Would a hammer shaped like Marvel Comics’ depiction of Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer) actually make a good weapon?
It would if it had the Power of Thor behind it. As special effects wizard John Dykstra is supposed to have said, “Even a brick will fly if you put enough jets behind it.”
What I wannano is “What the Hell is that thong made out of?” The one that Thor grabs onto after tossing the hammer, so that it pulls him after it. The damned thing never tears loose!
It’s a leather strap, enchanted to be unbreakable.
No. Take a look at actual battle hammers. The head on Mjolnir is about twice practical size. You want to put all the force into a small area, so the striking service is small. The handle is about half the size it should be. In Marvel’s defense, due to Loki changing into a gadlfly and stinging the dwarven smith who made Mjolnir, the eddas record that the handle was a bit too short.
I’m sure a bunch of SCAdians will be along to expand on what I got right and correct any mistakes I made.
OTTOMH Beta Ray Bill’s StormBringer is even more impractical. The design focuses stress in weak spots, and the striking ends are huge.
Thunderstrike’s mace (I can’t remember the name) is a practical weapon. The handle is long enough for a good balance and easy handling. The triangular cross section is strong and concentrates force in a small area.
If were to take up Marvel’s defense I’d focus on the old norse depictions of Mjolnir, which are of a sturdy hammer, with an even shorter handle than Marvel’s. The mideaval warhammer might be a better weapon, but it’s not what the magical weapon of Thor carried around looked like.
But regarding the actual OP. I think not, it’s too heavy. Unless your enemy lacks the ability to dodge and strike with speed, it would almost be worse than useless.
If however you can swing it with the force of a god there’s no reason to put force into a small area when you can just as easily crush your enemy and not worry about your weapon getting stuck.
Stormbreaker, unless Beta Ray Bill is Elric’s latest nom de guerre.
Are you kidding? In the earliest appearances the handle of Thor’s hammer was absurdly long. It’s gotten shorter through the years, but not that much shorter (at least in the times I’ve seen it. I admit I haven’t looked in on Thor in ages).
And as naita says, Thor’s hammer doesn’t really look like true Norse battle hammers. I’ve seen pendants that are supposed to be representations of Thor’s hammer. They look more like pickaxes – double=headed, with much smaller ends and a relatively short handle. Nothing at all like the one depicted in the comics.
It’ true that the head is much larger and broader than it needs to be for optimal use. But my original statements ar based on Thor having overwhelming strength – if it’s an almost all-powerful god behind the strokes, it doesn’t matter if the design is inefficient.