestone from {{lang|sv|Södermanland|italic=no}}, Sweden bearing a depiction of Thor's hammer
File:U1161 Altunastenen Tors fiskafänge 2.jpg|The [[Altuna stone]] from Sweden, one of four stones depicting Thor's fishing trip
File:Altunastenen U 1161 (Raä-nr Altuna 42-1) Tor detalj 0440.jpg|Closeup of Thor with {{lang|non|Mjölnir|italic=no}} depicted on the Altuna stone.
File:Gosforth fishing.jpg|The [[Gosforth Cross|Gosforth depiction]], one of the stones depicting Thor's fishing trip
</gallery>
As Beard notes, Thor "is the only known god to have been called on to bless or hallow [[runestone]]s from the Viking Age", a fact observed by scholars since at least the 19th century.<ref name="BEARD-2019-119">Beard 2019: 119.</ref>
==Scholarly reception and interpretation==
===Latin sources: Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus===
[[File:Olaus Magnus - On the three Main Gods of the Geats.jpg|thumb|16th-century depiction of Norse gods from [[Olaus Magnus]]'s ''[[A Description of the Northern Peoples]]''; from left to right, [[Frigg]], Thor and Odin]]
Two sources describe Thor as wielding hammer-like objects, although not described as hammers. In the 11th century, chronicler [[Adam of Bremen]] records in his {{lang|la|[[Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum]]|italic=yes}} that a statue of Thor, who Adam describes as "mightiest", sits in the [[Temple at Uppsala]] in the center of a triple throne (flanked by [[Woden]] and "Fricco") located in {{lang|sv|[[Gamla Uppsala]]|italic=no}}, Sweden. Adam details that "Thor, they reckon, rules the sky; he governs thunder and lightning, winds and storms, fine weather and fertility" and that "Thor, with his mace, looks like Jupiter". Adam details that the people of {{lang|sv|Uppsala|italic=no}} had appointed [[gothi|priests]] to each of the gods, and that the priests were to offer up [[blót|sacrifices]]. In Thor's case, he continues, these sacrifices were done when plague or famine threatened.<ref name="ORCHARD168-169">Orchard 1997: 168—169.</ref> Earlier in the same work, Adam relays that in 1030 an English preacher, Wulfred, was [[lynching|lynched]] by assembled Germanic pagans for "profaning" a representation of Thor.<ref name="NORTH236">North 1998: 236.</ref>
12th century Danish author Saxo Grammaticus's ''Gesta Danorum'', an [[euhemerism|euhemerized]] version of the god depicts him as wielding a ''clava'', a club made from oak. Saxo provides a euhemerized tale about its origins that, like the ''Skáldskaparmál'' narrative above, describes the hammer as having a short handle, confirming a broader tradition both of the shortness of the hammer and also its role in narrative as a weapon intended for protecting the gods.<ref name="DAVIDSON-AND-FISHER-1996-II-54">Davidson & Fisher 1996: II 54.</ref> This description occurs in book three of ''Gesta Danorum'':
:But Thor shattered all their shield-defences with the terrific swings of his club, calling on his enemies to attack him as much as his comrades support him. There was no armour which could stand up to his strokes, nor anyone who could survive them. Shields, helmets, everything he drove at with his oak cudgel was crushed on impact, nor were bodily size or muscle any protection. Consequently victory would have gone to the gods, had not [[Høther]], whose line of men had bent inwards, flown forward and rendered the club useless by lopping off the handle. Immediately they were denied this weapon the deities fled.<ref name="DAVIDSON-AND-FISHER-1996-I-72-II-54">Davidson & Fisher 1996: I 72, II 54.</ref>
Various scholars have considered these weapons to simply be references to Mjölnir. Beard notes that "the archaeological hammer finds (even those contemporary to Adam's account) clearly do not resemble these club-like weapons at all, making it possible that their existence in the literature is more likely a result of ''[[interpretatio romana]]'' than anything else (although one should remember that the Irish [[Dagda]] also uses a club ...). Indeed, there is only a single instance of a hammer made of wood in the entirety of [the Eitri database], and this artifact is a mere half fragment that may not be a hammer at all."<ref name="BEARD-2019-154-155">Beard 2019: 154–155.</ref>
