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MjolnirIn Norse mythology, Mjolnir (also Mjollnir, literally "that which smashes") is the Hammer of Thor, the god of lightning and thunder. This war hammer (made by Brok and Eitri) had enormous destructive capabilities, and was associated with lightning. When thrown, it would return to the thrower's hand after striking its target. Only Thor and his son, Magni, could lift it. The account of how Thor came by Mjolnir is given in the 11th century poem Thorsdrapa. - MJOLNIR is also the name of a battle armor suit from the video game Halo. This is likely an allusion to the mythology.
Culture Replicas of the hammer were widely popular in Scandinavia and were used in Blts and other sacral ceremonies, such as weddings. In 1925, in Gotland, a hammer was still put in the bed of the newlyweds to bring fertility to the new family. During the period of christian missionary, it was a popular symbol competing with the Christian cross and sometimes even worn beside it. Today, replicas of such hammers are frequently used and sold in jewelry shops and worn by many, especially by those interested in Norse mythology and ancient Scandinavian history. Thunder To wield this formidable weapon, even a deity like Thor needed special iron gloves and a belt that doubled the wearer's strength. The strike of Mjolnir caused thunderclaps, and the name of this deity has produced the word for "thunder" in most Germanic languages. Norse myth With the hammer, Thor indulged in his favourite sport of killing giants. Most of the surviving myths centre on Thor's exploits, and this and inscriptions on monuments suggest that Thor was very much the favourite deity of ancient Scandinavians. In Trymskvida, the most light and funny of all Thor's adventures, the giant Thrym secretly steals Mjolnir from Thor and then demands fair Freya in exchange. Marvel Comics In the Marvel Comics version of the character, the hammer could also allow Thor to fly by grasping the holding strap of his hammer after he threw it in the direction he wanted to go. It also allowed him to control the weather, travel through time and other dimensions. It could be used defensively by twirling it by its holding strap to deflect bullets. It had to stay in physical contact with Thor to prevent him from turning back into his mortal form of Dr. Don Blake after sixty seconds, but that weakness was removed after an alien warrior named Beta Ray Bill proved worthy of Mjolnir and received a variant hammer, called Stormbreaker, with the transformation weakness being transferred to it. Only a person who is considered worthy is able to lift Mjolnir. So far, the only beings so qualified have been Odin, Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Captain America, Wonder Woman, and a hero from the future named Drago. Superman has also used the legendary hammer, as seen during the Avengers JLA crossover event. Games Mjolnir also appears as a magical artifact in the roguelike computer game NetHack and also in the Diablo-like "Darkstone". Mjolnir apears in several games by Bungie Software. In Marathon, the presence of nine Mjolnir Mark IV cyborgs on board the colony ship MARATHON is noted, and is it Fanon that the player is the tenth Mjolnir Mark IV cyborg. In Halo, the protagonist uses a combat suit designated MJOLNIR Mark V. In Halo 2, he upgrades to a MJOLNIR Mark VI combat suit. In the Volition game Freespace 2, Mjolnir is a long range stationary beam cannon, used to guard locations such as Space Stations or Jump points. In the Breath of Fire III game, Mjolnir (spelt Myollinir) is the most powerful thunder-elemental magic spell. In the Quake expansion pack Scourge of Armagon, Mjolnir is reproduced somewhat faithfully as a hammer weapon which fires lightning bolts at nearby enemies when it is struck against the ground. In the Final Fantasy XI MMORPG, Mjollnir is the strongest (relic) weapon that a White Mage can wield. In the Ambrosia Software game Escape Velocity Nova, Mjolnir is a system of the Polarians. This is a reference to Bungie's Marathon, as Nova development team ATMOS was originally fouded to make a Mod for that game. The descriptive text for the station in that system refers to a "Cyborg Soldier", a reference to the Mjolnir Mark IV cyborg that is the playable character in the Marathon game. In the GunBound online game, a large satellite that shoots out beams of lightnings as players battle down below is called Thor's Hammer. In the Ragnarok Online MMORPG, Mjolnir is a high level, legendary hammer that only players of levels 98 and 99 are able to wield(with 99 being the highest level). In the adventure game God of Thunder. The roguelike Ancient Domains of Mystery includes a "Hammer of the Gods" that returns to it's owner when thrown, presumably Mjolnir. In Tales of Symphonia there is a Compound Unison Attack made by Genis's Lightning spell and Colette's Pow Hammer attack combined, named Mjollnir. In Microsoft Age Of Mythology. Other spellings Norwegian : Mjolne Internal Links Uru (Marvel Comics)
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