The Theft of Mjölnir

Author: Traditional Norse

Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE

Country or Culture: Scandinavia

Genre: Myth

PLOT SUMMARY

One day, the thunder god Thor falls asleep under a tree. When he awakes, he instinctively reaches for his magic hammer, Mjölnir, which is usually attached to his belt. It is not there. He looks all over his estate, asking for help from his fellow gods, but no one can locate the hammer, which is used to defend all of Asgard, the realm of the gods. More and more gods join the search, to no avail.

Thor, becoming angrier and more frustrated, begins to believe that Mjölnir has been stolen from him. He initially accuses the trickster Loki, whom Thor believes is the only person in Asgard who could profit from Mjölnir’s disappearance. Loki, however, is innocent of the theft, and he suggests that the two consult with the fertility goddess Freya. She does not know the whereabouts of Mjölnir but lends them her falcon dress so that they may conduct a search from above. Loki takes the falcon dress and flies toward Jotunheim, the world of the giants. He spies on the giant world, believing that Thrym and the other giants, who are enemies of Asgard, have stolen Mjölnir.

Loki confronts the giant Thrym, who admits to stealing the hammer but says it is hidden so deep in the mountains of Jotunheim that no one, save Thrym, may find it. The cunning trickster asks Thrym what he would like in exchange for Mjolnir. Thrym replies that there is nothing in Asgard he would want in exchange for this great weapon. However, Loki is very persuasive, and Thrym finally tells him that if the gods will give him the beautiful Freya’s hand in marriage, he will return Mjölnir. Loki knows that he cannot convince the gods to approve of such an arrangement but agrees nonetheless. He returns to Thor, who tells Loki that he may be able to convince Freya to agree if doing so would safeguard Asgard with the return of the hammer.

When Freya and her father vehemently reject Thor’s proposal, Thor and Loki must find another course of action. Loki devises a plan whereby they would deliver an impostor to Thrym to trick the giant into returning Mjölnir. The gods agree that the one who lost the hammer, Thor himself, must don Freya’s wedding dress. He reluctantly agrees, and Loki takes the disguised god to Jotunheim and presents him to Thrym. A great celebration is planned among the Jotun, but Loki tells Thrym to tell his fellow giants not to raise “Freya’s” veil or otherwise touch her. The unsuspecting Jotun begin the feast, and Thrym, true to his part of the bargain, digs up and carries forth Mjölnir. He gives it to his supposed bride. With Mjölnir back in his hands, Thor removes his disguise, kills Thrym, and destroys the banquet hall. Thor and Loki return to Asgard with the hammer safely in tow.

SIGNIFICANCE

Loki is one of the most enigmatic figures in Norse mythology. He is not a god—his father, in fact, is a Jotun, which explains why, in Heilan Yvette Grimes’s account, Thrym attempts to convince Loki to let him retain the hammer. In other accounts, Thrym merely uses the hammer to blackmail the gods into sending Freya to him. Loki is famous for his trickery, which is frequently used to turn the gods against one another. In fact, in one story, Loki facilitates the murder of the beloved god Balder, which results in his torture and imprisonment at the hands of the greatest of gods, Odin.

This story, however, demonstrates how Loki’s cunning and trickery is sometimes used for the benefit of Asgard. Indeed, Loki is innocent of the theft. In fact, he shows great loyalty to Thor and the rest of the gods, playing an active and willing role in locating the lost hammer. Moreover, in older accounts, only Loki and Freya are entrusted with the knowledge of Mjölnir’s disappearance until after Loki tries to retrieve it from Thrym. Despite Thrym’s attempt to convince Loki to look away and allow the Jotun to retain Mjölnir, which is so powerful that it can be used by the Jotun to destroy their mortal enemies in Asgard, Loki becomes defiant and angry with Thrym for making such an attempt. Furthermore, Loki even goes before Odin and the other highest gods in Asgard to gain support for his plan to regain Mjölnir. In this story, such acts are characteristic of a loyal subject of Asgard, willing to help the gods protect themselves from the Jotun.

The story of the theft of Mjölnir also shows the great power of the gods. In particular, the power of Thor is demonstrated. Thor is the defender of both Asgard and Midgard, the world in which humans live. He is known as a rugged and very strong god, capable of lifting great weights. Additionally empowered by Mjölnir, he is an extremely powerful god; in some Norse tribal traditions, he supplants Odin as the greatest of the gods.

In this tale, Thor, Odin, and other gods work in concert to address a major threat. Mjölnir is said to level mountains, create lightning, and cause great storms. The Jotun, longtime enemies of the gods, would have Asgard’s greatest weapon to use against them. Were it not for Loki’s trickery, and the gullibility of Thrym, the collective dominance of the gods would be challenged.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ashliman, D. L. “The Lay of Thrym from the Poetic Edda.” Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts. U. of Pittsburgh, 20 Nov. 2009. Web. 13 May 2013.

Bray, Olive, ed. and trans. “The Lay of Thrym.” The Elder or Poetic Edda. London: King’s Weighthouse Rooms, 1908. 127–37. Print. Viking Club Translation ser. 2.

Colum, Pádraic. “How Thor and Loki Befooled Thrym the Giant.” The Children of Odin. New York: Macmillan, 1920. 116–23. Print.

Grimes, Heilan Yvette. “The Stealing of Thor’s Hammer.” The Norse Myths. Boston: Hollow Earth, 2010. 176–84. Print.

Littleton, C. Scott, ed. Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. Vol. 10. Tarrytown: Cavendish, 2005. Print.