How does Mjolnir know who is "Worthy"?

[Fr8monkey]

Odin says:" Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor" It is said in the comics and the film of the same name...

How does it know who is worthy?

Is it excellent character? Good posture? Fashion sense? Fantastic credit rating?

I don't understand.

 

[Agent327]

What I don't understand is why you presume Thor's hammer knows anything.

 

[azzaman333]

It's a magic hammer. Magic hammers know stuff like that.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Is the hammer something that just anybody can hold, or is it like Excalibur and only the person who could pry it out of the stone was considered worthy to possess it?

I should think that courage and honor would be the prime requisites to be considered worthy.

 

[Cutlass]

Is the hammer something that just anybody can hold, or is it like Excalibur and only the person who could pry it out of the stone was considered worthy to possess it?

I should think that courage and honor would be the prime requisites to be considered worthy.

The latter. Excalibur is a good parallel.

The first minute of the new trailer for Avengers 2 shows it. Iron Man, Iron Man and War Machine together, and Captain America couldn't lift it. Even though it wasn't heavy enough to break the coffee table it was sitting on.



Link to video.


As to the why not, Clark's Law.

 

[Fr8monkey]

Soooo... Magic?

 

[Agent327]

It's a magic hammer. Magic hammers know stuff like that.

It's only 'magic' when Thor wields it though. So the 'magic' might rather be Thor's not Mjolnir's.

 

[azzaman333]

It's only 'magic' when Thor wields it though. So the 'magic' might rather be Thor's not Mjolnir's.

If no one else can hold it, that implies there's still some magic in the hammer itself.

 

[Agent327]

That, logically, does not follow - as I just pointed out.

 

[azzaman333]

That, logically, does not follow - as I just pointed out.

Then why is nobody else even capable of holding it?

 

[Arakhor]

As this is based on Norse myth, it falls under the same category of questions as "why did Zeus sleep with his sister?"

Answer: because he did/because it does. That's all there is to it.

 

[warpus]

Magnets are involved in some way I'm sure.

 

[Agent327]

Indeed.

Then why is nobody else even capable of holding it?

Because nobody else is Thor. As someone just pointed out: the sword in the stone. Only one was 'worthy'. Now you may try and argue the sword 'knew', but that's not the most logical explanation. (Provided of course there's actually some logic involved here.)

Or, to paraphrase Arakhor, who but Zeus could sling lightning bolts?

 

[azzaman333]

Indeed.



Because nobody else is Thor. As someone just pointed out: the sword in the stone. Only one was 'worthy'. Now you may try and argue the sword 'knew', but that's not the most logical explanation. (Provided of course there's actually some logic involved here.)

Or, to paraphrase Arakhor, who but Zeus could sling lightning bolts?

What magic does Thor have without Mjolnir?

 

[Cutlass]

What magic does Thor have without Mjolnir?

Superhuman strength and resistance to being beaten to a pulp.

 

[Luckymoose]

It's only 'magic' when Thor wields it though. So the 'magic' might rather be Thor's not Mjolnir's.

Wrong. List of those worthy. Lore-ify yourself.

 

[bhsup]

Wait, is this about Marvel's Thor and Mjolnir or the legendary mythical ones?

 

[Luckymoose]

Wait, is this about Marvel's Thor and Mjolnir or the legendary mythical ones?

Either one is magical in nature, forged and enchanted to empower the wielder beyond their normal strengths. But the OP said comics and mythology.

 

[Agent327]

Wrong. List of those worthy. Lore-ify yourself.

I'm trying to, but can't make any lore of this:

This is a list of characters who got their powers from of being worthy of lifting Mjolnir.

As far as I can understand it these characters got their power from being worthy.

 

[James Stuart]

It's based on character, that's why Captain America is shown to be able to lift it on multiple occasions in the comics.