Mjolnir
Americannoun
Usage
What does Mjolnir mean? Mjolnir is the hammer wielded by Thor, the Norse god of thunder, rain, and farming. Mjolnir is Thor’s iconic weapon and he rarely is seen without it in modern depictions. Although its exact appearance changes, it is always depicted as being small enough to be used in one hand. According to mythology, Mjolnir was forged by dwarves and had a number of magical abilities. In Norse mythology, Thor used Mjolnir to defend Asgard (the home of the gods) from evil giants, known as Jotun. It was said Mjolnir would return to Thor like a boomerang if thrown. According to myth, Thor also used Mjolnir as a weapon. He also used it to give his blessing to mortals, and Mjolnir was said to have holy powers that could shield people from harm. Example: Mighty Thor smashed the giants to pieces using Mjolnir.
Etymology
Origin of Mjolnir
From Old Norse Mjǫllnir, akin to Old Church Slavonic mlĭniji, Russian mólniya, Old Prussian mealde “lightning,” Latvian milna “hammer of the thunder god”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, appearing before Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, as the Norse god's Mjolnir hammer flies into the former's hands.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
The pieces reassemble into a whole, but now Mjolnir is being wielded by a new figure whose costume looks a lot like Thor’s.
From New York Times • Jul. 15, 2022
Within those pages, Thor eventually loses his magic hammer, Mjolnir.
From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2022
But now Foster - played by Portman - has his old magical hammer, Mjolnir, and has become a superhero of her own, the Mighty Thor.
From Washington Times • Jul. 5, 2022
To paraphrase then-Baron Klaes of Mjolnir, the first Imperial world to have Sandemans as guests and protectors instead of conquerors: These people are used to protecting themselves, rather than relying on police.
From Concordance A Terran Empire concordance by Wilson, Ann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
