Mjolnir has always been a huge part of Thor's adventures, and "Thor: Love and Thunder" is
certainly no exception.
But what's the history behind Thor's magical hammer?
And what does "Mjolnir" even mean?
Keep watching to find out.
One of Mjolnir's most distinctive features is its short handle, but there's a lot more
to Mjolnir's length than you might expect.
The story behind Mjolnir's creation, as well as its unique appearance, goes as far back
as the original Norse myths, and Loki's penchant for mischief.
In the midst of a much larger tale about Loki stealing the hair of Thor's wife, Sif, Loki
commissions two dwarfs to create three magical gifts for the gods.
To up the stakes, Loki bets his head that the two couldn't make gifts as good as the
dwarfs who made Sif's replacement hair.
To ensure that he keeps his head, Loki transforms into a fly and bites one of the dwarfs while
he makes Mjolnir, resulting in the hammer coming out with a shorter handle than intended.
Despite its top-heavy appearance, it was still mighty and balanced, and the mythological
Thor cherished it all the same.
While the mythological origins of Mjolnir weren't carried over into Marvel perfectly
intact, with the comic version being crafted out of a fictional metal called Uru— in
a dying star, in one version of the origin story — it is interesting to see how the
myths influenced the design in the comics.
It was a major moment in "Avengers: Endgame" when fans finally saw Captain America wield
Mjolnir, proving once and for all that he truly is worthy of the power of Thor.
"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."
It was a plot moment that was multiple movies in the making, with Cap's worthiness being
teased way back at the beginning of "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
However, as many Marvel megafans already know, Captain America is far from the only superhero
worthy of wielding the hammer.
"I knew it!"
Aside from Cap and Vision, who briefly wielded the hammer in "Age of Ultron," the Marvel
Database actually lists dozens of characters who are able to hold Mjolnir.
These include other Asgardians like Odin and Bor, familiar characters like Jane Foster
and Black Panther, and even MCU up-and-comers like Moon Knight.
Those unfamiliar with Moon Knight's lore might be confused as to how a somewhat unhinged
vigilante with multiple personalities could be worthy of Thor's hammer.
However, thanks to Khonshu, the ancient Egyptian moon god whom Moon Knight serves, Moon Knight
can hold and even control Mjolnir because Uru is technically made of moon rock.
Lightning, flying, and hitting things really hard are the powers most people would associate
with Mjolnir.
"What am I looking at?"
"Sometimes it takes a while, give it a second."
However, Mjolnir is capable of much more than summoning lightning and smashing bad guys.
Much like how Superman once had some odd powers he no longer uses, Mjolnir has a similar tendency
to do whatever the writer needs it to at that moment.
Just to name a few examples of this, Mjolnir can open wormholes to instantly travel across
the universe, turn Thor or others invisible, manipulate people's souls, translate everything
Thor says into any language he needs, and sense energy signatures.
Of course, none of those powers quite replace bonking people on the head and shooting them
with lightning in most situations, which is why you still primarily see Thor using those
abilities in battle.
Nevertheless, it's important to remember that Mjolnir is still one of the most powerful
and versatile weapons in the universe.
Therefore, Thor is likely much more versatile than most comics and MCU fans would give him
credit for.
He's certainly more than just a hunk of muscle and lightning.
A lot has happened to both Thor and Mjolnir in recent comics.
From becoming unworthy and allowing the mantle of Thor to be carried by Jane Foster, to seeing
Jane sacrifice both herself and the hammer, to finally reforging the hammer so that Thor
could use it in the War of the Realms, Mjolnir has seen a lot of change.
What nobody ever expected, however, was for the hammer to wake up.
Of course, Mjolnir had always been somewhat alive.
One version of its comic-book origin story reveals that Odin trapped the God Tempest
in the Uru that would become Mjolnir.
Upon being reforged, however, the God Tempest's essence combined with that of Mangog, a being
who despised Asgard for the genocide of its people.
Thus, Mjolnir was able to create its own avatar, one that no longer cared for Thor or Asgard
and only desired death and destruction, dubbing itself the "God of Hammers."
Mjolnir showed some cool new abilities in "Thor: Love and Thunder," including the power
to reassemble itself from its shattered Uru metal shards — and then temporarily disassemble
itself again to attack an enemy from all directions.
But did you know those pieces of Mjolnir can become entirely new hammers in the comics?
This came in handy for Puddlegulp, one of Thor's more unusual friends, who first appeared
in "Thor" #364.
Once a man by the name of Simon Walterson who was transformed into a frog by a curse,
"Puddlegulp" was adopted by New York's secret frog kingdom and fought against a rival rat
army alongside Thor when the Thunder God was transformed into a frog by Loki.
Puddlegulp revealed his true identity to Thor and watched as the Frog of Thunder lifted
Mjolnir, transforming into a giant frog in Thor's armor.