===Temple instruments and ceremonial significance===
The Old Norse record mentions Thor using Mjölnir not only as a fearsome weapon but also a means of sanctifying or hallowing. For example, as detailed above, ''Þrymskviða'' mentions that the hammer was to be brought in to sanctify the bride (who in fact turns out to be Thor in disguise), in ''Gylfaginning'' Thor revives his goats [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr]] with the hammer, and in ''Skáldskaparmál'' Thor uses his hammer to bless Baldr's ship at his and Nana's ship funeral. A variety of items from the archaeological record call upon Thor for healing, some explicitly representing or invoking his hammer. According to Book 13 of Saxo Grammaticus's ''[[Gesta Danorum]]'', [[Magnus the Strong]] removed large hammer models from a temple dedicated to Thor (here referred to as ''Jupiter'' via ''interpretatio romana'') in 1125:
:<small>[[Oliver Elton]] translation (1894):</small>
::He took care to bring home certain hammers of unusual weight, which they call Jupiter's, used by the island men in their unique faith. For the men of old, desiring to comprehend the causes of thunder and lightning by means of the similitude of things, took hammers great and massy of bronze, with which they believed the crashing of the sky might be made, thinking that great and violent noise might very well be imitated by the smith's toil, as it were. But Magnus, in his zeal for Christian teaching and dislike for Paganism, determined to spoil the temple of its equipment, and Jupiter of his tokens in the place of his sanctity. And even now the Swedes consider him guilty of sacrilege and a robber of spoil belonging to the god.<ref name="DAVIDSON-1964-81">Cited in Davidson 1964: 81.</ref>
According to Davidson, "it would seem indeed as though the power of the thunder god, symbolized by his hammer, extended all over that had to do with the well-being of the community. It covered birth, marriage, and death, burial, and cremation ceremonies, weapons and feasting, travelling, land-taking, and the making of oath between men. The famous weapon of Thor was not only the symbol of destructive power of the storm, of fire from heaven, but also a protection against the forces of evil and violence."<ref name="DAVIDSON-1964-83-84">Davidson 1964: 83–84.</ref>
===Nordic Bronze Age and potential Proto-Indo-European origins===
[[Nordic Bronze Age]] [[petroglyph]]s depict figures holding hammers and hammer-like weapons, such as axes. Some scholars have proposed these to depict precursors to Mjölnir. As scholar Rudolf Simek summarizes, "as the Bronze Age rock carvings of axe or hammer-bearing god-like figures show, [Mjölnir] played a role as a consecratory instrument early on, probably in a fertility cult ... ".<ref name="SIMEK-2007-219">Simek 2007: 219.</ref>
Thor is one of various deities associated with or personifying thunder who wields a hammer-like object associated with phenomena such as lightning or fire in a variety of myth bodies. In some cases these hammer-like objects return to the deity when thrown or result in changes in weather. Examples frequently cited by scholars include [[Vedic mythology|Vedic]] [[Indra]], who wields a lightning spear; [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], who throws lightning bolts; and the Celtic deity [[Dagda]], who carries a club. Numerous scholars have identified the concept of Thor and his hammer, like Indra, Zeus, and the Dagda, as stemming from [[Proto-Indo-European mythology]].<ref name="BEARD-2019-31-39-41">Cf. Beard 2019: 31, 39, 41.</ref>
<gallery>
File:Tanum Lövaasen 321 ID 10160603210001 IMG 8413.JPG|Nordic Bronze Age petroglyph featuring a figure holding a hammer-like object among the [[Rock Carvings in Tanum|Tanum rock carvings]], Sweden
File:Tanumshede 2005 rock carvings 5.jpg|Nordic Bronze Age petroglyph featuring figures holding hammers or axe-like objects among the Tanum rock carvings, Sweden
File:Processionsøkse af bronze, Nordsjælland.jpg|Nordic Bronze Age ceremonial axe, blade edge pointed down.
