Ep: 7. Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir (Norse Mythology)

Transcript

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Hi, friends welcome, my Mythic friends, to Mythis. According to yours truly, I'm your host, Wendy Morrow. On this podcast, we dive into myths and folklore from all over the world. These stories have shaped cultures, stirred imaginations, and kept us captivated for centuries. Together, we'll explore the origins, meanings, and mysteries behind these tales. Today, we are going to be diving into one of my favorite topics, Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. Or Mjolnir, however you want to pronounce it. Previously we talked about this in a different episode. Actually, we talked about Loki, who's, like, involved in this story so much. Mjolnir is just Thor's hammer. That's all it is. And it has, a soul and a spirit of its own. So, it has this, like, energy of its own. It's one of the most powerful objects. Weapons in Norse mythology. So we're just gonna dive into it. Thor's powerful hammer It protects Asgard and symbolizes strength protection against Giants and chaos in general We all love Thor. We love his hammer I don't think I've ever met a person even like a child that doesn't know who Thor is at this point So I'm very excited to dive into this story. I want to know do you guys did you guys know that Thor's hammer was called? Mjölnir Question, fun fact, um, follow me on Instagram and comment on that, because I, honestly, I didn't know. We'll explore the origins, meanings, and mysteries behind these tales with a fresh perspective and a little bit of fun. So, gather around my campfire for a tale you won't forget. Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, the Protector of Asgard. The northern winds howl across the frosted landscape. Where the flickering Auroras dance like ribbons of a divine light in the night sky. In the halls of Asgard, the gods of Norse panathon gather, their mighty deeds echoing through eternity, as the heart of these tales stand. Thor, god of thunder, clutched his mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Myths of the Norse a world of nine realms connected by the great tree gridazelle, chaos and order are locked in eternal conflict. Asgard, home of the ire gods, stands as bystone of stability and protection. Yet, this peace is constantly threatened by the giant of destruction. Jot Niham, forces of the distraction that seek to topple the gods of plunge the cosmos into chaos. Thor, son of Odin, and protector of both gods and humans, is the ultimate warrior against this ever present threat. His hammer, Mjolnir, is more than just a weapon. It is a symbol of divine strength, a shield against disorder, and a tool for blessing and sanctification. But Mjolnir was not always in Thor's grasps. Its creation is a tale of rivalry, trickery, and the skill of most talented dwarves, craftsmen, in all of the realms. Dwarven, The creation of Mjolnir. The story begins in the Hall of Asgard, where Loki, mischievous trickster god, of course, as we know him, was up to his usual antics. One day, Loki, in a moment of reckless humor, caught off the golden hair of Sif, Thor's wife. Thor, furious, grabbed Loki by the throat and thundered. You'll pay for this, Loki, or I will crush your bones to dust. If you can recall, in our previous episode, we talked about this exact experience, and thankfully he does kind of redeem himself. He was very resourceful. He pleaded for the chance to make amends. He said that he will go to the dwarves, and commission a gift so wondrous that even the Sith herself will forgive him. So, Thor released him, but not without stern warning. Loki hurried to Zavrat. I think it's Svartfim, the realm of the dwarves, were the son of Valdi, master of smiths, of imperial skills, agreed to craft three gifts, among these was the golden hair of Sif, which shimmered like sunlight and grew like living strands. But Loki cunning did not end there, he sought out another pair of renowned dwarves, Brokk and Sindri, and challenged them to craft treasures that could surprise those of sons. That would surpass those of the son of Valdi. To sweeten the deal, Lohi wagered his own head. Which is very bold for him to do. Mostly kind of insane. But, that's a little key for you. Sendry accepted the challenge and two dwarves set to work. As Brook pumped the pillows, Sendry placed material into the forge, chanting spells to imbue the items with power lowkey, desperate to sabotage their efforts, transformed into a fly and bit Brook's hand, hoping to disrupt the process. Despite the sting, Brooke continued his work. The Forge yielded three masterpieces. Let's get into them. Let's talk about what these three pieces are. I think they're actually pretty cool. Also, Loki is so strange. What a trickster he is, because I would think he could do something worse than transforming into a fly. I guess he didn't want to be caught, but I feel like a fly is really small, and if you can change into any animal without anyone noticing, wouldn't you want to go for something that could actually cause, actual harm, like a bird? Do you know what I mean? Or a virus of some sort. I guess. Maybe that's too violent, but A fly seems very mediocre for Loki's tricks. But, I don't know. Like, what