A great number of people are familiar with the hammer of Thor, but few outside Odinism actually know what it is or understand its meaning; in fact, it can even have personal significance to the wearer that goes beyond normal symbology. Many times I have been asked what it is that hangs on the chain about my neck. I would always answer, “It is Mjollnir, The Hammer of Thor,” as if this was sufficient explanation, more often than not the question remains in their eyes so I elaborate, “It is an amulet against unfriendly forces and a symbol of strength.” This usually satisfies their curiosity and they go about their way. Sometimes it opens the door to more questions, which I answer to the best of my knowledge and always to the satisfaction of the questioner. Those who ask further usually get more then they anticipated, for the hammer of Thor has a special personal meaning that I look at with pride.

The hammer of Thor can be described as a mythological symbol, a religious symbol and a practical symbol. As a mythological symbol its name is Mjollnir and means lightning, or bright one or Crusher. It was made by the dwarves Brokk and Sindri, and with it, according to Snorri Sturluson in Skaldskaparmal, Thor could “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.” As a most effective weapon against frost giants it is perhaps this defensive and destructive function that is most popular. There are other aspects of Mjollnir that are not so readily recognizable to many, those are blessing and consecration. Some instances are preserved in the myths, such as Thor’s expedition to Utgardhaloki as told in Gylfaginning where Thor uses Mjollnir to resurrect his goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr, and the lay of Thryrm where Thor wins back his Hammer during a wedding ceremony.

As a religious symbol, the hammer of Thor was worn to represent the ancestral faith. During the Christian conversions this was one way Christians identified those not of their faith often resulting, unfortunately, in some discriminatory practices. The Hammer was worn as an amulet of warding by many folk much as it is today. There was common practice of using it to consecrate food and drink or to sanctify a ritual stead. It was used during funerals and also weddings where the marriage was consecrated by placing the hammer in the brides lap; today the hammer of Thor is still used in much the same way within the religion of Odinism/Ásatrú. - Shon Eric Magnuson-Varner, AG-HNO