Unknown to Thor, a sliver of Mjolnir had broken off the hammer, and when Puddlegulp proved
worthy enough to lift the shard of Uru metal, it transformed into the mighty Frogjolnir
and turned the enchanted frog into Throg, Frog of Thunder.
Throg used his Asgardian powers to protect the frogs of Central Park and eventually went
on to team up with other animal superhero sidekicks to form "The Pet Avengers."
Weird as this story might sound, if Mjolnir really is a sentient being, it stands to reason
that it can reproduce and make new enchanted hammers for the worthy.
Including frogs.
Fans have been struggling with the proper pronunciation of "Mjolnir" for decades.
Once you figure it out, however, an even more relevant question comes up.
What does "Mjolnir" actually mean?
Let's explore!
"Let's bring the rainbow!"
Most scholars trace the name "Mjolnir" back to Old Slavic, Russian, and Welsh terms which
all translate into the word "lightning."
As Thor's own name goes back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "Thunder," this seems appropriate.
However, some scholars also point out that "Mjolnir" may be related to the Icelandic
words meaning "new snow" and "white," both symbols of purity.
This could relate to the way Thor's hammer was often used in rituals like marriage, effectively
purifying those it blessed.
Mjolnir may also be derived from a Proto-Germanic word which translates into "to grind."
This could mean Mjolnir was known as "the grinder" or "the crusher" — two things it's
still known for doing today in the Marvel Universe.
Thor variants show up in multiple fictional universes, and DC Comics has its own Thor
who wields his own mighty hammer.
However, it's actually Marvel's version of Mjolnir that caused two DC icons — Superman
and Wonder Woman — to share a special bond.
Superman got to wield Mjolnir in the DC/Marvel crossover miniseries "JLA/Avengers."
The story saw Marvel's Avengers and DC's Justice League come to blows and eventually team-up
to save their universes from mutual destruction.
In the final battle, Thor passed his hammer to Superman, who found his power magnified
beyond imagination by Mjolnir's magic.
Curiously, the Man of Steel found he could no longer lift the hammer following the battle,
although Thor assured him Mjolnir was in good hands for the brief time he wielded it.
Wonder Woman found herself worthy to lift Mjolnir in the "DC vs. Marvel" crossover event
when she came across it following Thor's battle with Captain Marvel/Shazam.
Although the hammer increased Wonder Woman's power to insane levels, Diana decided to fight
without it when she was matched up with Storm, feeling Mjolnir's magic would give her an
unfair advantage.
Later, she politely handed the hammer back to a perplexed Thor.
Although these crossover events would fade in and out of memory, both Superman and Wonder
Woman are remembered as worthy wielders of Mjolnir in "Thor: The Worthy" when Jane Foster's
Thor glimpses the Man of Steel and Amazon Princess among the worthy.
Superman himself indicates he recalls these events in "Superman" Vol. 2 #165 when he gives
Diana a gold pendant shaped like Mjolnir as a Christmas gift, recognizing their unique bond.
Mjolnir is a mighty weapon — but some fans forget that it's also something far more than
just a weapon.
Since the Asgardians were once worshiped as gods, Mjolnir is considered a religious item,
meaning it is particularly dangerous against supernatural entities like vampires and the undead.
"Hey Blade!"
In "Thor" #332, fans see just why vampires should be afraid of Mjolnir, when Thor goes
up against some bloodsucking fiends serving Dracula.
Upon seeing a vampire attack a woman, Thor throws his hammer at him, causing the creature
to burst into flame and transform into dust the second Mjolnir touches him.
The hammer proves equally effective when Thor dusts some giant vampire bats a few panels later.
Unfortunately, when Thor attempts to use Mjolnir against Dracula himself in the next issue,
the vampire lord gets teleported away.
As is the case with a lot of godlike superheroes, Thor possesses the power of flight.
Unlike Superman or Wonder Woman, however, the God of Thunder has a very specific means
of getting airborne — he spins Mjolnir really fast and then launches it skyward, using its
forward momentum to pull him into the air.
As it turns out, this unique means of "flight" was devised by Stan Lee to get around what
he saw as a common fallacy among flying superheroes — they had no visible means of propulsion.
In one of his videos for "Stan's Rants," Lee revealed that when Thor wants to fly, quote,
"we use a scientific principle," explaining how his use of "hammer propulsion" provided
a scientifically sound explanation for Thor's flight.
Over the years, however, various artists have shown Thor flying without Mjolnir in Superman-type
poses, calling into question whether Thor actually needs his hammer to fly.
Nevertheless, science writer Kyle Hill proposes in his "Scientific American" article "The
God of Thunder, and Momentum," that Mjolnir could conceivably drag a much lighter Thor
through space if it made itself incredibly heavy (something that also explains how Mjolnir
could keep the unworthy from lifting it).
Who knew Stan Lee was such a science genius?
"That's it.
No more rant.
Goodbye."
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