# Thor's enchanted Uru hammer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756 "2003-03-03T15:11:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJ555_The_Golfer)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/1 "2003-03-03T15:11:26Z")
What is the name of Thor’s enchanted Uru hammer? ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/2 "2003-03-03T15:14:13Z")
Bob. Seriously, in mythology, I think it was Mjollnir. Comics may be different. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/3 "2003-03-03T15:14:35Z")
Mjolliner (sp): Pronounced: me-YOL-neer Fenris ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/4 "2003-03-03T15:15:03Z")
Mjolnir I beleive Brian ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/5 "2003-03-03T15:27:08Z")
It doesn’t translate to “hammer,” though. Its meaning is a little bit murky. It’s close to Russian word for “lightning,” “molniya” and the root “mjoll” is close to some old Teutonic roots meaning “mill” or “grind.” And the translated spellings do vary quite a bit, as you have seen. I don’t think there is any one “right” way of spelling it. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/6 "2003-03-03T16:06:27Z")
Do not forget it’s made of the mystical metal Uru. I rember the Destroyer (Odin’s robot, go figure.\*) cut a chunk off once with some kind of beam. Cool issue. Looong time ago. Anybody buy one of those replicas? How’s the heft? - I know, I know. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/7 "2003-03-03T16:58:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mjollnir \* > It doesn’t translate to “hammer,” though. Its meaning is a little bit murky. It’s close to Russian word for “lightning,” “molniya” and the root “mjoll” is close to some old Teutonic roots meaning “mill” or “grind.” Sure enough, as the thread is about the name of it, not about the Norse word for hammer. > [@](#): > > And the translated spellings do vary quite a bit, as you have seen. I don’t think there is any one “right” way of spelling it. True. It could be **Mjølnir** or **Mjölner** or whatever. Never, however, with an **o** instead of an **ø** or an **ö**. But, what on Earth is “the mystical metal Uru”. There’s nothing like that that I remember from Norse mythology. And oh, Fenris. I think you should beware from this thread (concidering your name). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/8 "2003-03-03T16:59:26Z")
What about that mystical metal Uru? Kirby always made it look like a big chunk of stone to me. And the handle changed length whenever it was convenient. I rember the Destroyer (Odin’s robot, go figure.\*) cut a chunk off once with some kind of beam. Cool issue. Looong time ago. Anybody buy one of those replicas? How’s the heft? - I know, I know. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/9 "2003-03-03T17:06:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mjollnir \* > It doesn’t translate to “hammer,” though. Its meaning is a little bit murky. It’s close to Russian word for “lightning,” “molniya” and the root “mjoll” is close to some old Teutonic roots meaning “mill” or “grind.” Sure enough, as the thread is about the name of it, not about the Norse word for hammer. > [@](#): > > And the translated spellings do vary quite a bit, as you have seen. I don’t think there is any one “right” way of spelling it. True. It could be **Mjølnir** or **Mjölner** or whatever. Never, however, with an **o** instead of an **ø** or an **ö**. But, what on Earth is “the mystical metal Uru”. There’s nothing like that that I remember from Norse mythology. And oh, Fenris. I think you should beware from this thread (concidering your name). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/10 "2003-03-03T17:16:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Sure enough, as the thread is . . . not about the Norse word for hammer. Feelin’ a little touchy there, **Floater**? Anyway, Uru was a Marvel Comics contribution to the mythos. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/11 "2003-03-03T19:13:44Z")
Mjollnir’s correct (why am I not surprised :D) In The Originas of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee said made up Uru because he thought it sounded cool. Lee then remarked something to the effect "and here had been impressed, thinking he had done a bunch of research. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/12 "2003-03-03T19:14:09Z")
Mjollnir’s correct (why am I not surprised :D) In The Origins of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee said Larry Lieber made up Uru because he thought it sounded cool. Lee then remarked something to the effect "and here had been impressed, thinking he had done a bunch of research. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/13 "2003-03-03T20:18:01Z")
There’s a comic? ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/14 "2003-03-03T20:46:13Z")
Yes, there is a comic based on Thor, published by Marvel comics. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/15 "2003-03-03T20:53:41Z")
Who’s it about? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/16 "2003-03-03T21:03:00Z")
And the comic, more than most, swings from extremely good to extreme shit and back. The first batch, #83 (yes, #83 was the first story…don’t ask or I’ll have to explain postal regulations to you.) - about #110 were…ok. Lee was getting his feet under him and the book hadn’t quite…clicked… Then from about #110-150 or so there was pure magic. Lee and Kirby had a run only topped by FF 30-67 or so. Stunning stuff. #150-271 was overall “eh”. There was some good stuff and some lame stuff. None of it clicked. Then the run from #272-301. wow. Roy Thomas brought in all sorts of mythology, other pantheons, the Celestials into one of Marvel’s all time great story arcs. The ending…well…it was…ok but the rest of it was so damned good that who cared? 301-336, generally lame. Again a good issue or two here and there… #337-383 is the single greatest run of Thor. Ever. The End. Walt Simonson is a gawd. (And how can anyone object to a run that features an issue titled “Raganrok-and-roll”. Or the bit where, in their final confrontation with Sutur, Thor strikes a heroic pose and yells “FOR ODIN!”, Odin strikes a heroic pose and yells “FOR ASGARD!” Loki rolls his eye and in a bored pose says “For myself. Now can we get ON with it?” If you only try one run of THOR, this is it. Then it turned to crap as the “Characters can’t grow” crap affected Thor and everything done in the last 60 issues vanished in two. The current run (if they don’t wimp out and have Thor go insane, which it looks like they’re aiming for) could rival the Simonson run. Odin’s dead and Thor inherits his power. And he says “It’s time to fix things on Earth. Why is it OK to beat up a bad-guy who’s kidnapped people and torturing them in his dungeons, but if he’s the head of state, it’s wrong?”. One memorable arc had him going to (cough) Kosovo and trying to oust the leader. Unfortunately, the guy had signed a treaty with Dr. Doom (who’s country is next door) and in the words of one state department flunky to Iron Man “If Thor deposes [the ruler] he’s gonna piss off Doom! Making sure that Doom doesn’t get pissed is high on my list of duties! STOP HIM.” It’s the first book that’s really playing with the consequences of an activist hero. I just hope they don’t blow it (but suspect that they will. Badly) Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/17 "2003-03-03T21:04:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JThunder \* > \*\*Who’s it about? \*\* Batman ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/18 "2003-03-03T21:22:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BMalion \* > **. . .Anybody buy one of those replicas? How’s the heft?. . .** I bought one but I wasn’t able to lift it. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/19 "2003-03-03T21:44:58Z")
> [@](#): > > But, what on Earth is “the mystical metal Uru”. There’s nothing like that that I remember from Norse mythology. According to **Origins of Marvel Comics** Stan Lee’s brother Larry Lieber who scripted those early Thor’s just made the term up. Sounds reasonable, though I’d take it with a grain of salt that Lieber is the actual originator since Lee tells a lot of stories in there that are disputed by other figures in the comic book industry. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756/20 "2003-03-03T21:50:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Papermache Prince \* > \*\*I bought one but I wasn’t able to lift it. Go figure. \*\* UPS had to get Captain America deliver mine since their delivery boy couldn’t pick up the box it was in. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thors-enchanted-uru-hammer/158756.md?page=2)