do you guys think about that? I think that's kind of strange. Um, I say go big or go home, um, okay, let's talk about these three masterpieces that were forged by these two dwarfs. So, the first one was a golden boar with this bristols that glowed in the dark. It illuminated any path. So it was just like this beacon of light. It was pretty cool. Second one is dropped near a golden ring that multiplied itself every ninth night, symbolizing endless wealth. So, I honestly, in today's world, I wouldn't mind having something like this. It's a little selfish, to be honest, but it's true. If I had a golden ring, that would be it. Multiplied every nine nights, are you kidding me? Yeah, of course. Could you imagine? That's insane. That's crazy. Would you guys want that ring? Okay, I'll give you a third option? Final option, obviously, is mihonyer, the hammer. So, let's talk a little bit more about the hammer. It obviously is unmatchable power. Its handle was short. It literally looks like this fat hammer. The, the top of it, is huge. And then, the handle itself is really small. It's a really short hammer. The reason why it's short is because of Loki's interference, apparently. Because he bit Brokk, so Brokk couldn't finish making the hammer long If you guys could choose between the three, Golan Burst, Golan, I don't like that name. My mouth just can't do it. It's a little embarrassing. So it's just the light Golan, and then Drapnir is the ring that multiplies, and Mjolnir is the hammer. The only thing is, in today's world, what's the hammer gonna do for you? Maybe I'm speaking too soon, but personally, I would go with, Drapnir, Well, okay, if you want to fight crime, Mijoneer is great, but if you want to save the world economically, I would go for Dropneer, because Dropneer, you can help other, you can help people that are struggling financially, you can help the economy, you know, I feel like that's a, in today's world, a way to become like a It's more beneficial for the economy today than Mjolnir would be, but that's my personal opinion. This could be a really good argument. Actually, I want to hear your guys's opinion on this. Mjolnir or, Drapnir or Gollum, aka Gollumburst. Let's talk about Mjolnir's power and purpose. Okay, so Loki returned to Asgard presenting the gift to the gods. Thor eagerly took Mjolnir into his hands and the weapons might became immediately evident. It was said that with Mjolnir, Thor could summon lightning and thunder to smite his enemies and destroy the giants who dared to challenge the gods. Third, always hit his target no matter the distance and return to his hand. So that was like, if you can Sorry guys, I'm like, a little sick. Those are the, the three things Mjolnir could do for sure. So, if you want to fight giants, okay, summon lightning and thunder, and throw anything and be able to hit your target. I would go for mihonya because mihonya that's just so cool Also some of the things i've seen mihonya do according to the movies okay is Thor was able to like Use it to travel which was pretty cool. Who would Thor be without Mjolnir to be honest? So you know how like princesses have their little familiars. So witches have their familiar and princesses also have familiars. But, that's not the word I was thinking of, but technically that's exactly right. I feel like Mjolnir is Thor's familiar, because according to Greek mythology, only Thor could use Mjolnir. Mjolnir chose Thor, so to me, that is like technically, Thor's the henchman and Mjolnir's the main character. Because he's the one that has the powers, not Thor. Thor just wields it. Actually, that's also a pretty interesting thought. I want to hear you guys thoughts on that. Because I think, personally, um, I would have to say so. Mjolnir's main character, let's be honest. Despite its short handle, Mjolnir became the most revered weapon in Asgard, a symbol of Thor's strength, the gods protection against the forces of chaos. The Hammer's Powers was tested in and of Thor's most famous adventures in one of Thor's most famous adventures, The Theft of Mjolnir by Thrym, King of the Frost Giant. Let's talk about it. Okay. So one morning, Thor awoke to find Mjolnir missing. Angered, he sought out Loki who borrowed Freya's feathered cloak to fly to Atiham, I think. Or, it's either Atiham or Jotiham. It kind of, the end sounds like Ham, but I don't want to say that because I feel like people will come after me for that, but He went there to investigate Thrym was seated on this ice throne. He was boasting. He was like, I have taken Thor's hammer and buried it in eight leagues beneath Earth I'm so cool. I will return it only if, Freya agrees to be my bride. Blah, blah, blah. Giants annoy me because, what? Loki relayed his demand to the gods. Freya's furious refusal shook the halls of Asgard. Hamdahl, the watchful guardian, proposed a cunning plan. Thor should disguise himself as Freya and infiltrate Thrym's halls, which, good idea thor, though reluctant, donned a bridal dress, veil, and jewel while Loki accompanied him as a handmaid. The two gods made their way to Jötunheim, Where Thrym welcomed his bride with great feasting. Thrym marveled at Freya's voracious appetite as Thor devoured an entire ox, eight salmons, and three barrels of meat. No, not