File:DO-1995-Processionsøkse fra Viby st.jpg|Nordic Bronze Age ceremonial axe, blade pointed down.
</gallery>
===Relationship to the swastika and Icelandic folk belief===
{{main|Swastika (Germanic Iron Age)}}
The [[swastika]] appears on a variety of objects produced or used by the ancient Germanic peoples. In late Icelandic [[folk belief]], Icelandic [[grimoire]]s list the swastika symbol as 'Thor's hammer'. According to [[runology|runologists]] Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees, "By early modern times, the description 'Thor's hammer' had come to be applied to swastikas ('sun-wheels'), not the hammer symbols seen in medieval runic inscriptions. Similarly, terms once used for other symbols had also come to be associated with new forms, often of unclear origin."<ref name="MACLEOD-MEES-2006-252">MacLeod & Mees 2006: 252.</ref> Other scholars have proposed that the swastika represented Thor's hammer among the ancient Germanic peoples from an early date.<ref name="BEARD-2019-23-24">For discussion on this topic, see Beard 2019: 23–24.</ref> English [[folklore studies|folklorist]] [[Hilda Ellis Davidson]] surveys the swastika's use in the ancient archaeological Germanic record (up to 1964) and concludes that "Thor was the sender of lightning and the god who dealt out both sunshine and rain to men, and it seems likely the swastika as well as the hammer sign was connected with him."<ref name="DAVIDSON-1964-82-83">Davidson 1964: 82–83.</ref>
==Modern popular culture==
{{See also|Norse mythology in popular culture}}
[[File:Thor-aalborg-bicycle-head-badge.jpg|thumb|An early 20th century Danish bicycle [[head badge]] depicting Thor holding the hammer Mjölnir]]
[[File:Sigurblót_2009.JPG|thumb|In this 2009 gathering by Icelandic heathen group [[Ásatrúarfélagið]], allsherjargoði [[Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson]] wears a reproduction of a historic hammer pendant discovered in Foss, Iceland]]
Mjölnir is depicted in a variety of media in the modern era. As noted by Rudolf Simek, in art "Thor is almost always depicted with [Mjölnir]", but how the hammer appears in modern depictions varies: At times it may appear as hammer-like depictions of the club of [[Hercules]], to a large [[sledge hammer]], and displaying influence from the archaeological record.<ref name="SIMEK-2007-220">Simek 2007: 220.</ref> Examples include [[Henry Fuseli]]'s 1780 painting ''[[Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent]]''; {{lang|de|[[Hermann Ernst Freund|H. E. Freund]]|italic=no}}'s 1821–1822 statue ''Thor''; B. E. Fogelberg's 1844 marble statue ''Thor''; [[Mårten Eskil Winge]]'s 1872 painting ''[[Thor's Fight with the Giants]]''; K. Ehrenberg's 1883 drawing {{lang|de|Odin, Thor und Magni|italic=yes}}; several illustrations by {{lang|de|E. Doepler|italic=no}} published in {{lang|de|Wilhelm Ranisch|italic=no}}'s 1901 {{lang|de|Walhall|italic=yes}} (''Thor''; {{lang|de|Thor und die Midgardschlange|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor den Hrungnir bekämpfend|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor bei dem Riesen Þrym als Braut verkleidet|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor bei Hymir|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor bei Skrymir|italic=yes}}; {{lang|de|Thor den Fluß Wimur durchwatend|italic=yes}}); [[John Charles Dollman|J. C. Dollman]]'s 1909 drawings ''Thor and the Mountain'' and ''Sif and Thor''; G. Poppe's painting ''Thor''; {{lang|de|E. Pottner|italic=no}}'s 1914 drawing {{lang|de|Thors Schatten|italic=yes}}; H. Natter's marble statue ''Thor''; and U. Brember's 1977 illustrations to {{lang|de|Die Heimholung des Hammers|italic=yes}} by {{lang|de|H. C. Artmann|italic=no}}.<ref name="SIMEK-323-2007">Simek 2007: 323.</ref>
A variety of locations, organizations, and objects are named after the hammer. Examples include [[Mjølnerparken]] in Copenhagen, Denmark; the [[Mjølnir crater]], a meteorite crater off the coast of Norway; the [[Hammer of Thor (monument)|Hammer of Thor monument]] in Quebec, Canada; the [[Thor's Hammer (Tusenfryd)|Thor's Hammer]] rollercoaster in the [[Tusenfryd]] theme park in Norway; the Norwegian football club [[FK Mjølner]]; and a variety of ship names, including the [[HNoMS Mjølner (1868)]] and several ships by the name of [[HSwMS Mjölner]]. Musical projects who take their name from that of the hammer include American-Norwegian metal band [[Thorr's Hammer]] and Icelandic rock band [[Thor's Hammer (band)|Thor's Hammer]]. [[Tórshavn Municipality]], the capital city of the [[Faroe Islands]], features a depiction of Mjölner on its seal and coat of arms, as does the [[Torsås Municipality]] in Sweden.
