Hi there,
I've read that the name of Thor's hammer Mjǫllnir is related to the Russian word "Молния" for lightning, which makes sense because Thor is the Norse god of lightning and thunder. For example, both the Wikipedia article Mjölnir - Wikipedia on Mjǫllnir and Daniel McCoy (in Thor's Hammer - Norse Mythology for Smart People) at least tentatively link "Mjǫllnir" to "Молния". This link seems to be strengthened by the fact that according to Dr. Jackson Crawford in his video "Norse Myth and Indo-European Myth (Patreon questions)", the Slavic thunder-god Perun (who is quite similar to Thor) has a hammer called "Молния".
There are some additional pieces of information that have to do with this matter:
1. Wiktionary (Mjölnir - Wiktionary) derives "Mjǫllnir" from Proto-Germanic "*meldunjaz" and this in turn from PIE "*meldʰ-n-" (“lightning”).
2. Wikipedia also derives "Mjǫllnir" from Proto-Germanic "*meldunjaz", but derives this from Proto-Germanic "*malaną" ("to grind"), which according to Wiktionary is derived from PIE "*melh₂-" (“to beat, crush, grind”).
3. Wiktionary (молния - Wiktionary)
a) derives "Молния" from PIE "*ml̥dʰ-n-" (“lightning”) and
b) says that "Молния" is probably cognate to "Mjǫllnir".
These pieces of information are a bit confusing. They seem to strengthen the connection between "Mjǫllnir" and "Молния" ((1), (3.b)) and imply that
- "*melh₂-" and "*ml̥dʰ-n-" are cognates ((2) together with (3.a))
- "*meldʰ-n-" and "*melh₂-" are cognates ((1) together with (2)) and
- "*meldʰ-n-" and "*ml̥dʰ-n-" are cognates ((1) together with (3.a)).
Now, what is the correct etymology of "Mjǫllnir" and of "Молния", and how are they related?
Thanks in advance,
Gaistaz
I've read that the name of Thor's hammer Mjǫllnir is related to the Russian word "Молния" for lightning, which makes sense because Thor is the Norse god of lightning and thunder. For example, both the Wikipedia article Mjölnir - Wikipedia on Mjǫllnir and Daniel McCoy (in Thor's Hammer - Norse Mythology for Smart People) at least tentatively link "Mjǫllnir" to "Молния". This link seems to be strengthened by the fact that according to Dr. Jackson Crawford in his video "Norse Myth and Indo-European Myth (Patreon questions)", the Slavic thunder-god Perun (who is quite similar to Thor) has a hammer called "Молния".
There are some additional pieces of information that have to do with this matter:
1. Wiktionary (Mjölnir - Wiktionary) derives "Mjǫllnir" from Proto-Germanic "*meldunjaz" and this in turn from PIE "*meldʰ-n-" (“lightning”).
2. Wikipedia also derives "Mjǫllnir" from Proto-Germanic "*meldunjaz", but derives this from Proto-Germanic "*malaną" ("to grind"), which according to Wiktionary is derived from PIE "*melh₂-" (“to beat, crush, grind”).
3. Wiktionary (молния - Wiktionary)
a) derives "Молния" from PIE "*ml̥dʰ-n-" (“lightning”) and
b) says that "Молния" is probably cognate to "Mjǫllnir".
These pieces of information are a bit confusing. They seem to strengthen the connection between "Mjǫllnir" and "Молния" ((1), (3.b)) and imply that
- "*melh₂-" and "*ml̥dʰ-n-" are cognates ((2) together with (3.a))
- "*meldʰ-n-" and "*melh₂-" are cognates ((1) together with (2)) and
- "*meldʰ-n-" and "*ml̥dʰ-n-" are cognates ((1) together with (3.a)).
Now, what is the correct etymology of "Mjǫllnir" and of "Молния", and how are they related?
Thanks in advance,
Gaistaz