Mjölnir

Old Norse Dictionary - mjölnir

Meaning of Old Norse word "mjölnir" (or mjǫlnir) in English.

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

mjölnir (mjǫlnir): m., in the vellums spelt mjollnir, with o and ll (see Bugge in the foot-note to Vþm. 51); the ll seems to indicate that the n is radical, for if it were inflexive, it would be mjolnir (with one l): [therefore the derivation from mala or mola (to crush), though probable, is not certain; the word may be akin to Goth. milhma = cloud, Swed. moln, Dan. mulm; cp. provinc. Norse molnas (Ivar Aasen) = to grow dark from bands of cloud arising]:—the name of Thor’s hammer, Edda passim, Ls.

Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, mjölnir may be more accurately written as mjǫlnir.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛘᛁᚢᛚᚾᛁᚱ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements

Abbreviations used:

cp.: compare.

Dan.: Danish.

Goth.: Gothic.

m.: masculine.

n.: neuter.

provinc.: provincial.

Swed.: Swedish.

Works & Authors cited:

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Ivar Aasen: Ivar Aasen’s Dictionary, 1850.

Ls.: Loka-senna. (A. I.)

Vþm.: Vafþrúðnis-mál. (A. I.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary