Sunday's 'Symbols & their Meanings"
no:7 ~ MJOLNIR
AKA Thor's Hammer
Forget the Thor in Marvel movies. I am not talking about the Mjolnir wielded by a beardless, blonde-haired, romantic superhero in shiny armour.
I’m talking about the Mjolnir that was weilded by the rough as guts, red-haired, angry, bearded God from ancient Norse stories.
MANY BELIEVE THAT THOR REPRESENTS THE OZONE LAYER
In traditional Norse belief, Thor is the protector of Midgard, the realm of humans. The hammer he uses is to fight off the “Giants” that try to bring us harm.
I wrote giant in inverted commas because the word is actually a mistranslation. This is often not known by people so many in popular belief think it literally means he fought giants. The word that was the real source for giants in old Norse is Jotun, which actually translated better to devourer.
All the Gods and Goddesses are symbolic of bigger concepts in some way. Many believe that Thor himself is a representation of the concept that Norse people had at the time of what is now known as our ozone layer.
The ozone layer is really just the protective field that separates us from the outer worlds and its destructive forces like space itself and the chaos of the cosmos.
MJOLNIR REPRESENTS PROTECTION OF LIFE FROM CHAOTIC FORCES
Thor is known as the Thunder God. Thunder and lighting of course literally being energy and life force that surrounds us. The hammer itself is a symbol of just that, the life force/heartbeat of earth and protection from the chaotic forces of life.
Even though stories of Thor & his hammer predate the Vikings, it wasn’t until the Viking age where the hammer was commonly worn around the neck. This was a time of the “Christian expansion” into Northern Europe.
Vikings would wear mjolnir necklaces not only as protection, but to let others know what faith they choose. Much like how many people do today with various symbols that represent their religions and let you know which one they've chosen.
In one I've the pictures included in this blog, you’ll see a statue of King Harald FairHair, the first king of all Norway, wearing a Mjolnir around his neck.
VIKINGS WORE MJOLNIR TO LET OTHERS KNOW WHAT FAITH THEY FOLLOWED
I chose to have this symbol on our new bottles because well, it’s awesome, and it’s another way to honour our ancestral culture.
Happy Sun Day
Skål.
