Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Mjollnir” come from?

Mjollnir (English) comes from Old Norse Mjǫllnir, from Proto-Germanic meldunjaz, from Proto-Indo-European meldʰ- — to ask, pray, speak; lightning.

Ancestry of “Mjollnir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseMjǫllnirhammer of Thor; Thor's hammer
2Proto-Germanicmeldunjaz—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmeldʰ-to ask, pray, speak; lightning
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meldʰ- →