In the modern era, Mjölnir pendants are worn by a variety of people and for a variety of purposes.<ref name="BEARD-2019-9-11">See discussion in Beard 2019: 9–11.</ref> For example, the symbol is commonly used by adherents of [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Heathenry]], a [[new religious movement]].<ref name="SIMEK-2007-220"/> Writing in 2006, scholars Jenny Blain and Robert J. Wallis observe that "the most common of heathen sacred artefacts is Thor's hammer" and add that "heathen spirituality is expressed visually and publicly in a number of ways, such as the display of reproduced artefacts (for example, Thor's hammer as a pendant … ), pilgrimages to sacred sites (and votive offerings left there), and 'visits' to museum collection displays of artefacts which offer direct visual (and other resonant) links to ancient religions."<ref name="BLAIN-WALLIS-90-93">Blain & Wallis 2006: 90 & 93.</ref>
In the United States, Thor's Hammer is offered as a religious emblem (#55, "Hammer of Thor") for military veteran [[headstone|grave stones]] produced by the [[United States National Cemetery System|United States National Cemetery Administration]].<ref name="VA-GRAVESTONES">United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Undated. "Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers". cem.va.gov. Online. Last accessed 17 January 2021.</ref>
The symbol has seen some use in [[white nationalist]] and [[neo-Nazi]] circles. As noted by the [[Anti-Defamation League]] symbol database entry for "Thor's Hammer", "Although its traditional origins are non-racist, and although most Asatruers today are not racist, the Thor's Hammer symbol has been appropriated by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists, especially those who practice racist or white supremacist versions of neo-Norse beliefs under the guise of Odinism or Wotanism. White supremacists will often even create racist versions of the Thor's Hammer, incorporating swastikas or other hate symbols into the decoration."<ref name="ADL-THOR'S-HAMMER">[https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/thors-hammer "Thor's Hammer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407041613/https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/thors-hammer |date=7 April 2019 }}. Undated. Hate on Display Hate Symbol Database. Online. Last accessed 18 January 2021.</ref> Scholar Katherine Beard notes that "most people who wear hammer pendants today do so for cultural, religious, or decorative reasons and maintain absolutely no ties to any racist groups or beliefs".<ref name="BEARD-2019-10">Beard 2019: 10.</ref>
==See also==
* [[Hiddensee treasure]]
* [[Ukonvasara]]
* [[Uchide no kozuchi]]
==Citations==
{{reflist}}
==References==
*Beard, Katherine Suzanne. 2019. ''[https://skemman.is/handle/1946/32768 Hamarinn Mjǫllnir:The Eitri Database and the Evolution of the Hammer Symbol in Old Norse Mythology]''. MA database project. University of Iceland. Online. Last accessed 18 January 2021.
*[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Bellows, Henry Adams]]. Tarns. 1923. ''The Poetic Edda''. New York: [[The American-Scandinavian Foundation]].
