Lesson from Mjolnir Hammer of Thor in Norse Myth

Reading between the lines of Norse mythology, there are lessons we can learn and apply to our life. Norse gods and creatures were not perfect. They had their shortcomings, either physically or mentally. This blog post is to focus on the shortcoming of Mjolnir Hammer of Thor and the lesson we learn from it. 

THOR AND THE MJOLNIR HAMMER 

Thor was the son of Odin the Allfather who ruled over Asgard. He was the god of lightning and thunder. Thor always defended not only Norse gods but also the humans who were vulnerable to any power. A pair of goat pulled his chariot. Every time he crossed the sky with his goat-drawn chariot, there came the sounds of thunder. 

Thor on his goat-drawn chariot wielding the Mjolnir hammer in his hand

Mjolnir hammer was the major weapon of Thor. But this famous weapon didn't just exist. Loki the notorious trickster travelled to Svartalfheim asking the dwarves to forge treasures one of which was the Mjolnir Hammer. And yes, Loki was the one who gifted the Mjolnir hammer to Thor. 

In most of the depictions of Thor, he appeared with the Mjolnir hammer in his hand. Once he hurled his hammer, it would hit the target and fly back to Thor's hand like a boomerang. Not a single time did the Mjolnir hammer miss its target.

THE LESSON FROM MJOLNIR HAMMER 

Only one shortcoming that Mjolnir hammer of Thor had was its short handle. According to the myth, when the dwarves were forging the Mjolnir hammer, Loki shapeshifted into a fly and sting the dwarves. This led to the shortcoming of the Mjolnir hammer. 

And when it became the possession of Thor, he needed a pair of gloves to handle the hammer. The hammer, a pair of gloves, and a belt were the most important items Thor needed in a battle. 

The Mjolnir hammer was the major weapon that Thor used in any battle

Mjolnir hammer was not perfect. But Thor brought it to the level that everyone in the Viking community worshipped it. He accepted the shortcoming of the Mjolnir hammer, gathering its power and utilizing it completely along with the gloves and belt. 

The lesson is nothing is perfect but you can make it better. 

Thor didn't wish the hammer to have such a shortcoming and neither did the dwarves. But because of the external force (from Loki), it had the shortcoming. This means we cannot always make things the way we want it to be. We cannot choose our parents, we cannot choose the country we are born, we cannot choose to be physically able or not, etc.

But what matters is our attitude to deal with it. We may be born in a failed marriage, we may be living in a war-torn country, we may be physically disabled. But unless we let it reign over our life, we can do something better. 

It is the attitude that counts. We need a positive attitude, no matter what community we are living in. It is what helps us hold onto life, encountering and dealing with problems. 

Regarding the perfection, we don't believe in perfection. It is a false concept that we are making up. Everyone has their own view of perfection which means we can never satisfy anyone. We might think the Mjolnir hammer was shortened and it was a shortcoming. But we cannot know whether Thor viewed it as a shortcoming or not. Following the social standard of perfection will hold us back. I