Page 91 - Red Feather Book 2

5. How did Mjollnir affect Nordic traditions?
The connection of Thor’s hammer with life and fertility gave rise to the Old Norse customs of placing a hammer in a bride’s lap at her wedding and of raising it over a newborn child. The Norse considered this hammer a sacred object, not only of battle but of blessing. Just as Christians make the sign of the cross, the ancient Norse people would cross themselves to make the sign of the “hammer.” This symbolic gesture was also used to bless a newborn infant or a newly married couple, and to bid farewell to a corpse on a funeral pyre.
6. What similarities can you identify with Christian traditions?
The sing of the hammer and the sign of the cross are almost identical.
7. What other powerful items did Thor posses?
The sing of the hammer and the sign of the cross are almost identical.
Thor’s treasures also included a magical belt that doubled his strength whenever he wore
it and a pair of goats that pulled his chariot across the sky.
88 The Red Feather Literature Second Course