return again to his hand,—i.e. the god of thunder could let one lightning be followed immediately by a new one. If Thor desired it, the hammer would grow so small that he could carry it inside his clothes. It is also mentioned how Thor's hammer "was thrown," and "how it flew through the air." These are most remarkable expressions, reminding us of the fact that the hammer was originally identical with the lightning.
In the Icelandic legend of Gylfaginning, Thor is said to possess three precious things, one of which is the hammer, "that giants and ogres know well, when it comes flying through the air. As it has crushed the skulls of many of their fathers and relatives, that they know the hammer is not to be wondered at."
But the hammer was used for many other purposes than as a weapon against giants and ogres.
In the evening Thor used to kill his bucks and eat the flesh. The following morning he got up, seized his hammer, brandished it, and "consecrated" the buckskins on which the bones had been thrown during the meal. In this way the bucks were brought to life again. We remember why one of them is halt.
It was especially at weddings that Thor's hammer must have been of a great importance in heathen times. In Thrym's song, or "The Fetching of the Hammer," it is told how the wedding was celebrated between Thrym, the king of the giants, and Thor, dressed up as Freya. Thrym then says,—
"Bring the hammer
the bride to wed,
place Mjöllnir
in the maiden's lap,"
In this way Thor got again the hammer that had been stolen from him. The first use he made of it was of course to slay Thrym and to mutilate the giant's whole family.
