"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 wouldn't find its way back, and when he wanted, it would be so small that it could be carried inside his tunic."

Prose Edda

The most popular version of the creation of Mjolnir myth, found in the poem Skáldskaparmál from Snorri's Edda, is as follows. In one story Loki sends 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 Skíðblaðnir. Then Loki bets his head that Sindri (or Eitri) and his brother Brokkr would never succeed in making items more beautiful than 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 (Brokkr) never to stop blowing until he comes and takes out what he put in.
   A fly, actually Loki in disguise, comes and bites Brokkr on the arm but he continued to blow. Then Eitri takes out Gullinbursti which is Freyr's boar with shining bristles. Then Eitri puts some gold in the furnace and gives Brokkr the same order. Loki in the fly guise comes again and bites Brokkr'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.
   Eitri then puts Iron in the forge and tells Brokkr to never stop blowing. Loki comes again and bites Brokkr on the eyelid much harder than before and the blood made him stop blowing for a short while. When Eitri came and took out Mjolnir, the handle was a bit short (making it one handed) and also the handle wasn't perpendicular to the head-piece. Yet Eitri and Brokkr won the bet which was Loki's head, but the bet couldn't be honoured since they needed to cut the neck as well, which wasn't part of the deal. So Brokkr sewed Loki's mouth to teach him a lesson.

Poetic Edda

Thor possessed a formidable chariot, which is drawn by two goats. A belt and iron gloves were used to lift Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the focal point of many of Thor's adventures.
   This is clearly illustrated in a poem found in the Poetic Edda titled Þrymskviða. 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. 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.

Emblemic usage

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 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 were also found in graves and tended to be furnished with a loop, allowing them to be worn. Mjolnir amulets were most widely discovered in areas with a strong Christian influence including southern Norway, south-eastern Sweden, and Denmark. Due to the similarity of equal-armed, square crosses featuring figures of Christ on them at around the same time, the wearing of Thor's hammers as pendants may have come into fashion in defiance of the square amulets worn by newly converted Christians in the regions.
   The shape taken by these pendants varied by region. The Icelandic variant was cross-shaped, while Swedish and Norwegian variants tended to be arrow or T-shaped. About 50 specimens of such hammers were found widely dispersed throughout Scandinavia, dating from the 9th to 11th centuries. A few such examples were also found in England. An iron Thor's hammer pendant excavated in Yorkshire, dating to ca. AD 1000 bears an unical inscription preceded and followed by a cross, interpreted as indicating a Christian owner syncretizing pagan and Christian symbolism. A 10th century soapstone mold found at Trendgården, Jutland, Denmark is notable for allowing the casting of both crucifix and Thor's hammer pendants. A silver specimen found near Fossi (now in the National Museum of Iceland), Iceland can be interpreted as either a Christian cross or a Thor's hammer. Unusually, the elongated limb of the cross ends in a beast's (perhaps a wolf's) head. According to some scholars, the swastika shape may have been a variant popular in Anglo-Saxon England prior to Christianization, especially in East Anglia and Kent. Wilson (1894) points out that while the swastika had been "vulgarly called in Scandinavia the hammer of Thor", the symbol properly so called had a Y or T shape.
   Stones found in Denmark and southern Sweden bear an inscription of a hammer. Sometimes accompanying the carved hammer was an inscription calling for Thor to safeguard the stone. For example, the stone of Virring in Denmark had the inscription, "þur uiki þisi kuml" which translates into English as "May Thor 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 in response to the Christians, who would ask for God's protection over their dead.
   A precedent of these Viking Age Thor's hammer amulets are recorded for the migration period Alemanni, who took to wearing Roman "Hercules' Clubs" as symbols of Donar. A possible remnant of these Donar amulets Alpine paganism was recorded in 1897, as a custom of Unterinn (South Tyrolian Alps) of incising a T-shape above front doors for protection against evils of all kinds, especially storms.

Modern usage

Many practitioners of Germanic neopagan faiths wear Mjolnir pendants as a symbol of that faith worldwide. Renditions of Mjolnir are designed, crafted and sold by some Germanic Neopagan groups and individuals. Some controversy has occurred concerning the potential recognition of the symbol as a religious symbol by the United States government.
   Outside Germanic neopaganism, Mjolnir pendants are also widely popular in the heavy metal (especially Black Metal, Viking Metal, Death Metal) and "Dark" subcultures, besides, to a lesser extent, among Rockers or biker gangs. In Ireland and Britain, Mjolnir pendants identify those involved in Dark Age reenactment, particularly those with a Viking persona or interest in Scandinavian history. They are likewise popular as a "Germanic" symbol in Neo-Nazi and "neo-völkisch" subcultures.

Further Information

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