Snorri Sturluson collected this story of the making of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. One evening, Loki thought it would be funny to cut off the beautiful golden hair of Sif, He snuck into her room at night and removed her blond locks. Thor caught up to Loki and demanded that he go to the dark elves, where he would get the elves to make hair out of gold that would grow from Sif’s head. Loki went to the dwarves, who Dr. Jackson Crawford says are like the same beings as the dark elves.
Ivaldi’s Sons and Their Inventions
These dwarves are the sons of Ivaldi. They make the requested hair. They also make a ship and a spear. The ship, Skidbladnir, always has a fair wind; it can be folded to fit in a pocket. The spear, Gungnir, never misses its target.
Loki’s Wager
Loki takes the three treasures to the dwarves Brokkr, or “Badger,” and Eitri (also called “Sindri”), “Poison.” Loki shows Badger and Poison the hair, the ship and the spear and wagers his own head against the head of Badger that Badger and Poison cannot make better treasures.
Badger and Poison’s Works
Badger and Poison set to work. Loki transforms into a fly and tries to distract Badger from his work at the bellows. The distraction doesn’t work as Badger works the bellows and Poison forges a golden boar, Gullinbursti, who shines with light no matter how dark it is. The next treasure is the ring, Draupnir, which makes eight copies of itself every ninth night. (Nine being a magical number in Old Norse beliefs.)
Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir
Then they begin work on what will be Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Loki sees the work and gets really worried. Still as a fly, he lands on the bridge of Badger’s nose between his eyes and bites down hard enough to draw blood. The blood gets into Badger’s eyes and causes him to make a mistake that creates a flaw in Mjolnir. It’s shaft and grip are too short. Mjolnir, which probably means “lightning,” can destroy anything it touches, return to its owner after being thrown, and become the size of a pendant to be worn around the neck.
The God’s Council
To complete the wager, Loki, Badger, and Poison go to Thor, Freyr, and Odin to judge which treasures are better. Thor receives Mjolnir and the hair. Freyr gets the ship and the boar, and Odin gets the spear and the ring. Then Loki asks the gods to judge who made the better treasures. The gods decide for Badger and Poison.
Loki’s Fate
Badger is ready to cut Loki’s head off, but Loki tries to bargain with him. Badger won’t have any bargain and Loki decides to flee, using his magic shoes to run over sea and sky. Thor catches Loki, and Badger decides to sew Loki’s lips shut for being a fraud and a liar. Badger’s needle, however, can’t pierce Loki’s lips, so he wishes for his brother Alr, “Awl,” who is a dwarf and a literal awl. Awl appears in his hand, and using a thread called Vartari, “Wart Maker,” Badger sews Loki’s mouth shut. When Loki opens his mouth, it rips the thread away from the skin and scars his lips with wart-like shapes.
Mjolnir the Pendant
Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, was a symbol of his strength. Its ability to become a pendant translated into reality as the Norse wore several styles of Thor’s hammer. Dr. Crawford says that the wearing of the jewelry was likely “in response to the wearing of crucifixes as protective amulets by Christians in the Medieval period.” The symbol is still recognized among Viking enthusiasts as representing protection, strength, courage, and integrity.
Sources: https://youtube.com/shorts/2m8pJkzrkmU?si=FixCXlQH_j_kWuxe