meat, mead, my bad. Low key quick witted as ever explained, the bride was not eaten, the bride has not eaten in eight days out of excitement, the bride has not eaten in eight days out of excitement for this wedding. When Thrimm leaned in to kiss the bride, a. k. a. Thor, he was startled by his fiery glare. Loki covered for him by again saying the bride has not slept in eight nights dreaming of this moment. At last, Thrym called for Mjolnir to be brought forth as part of the wedding ceremony. As the hammer was placed in Freya's lap, Thor cast off his disguise. Here is your bride's dowry, Heroid, wielding Mjolnir to strike down Thrym, and his skin, restoring order to the realms. So, we don't like the giants. Giants can be cruel, and rude, and mean, and steal people's wives. Okay, let's talk about the cultural significance of Mjolnir. The reason I'm doing this, less in a storytelling format is because Mjolnir is an object and not a person. Even though, You could say it has like a some kind of Living breathing energy is still like an object Mjolnir is far more than a weapon in Norse mythology, it represents protection, fertility, which is pretty cool, and the power of the gods to maintain cosmic balance. The hammer was often used to rituals to bless marriages, births, and even funerals, emphasizing the role as a sacred symbol of life and order. So the Norse people, Thor's battle with the giants reflected their own struggle against the harsh forces of nature. His victories were a reminder of the resilience required to thrive in an unpredictable and often hostile world. And I feel like a lot of mythology is just that. Because of the history of the people, these stories have come out of The rubble of a pain. Do you know what I mean? You're supposed to say yes, yes, Wendy. I know what you mean. Okay, the Honours legacy endures in modern times symbolizes strength, protection, and enduring the power of myth Alright guys, we have come to that part of the episode when we, drumroll please, myth this lore. So, today's scripture, I've chosen Psalms 28 7. This is a King James Version. It quotes, The Lord is my strength, my shield, my heart trusts in him, and I am helped, therefore, my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise him. I love this verse. The reason for choosing this verse was that Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, is a symbol of protection and strength against evil. This scripture highlights true strength comes from trusting in God. who shields us, get it, get it, who shields us in times of battle, much like Thor uses his hammer to protect Asgard, It teaches that real power and security come from faith, not just physical might. Ah, don't you love that message? Okay, I want to share my personal story with, um, just hammers and things like that. I I wanted to share that I know that in life today, there are so many things that, continue to, hurt us and beat us down. But, what I like about, The gospel of Jesus Christ. What I love about Christianity, faith, religion, hope, spirituality, is that it's not just like a shield to protect us. Because I think it's a weapon. I think in today's world, there are things out there that are continuing to try to beat us down and to, you know, shut out our lights and shut out our hope and wherever you come from, whatever part of the world you come from, we can rejoice in knowing that we are not only protected, we're being fought for. I heard this quote that really touched, like literally pierced my heart and it was just that, in fact, let me pull it up for you guys. Jesus Christ can fix what's broken because he paid the price of sin through the atonement. What you are worth is that he is willing to pay, and he paid with his life. You are of infinite worth. That's the quote, and it's like, does not just Even if, even if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, and even if you don't believe that you, your sins have already been like paid for, and that all is forgiven, and you feel broken, that is what Jesus Christ can heal. He can, He doesn't only forgive you, He doesn't only give you hope, He gives you hope. He can fix it. He can help you fix these problems. Your worth is so much so that a perfect man died for you. To help you heal the traumas, the misdeeds, the wrongdoings, any tiffs or, anything awful and bad or injustices in your life. He can help fix it and it may not be today. It may not be tomorrow, but someday he will help you I truly believe that it may not even be in this lifetime But I know that there it will be fixed because I've asked questions In my life like why did this have to happen to this person? Or this group of people like that's just so wrong. But the truth is It didn't have to happen. It wasn't necessary. God didn't condemn them and It wasn't their fault But you know what god can do, you know what the atonement of jesus christ can do it can Not only heal it, it will give back ten fold. It will heal and do more. The blessings you will gain from that is more than the harm that was caused. So much more. It doesn't mean the harm was okay. It doesn't mean that It was a good thing. It just means that you are loved beyond measure And I hope you guys know that and I hope you guys take that into the rest of your day I will see you next time Bye guys