Mjolnir

[ myawl-nir ]

noun

, Scandinavian Mythology.

1. the hammer of Thor, used as a weapon against the Jotuns, heard as thunder by humans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mjolnir¹

From Old Norse Mjǫllnir, akin to Old Church Slavonic mlĭniji, Russian mólniya, Old Prussian mealde “lightning,” Latvian milna “hammer of the thunder god”

Example Sentences

Specifically, Miss Foster, now dying of cancer, has found kinship with Thor’s broken Mjolnir hammer now reassembled from its former shattered state and granting her the same powers as the God of Thunder.

From Washington Times

“Thor: Love and Thunder” brings back director Taika Waititi — who previously helmed the acclaimed “Thor: Ragnarok” — for a post-“Avengers: Endgame” adventure that includes the Guardians of the Galaxy, Greek gods, and the return of Natalie Portman as Thor’s ex-girlfriend Jane, who finally gets the chance to wield the hammer Mjolnir.

From Los Angeles Times

Since Thor's hammer Mjolnir called her in her darkest hour, she decided to take the god's weapon into her own hands and have the adventures she denied herself by giving the time she has left over to scientific research.

From Salon

This feeds into another gag: Thor's inability to let go of Mjolnir, which makes his new weapon Stormbreaker a tad envious.

From Salon

The pieces reassemble into a whole, but now Mjolnir is being wielded by a new figure whose costume looks a lot like Thor’s.

From New York Times

More About Mjolnir

What does Mjolnir mean?

Mjolnir is the hammer wielded by Thor, the Norse god of thunder, rain, and farming.

Mjolnir is Thor’s iconic weapon and he rarely is seen without it in modern depictions. Although its exact appearance changes, it is always depicted as being small enough to be used in one hand.

According to mythology, Mjolnir was forged by dwarves and had a number of magical abilities. In Norse mythology, Thor used Mjolnir to defend Asgard (the home of the gods) from evil giants, known as Jotun. It was said Mjolnir would return to Thor like a boomerang if thrown.

According to myth, Thor also used Mjolnir as a weapon. He also used it to give his blessing to mortals, and Mjolnir was said to have holy powers that could shield people from harm.

Example: Mighty Thor smashed the giants to pieces using Mjolnir.

Where does Mjolnir come from?

The English Mjolnir comes from the Old Norse name for Thor’s hammer, Mjǫllnir. Mjǫllnir is related to the Old Prussian mealde, meaning “lightning,” and the Latvian milna, meaning “hammer of the thunder god.”

As far as mythical weapons go, only King Arthur’s Excalibur comes close to the fame of Thor’s Mjolnir. While the weapon certainly had widespread fame by followers of the Norse religion, Mjolnir’s modern fame is largely due to Thor’s appearance in many works of popular culture. In particular, Mjolnir is wielded by the superhero version of Thor as depicted by Disney’s Marvel Entertainment.

Did you know … ?

What are some words that often get used in discussing Mjolnir?

• Thor
• hammer
• thunder
• lightning
• Norse mythology

How is Mjolnir used in real life?

Thanks to depictions of Thor in popular culture, many people know that his hammer is named Mjolnir (even if they can’t pronounce it).

"He used spider sense too much in the previous films." That's like saying Wolverine used his claws too much. Or Thor used Mjolnir too much.

— Tony Polanco (@Romudeth) July 3, 2017

I've argued with people 1/4 my age about the actual mass of Mjolnir, Thor's Hammer. #ExpressionsOfImmaturity

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) May 17, 2017

to be humble, this compliment raises Mjolnir-type concerns for me: I do not know if I am worthy to wield its might

— Christopher Federico (@ChrisPolPsych) April 15, 2021

Try using Mjolnir!

True or False?

In Norse mythology, Mjolnir is the name of the axe wielded by Thor.