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Mjolnir tattoos have as their main element one of the most fearsome weapons in Norse mythology, Thor's hammer, the most muscular blond of the pantheon of the gods of the north. The story of Mjolnir, like all great stories, has lights and shadows, drama, war, power, fight and even dwarfs.
In this article we will see what makes Mjolnir tattoos so special, in addition to talking about the capabilities and history of this precious hammer and thinking about how we can get the most out of it in a tattoo. In addition, we recommend this other article about thor hammer tattoo.
The origins of the hammer
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Mjolnir does not appear overnight, but its origin has a great story behind it. Although in the MCU it is stated that Thor's hammer is forged from the heart of a star and that is why it is so powerful, in the most famous version of the myth, the Prosaic eddaactually it is because of Loki's wager with two very famous dwarf craftsmen who manage to beat him by creating the mighty hammer, which by the way is a bit short on the handle because it is a one-handed weapon (although Loki tricks them so as not to have to pay them the bet).
The powers of Mjolnir
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The powers of the amazing hammer are to fall on your back. It is so powerful that it can pulverize an entire mountain (in fact, the name Mjolnir comes from the Icelandic 'pulverize') and at the same time give delicate blows, according to the wishes of its owner, the beefy Thor, who could also make it smaller or larger, depending on whether he wanted to carry it comfortably stored in his tunic or wanted to face some giant that needed a extra hammer blow
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In some places, by the way, the hammer is not mentioned to be such, but a club or an ax. In any case, what all the sources agree on is that he put some slaps like bread. The way in which it is represented also varies from one area to another. For example, in Iceland it is common to see it represented as a cross, while in Sweden or Finland it has a famous shape, with a more rounded bottom.
When Thor lost his hammer
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One of the funniest stories related to Mjolnir has to do with Thor waking up one fine morning to discover to his horror and fury that his hammer is missing. After searching everywhere for it, Loki informs him that Prymr the king of the jotun (a race of very powerful ice giants) is the one who has stolen it.
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Prymr makes it a condition that he will return the hammer to its rightful owner if Freya, Thor's mother, is given to him in marriage. As usual, the good woman flatly refuses and, after making a council of gods, they have a brilliant idea: disguise Thor as Freya to infiltrate the jotun kingdom.
Said and done. Thor, reluctantly, and Loki, very happy, dress up as Freya and her maid in rich clothes. and a chaste veil that covers their faces. Then they go to meet Prymr, who receives them without imagining that the flushed bride is not what she seems.
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In fact, the poor man is surprised when he sees his delicate flower gobble up an ox and nine salmon in one sitting and drink an entire case of wine. "It's just that he hasn't eaten or drunk in eight days and nights and he has a bug," Loki tells him. Prymr complies and thinks that at least he has a very healthy appetite. Just as they are about to leave, the king of the jotun decides it is a good time to give the bride a tender kiss, but when he lifts the veil he is horrified to see bloodshot eyes. "It's because the poor girl hasn't slept at all because of her nerves," Loki tells her.
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Finally, Prymr decides that it is time to bless the bride and sends for the hammer. He places it on the false Freya's lap and a triumphant Thor tears off his dress and veil and kills everyone except Loki. And they said the Red Wedding was bloody!
How to take advantage of Mjolnir in a tattoo
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As I am sure that now you have taken a special affection for the hammer and you are dying to see a few Mjolnir tattoo ideas, We have prepared some considerations that you can take into account so that your tattoo is unique.
Forma
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First of all, you need to think about the shape of the hammer. The two most common are the more traditional shape (which, as we mentioned, has a more rounded bottom, so that it even resembles an axe) or follow the shape of Thor's hammer from the Avengers, a more common hammer. The first gives more play to accompany the hammer with a more traditional touch, such as runes, although the second can offer designs with more vitality, since the three-dimensional shape gives more play.
Accompaniment
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The next thing is to think about whether you want the hammer to come out alone or accompanied. By this we not only mean that it appears with its rightful owner, Thor, but that it can have other equally cool and Nordic-style elements: other weapons, ravens, skulls, horned helmets, runes... A second element can make the hammer stand out more and make the design a bit larger.
Style
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The style is also something to take into account, although The most popular styles of Mjolnir tattoos are those that concern realism and cartoon for obvious reasons. However, other styles that may seem less common, such as pointillist or minimalist, can also give it a different touch.
Size
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Related to all of the above we have the size. Although your tattoo artist will be able to advise you on this, since they will be able to tell you what size is less likely to blur., or if it's a style that will work best with thin or thick lines, you can take more or less an idea of the size you want it to be.
Color
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Finally, color is also something very important to consider. A) Yes, If you opt for a more classic tattoo based on the traditional hammer, a black and white design will look great, with some good shading, whereas if you're basing it on the Marvel version a splash of color can work really well, especially if you're basing it on the comics and not the movies.
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Mjolnir tattoos are based on one of the scariest and coolest weapons in Norse culture, which also has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Tell us, do you have any tattoos of this weapon? What does it mean to you? Did you know its origin?
