An amulet discovered in Denmark has runes on it that confirm what “Thor’s hammer” looked like to the Vikings a thousand years ago.
Basically, the only thing that Marvel got right was the power and strength of Thor’s hammer, called Mjölnir.
In Norse mythology, the hammer helped Thor protect Asgard, the celestial home of the gods, from giants. It was so powerful and popular that thousands of amulets that historians believe to be Mjölnir have been discovered in the Viking world, but they didn’t have a way of confirming that the amulets symbolized the Norse god’s hammer, because the amulets don’t actually look like a typical hammer.
But the newly discovered amulet has runes that plainly say “Hmar x is,” meaning “This is a Hammer,” according to the Daily Mail. The 10th century Mjölnir found in Købelev, on the Danish island of Lolland, has ended the debate between historians once and for all.
”Thor’s hammer” was a decoration which was used in the end of the Viking age,” Morten Warmind, professor at the University of Copenhagen, told the Daily Caller.
“The one they found was inscribed with runes which read: “This is a hammer” – not too intelligent, but interesting because one researcher recently cast doubt on, whether they actually were hammers. Now there can be no doubt.”
The runes also indicate that the craftsman who made the amulet must have been literate in order to be able to carve the runes, indicating that literacy was widespread among craftspeople, something that wasn’t common at the time. Other pieces of jewelry were also discovered, and although a cross wasn’t found, the jewelry found is commonly uncovered with Mjölnir amulets.
“It was the amulet’s protective power that counted, and often we see torshammere [Thor’s hammer] and Christian crosses appearing together, providing double protection,” said Peter Pentz, an archaeologist at the National Museum of Denmark.
Museum Lolland-Falster reported the discovery, and says there are no plans to excavate the Viking site at Købelev.