*Blain, Jenny & Robert J. Wallace. 2006. "Representing Spirit: Heathenry, New-Indigenes and the Imaged Past" in Ian Russell, editor. ''Images, Representations and Heritage'', p.&nbsp;89–108. Springer. {{ISBN|0-387-32215-9}}
*[[Hilda Ellis Davidson|Ellis Davidson, H. R.]] 1964. ''Gods and Myths of Northern Europe''. Penguin. {{ISBN|9780141941509}}
*Davidson, Hilda Ellis & [[Peter Fisher (translator)|Peter Fisher]]. 1996. ''Saxo Grammaticus: The History of the Danes, Books I-IX''. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. {{ISBN|0-85991-502-6}}
*[[Anthony Faulkes|Faulkes, Anthony]]. 1987. Trans. ''Edda''. Everyman. {{ISBN|0-460-87616-3}}
*Imer, Lisbeth M. 2017. [https://books.google.com/books?id=sOEsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA193 "Gamle fund – nye opdagelser"] [Old finds – new discoveries]. ''Die Faszination des Verborgenen und seine Entschlüsselung – Raði sāʀ kunni'' (in Danish). De Gruyter. {{ISBN|978-3-11-054738-2}}
*[[Carolyne Larrington|Larrington, Carolyne]]. 2014. ''The Poetic Edda''. Revised edition. [[Oxford World's Classics]]. {{ISBN|978-0-19-967534-0}}
* MacLeod, Mindy & Bernard Mees. 2006. ''Runic Amulets and Magic Objects''. [[Boydel & Brewer]] Ltd. {{ISBN|978-1-84383-205-8}}
* {{cite book |last1=McKinnell |first1=John |last2=Simek |first2=Rudolf |author2-link=Rudolf Simek |last3=Düwel |first3=Klaus |year=2004 |chapter-url=http://dro.dur.ac.uk/1053/1/1053.pdf |chapter=Gods and Mythological Beings in the Younger Futhark |title=Runes, Magic and Religion: A Sourcebook |location=Vienna |publisher=Fassbaender |series=Studia Medievalia Septentrionalia |volume=10 |isbn=978-3-900538-81-1 }}
*[https://natmus.dk/nyhed/runer-bekraefter-thors-hammer-er-en-hammer/ "Runer bekræfter: Thors hammer er en hammer"] [Runes confirm: Thor's hammer is a hammer]. ''[[National Museum of Denmark|Natmus.dk]]'' (in Danish and English). 12 June 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
* Nordeide, Sæbjørg Walaker. 2006. "Thor's hammer in Norway" in Anders Andrén, editor. ''Old Norse Religion in Long-term Perspectives''. Nordic Academic Press.
*[[Andy Orchard|Orchard, Andy]]. 1997. ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''. [[Orion Publishing Group|Cassell]]. {{ISBN|0-304-34520-2}}
*[[Birgit Sawyer|Sawyer, Birgit]]. 2003. ''The Viking-Age Rune-Stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-820643-7}}.
* [[Rudolf Simek|Simek, Rudolf]]. 2007 [1993]. Translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. [[Boydell & Brewer|D.S. Brewer]].
*[[Benjamin Thorpe|Thorpe, Benjamin]]. Trans. 1866. ''Edda Sæmundar Hinns Frôða: The Edda of Sæmund the Learned.'' Part I. London: Trübner & Co.
* [[Howard Williams (archaeologist)|Williams, Howard]]. 2013. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EoXbmMb6rVYC&pg=PA200 "Death, Memory, and Material Culture: Catalytic Commemoration and the Cremated Dead"] in [[Sarah Tarlow]] and [[Liv Nilsson Stutz]], editors. ''The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Death and Burial''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-956906-9}}
==External links==
* {{commons-inline|Archaeological record of Mjöllnir}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Mjöllnir}}
* {{Wiktionary inline|Mjollnir}}
{{Þórr}}
{{Amulets and talismans}}
{{Norse mythology}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mjollnir}}
[[Category:Archaeological artefact types]]
[[Category:Early Germanic symbols]]
[[Category:Mythological Norse weapons]]
[[Category:Hammers]]
[[Category:Religious symbols]]
[[Category:Thor]]
[[Category:Amulets]]
[[Category:Talismans]]