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Mjollnir

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Mjollnir

In Norse myth, the hammer of Thor and the symbol of his power. Forged by dwarfs, the hammer never failed Thor as a weapon or as an instrument of sanctification. It had many magical qualities, including the ability to return to Thor's hand after it had been thrown. It was stolen by the giant Thrym, who asked as ransom the hand of Freyja. When Freyja refused to go to Thrym, Thor, masquerading as Freyja, managed to seize the hammer, which had been brought out to consecrate Freyja as Thrym's bride, and slaughtered Thrym and the other giants.



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Saxo Grammaticus mentions a sword named Lyusing (Lysingr), which means "gleaming" or "shining" (I, Bk 7, p 222 and II, p 118 n 88), and the name of Thor's hammer, Mjollnir, may also mean "lightning" or "bright one" (Orchard s.
Thus Loki, the Norse trickster god, is the shape--changer who steals Freyja's necklace; he collaborates (under compulsion, to be sure) with Thiazi the eagle in kidnapping Idun and her golden apples of youth, and then helps to recover both; he puts his cleverness at the service of Thor so that the latter can get his hammer, Mjollnir, back from Thrym, king of the Frost Giants, by mans of a transvestite deception (disguising himself as a maid-servant and Thor as Freyja).
The craft - named Mjollnir after the hammer carried by the Norse god of thunder - was launched in Amsterdam harbour for its maiden voyage.
 
 
 
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