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Mjolnir ((MU pronunciation:), or (IPA pronunciation:)) is a fictional weapon. Mjolnir resembles a large hammer and is the favoured weapon of the Marvel Comics superhero Thor. Mjolnir translated into English means "That Which Smashes".

Composition

Forged by Dwarven blacksmiths, Mjolnir is composed of the fictional Asgardian metal Uru, and has a strange stone-like appearance. On the side of the hammer is the inscription: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

History

According to Norse myth, Loki the trickster cut off the hair of Sif as part of a cruel jest. Threatened with grave physical harm by Thor, Loki escaped his fate by promising to fetch replacement hair from the dwarf smiths. Loki commissioned the hair from the sons of Ivaldi and the obliging dwarves also made a magic ship and spear as gifts for the gods. Loki was convinced that no one could match their workmanship, so challenged a dwarf named Eitri to make finer treasures. Eitri first made a golden ring; then a golden boar and began work on a hammer. Loki began to panic at the sight of the treatures, and fearful that he would lose the wager, transformed himself into a mayfly and stung Eitri's assistant on the brow as he was working the bellows for the forge. The assistant stopped for a moment to wipe away the blood, and the bellows fell flat - the end result being that the hammer was shorter in the handle than Eitri intended.

Despite this, the Norse gods considered Eitri to have forged the greater treasures and in retaliation he sewed Loki's lips shut. Odin went on to use Mjolnir, and eventually passes the hammer to his son Thor, who first had to prove that he was worthy to wield the weapon.

Another more recent version claims Odin ordered the dwarven blacksmiths Eitri, Brok, and Buri to forge Mjolnir, using the core of a star and an enchanted forge. The forging of the hammer was apparently so intense it destroyed the star and nearly Earth itself (possibly causing the the extinction of Earth's dinosaurs, although this has not been proven).

Note: During the Celestial Saga it was revealed that another version of Mjolnir had survived a previous incarnation of Asgard and the eventual Ragnarok. It was apparently thrown to Midgard (Earth) by Thor's sons - Modi and Magni - and landed in the Rhine river where it was transformed into the magical Rhinegold. It is not known whether this story is canon.

Mjolnir's Enchantments

• No living being can lift the hammer from the ground unless he or she is worthy. Provisions to that enchantment require that there can be but one worthy wielder of the hammer at a given time, and the current wielder must be bested in fair combat by a worthy contestant in order for that contestant to win it (see Exceptions below).

• Causes the hammer to return to the exact spot from which it is thrown after striking its target.

• Enables its wielder to summon the elements of storm (wind, rain, thunder, and lightning) by stamping its handle twice on the ground.

• Enables the hammer to open interdimensional portals, allowing its wielder to travel to other dimensions, such as from Earth to Asgard.

• Enables Thor to transform into the guise of a mortal, physician Donald Blake, by stamping the hammer's head to the ground once. A provision of this enchantment requires that the hammer can not be out of Thor' s hand for more than one minute without his spontaneous reversion to his mortal self. When Thor transforms to Blake, his hammer takes the appearance of a wooden walking stick. When disguised, the hammer's enchantments limiting those who could lift it are not in effect.

• The hammer had one enchantment that has been rescinded. Mjolnir could be swung in such a way as to generate chronal displacement inertia enabling its wielder to travel through time. This property, separate from the hammer's dimension-spanning ability, was removed by Immortus, whose mastery over time exceeds that of the Asgardians.

Note: These enchantments are reliant on the will of Odin. When Odin "died" during a confrontation with the Celestials, Mjolnir's ability to return was suspended .

Exceptions

Several other beings has also lifted Mjolnir, including:

• Odin

• Captain America

• Beta Ray Bill

• Buri or Tiawaz as sometimes known

• Red Norvell with the aid of magical gauntlets

• Pseudo-Thor's Eric Masterson and Dargo Ktor.

• There are three other characters that have lifted the hammer, being Magni, Thor's son and the DC characters Superman and Wonder Woman . Given that the first happened in a now-wiped future and the latter two in crossovers not regarded as canon, they can be put down to "creative storytelling."

Uses

Mjolnir can be used both offensively and defensively. Thor often uses the hammer as a physical weapon, with almost nothing being capable of withstanding a hammer blow or throw. A rare exception is primary adamantium. Exceptionally invulnerable opponents such as the Silver Surfer or Drax the Destroyer can also recover from a hammer blow fairly quickly.

Other offensive capabilities include creating vortexes; emitting mystical blasts of energy; controlling electro-magnetism; molecular manipulation and generating the awesome Geo-Blast; Anti-Force and God Blast.

Defensively Mjolnir can also be used to block attacks, absorb and redirect energy and by being spun in an arc repel all attacks, be they physical or energy-based.

Thor also uses Mjolnir as a means of transportation by hurling the hammer and gripping the thong on the shaft, being pulled along by the force created. Once airborne, Thor can change direction, speed and altitude.

There are also several rarely used abilities:

• Mjolnir can detect illusions - Thor once commanded the hammer to strike Mephisto, who was hiding amongst false images of himself .

• A former religious relic, Mjolnir is lethal to undead. Thor once threw Mjolnir at a vampire, with contact causing the vampire to burst into flame and then crumble to dust .

• Mjolnir can apparently project images, as Thor once showed a glimpse of Asgard to a curious Iron Man .

Limitations

Although an incredibly powerful weapon, Mjolnir is not invulnerable. It has been damaged several times over the years:

• A force beam from the Destroyer sliced it in two .

• Thor shattered Mjolnir after channelling an incredible amount of energy at the Celestial Exitar .

• Perrikus cut the hammer in half with a magical scythe .

Imitations

Several imitations of Mjolnir have existed. The most well-known are the two created by Odin himself: Stormbreaker for Beta Ray Bill , and the mace Thunderstrike for Eric Masterson. Loki has been responsible for the creation of several imitations - he provided Deadpool with a copy of Mjolnir, and later allowed Surtur to use the forge Mjolnir was created from to craft copies during Ragnarok. . Tony Stark and Reed Richards also created an imitation Mjolnir for use by the clone Thor during Civil War.

References

1. Thor Annual Vol. 1, #11
2. Thor Vol. 1, #80
3. Thor Vol. 1, #287-300
4. Thor Vol. 1, #300
5. Avengers/JLA #4 (2003)
6. Marvel vs. DC #3 (1996)
7. Thor Vol. 1, #310
8. Thor Vol. 1, #332
9. Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2005)
10. Journey Into Mystery Vol. 1, #119
11. Thor Vol. 1, #388
12. Thor Vol. 2, #11
13. Thor Vol. 1, #339
14. Deadpool Vol. 1, #37
15. Thor Vol. 2, #80

• Mythology in comics
• Marvel Comics objects
• Fictional weapons