> In case anyone's interested in the theory I'm trying to elucidate, it
is as
> follows. Any comments would indeed be welcome - without
archaeological or
> textual evidence a lot of it has to remain theory or conjecture. The
Norse
> God Thor is not usually noted as having anything to do with smithcraft
or
> metallurgy as such, yet there would appear to be a number of things
that
> point to such origins for some of His iconography and stories.
Having learned Old Norse from them both, have you read a variety of
pieces by John Lindow and Carol Clover on Thor and his symbolism? While
you can't rule out a linkage to metal working, there are other aspects
to his symbolism that link to Old Norse society.
>
> The fact that Thor's hammer, Mjollnir, is short-handled is perhaps the
first
> suspicious thing - as a short handle is the hallmark of a blacksmith's
> hammer of any weight. The explanation that a short handle is better
for
> throwing seems unlikely. Then there are the names of Thor's daughters,
which
> have to do with fires. There is at least one record of an ancient
altar to
> Thor consisting of an iron surface that sounds very much like an
anvil. (It
> is also interesting that the thunder clouds associated with Thor -
cumulo
> nimbus - are popularly described as being anvil shaped.)
So, you totally discount the scenes in Snorri's EDDA on the creation of
Thor's hammer?
Plus, have you seen the smith's burial assemblage from Kilmanheim (sp?)
gaol in Dublin?
I really don't consider the hammers from that assemblage to be short
handled.
On the anvil, there are some descriptions in a variety of the sagas, on
what they used. In many cases, they tell us it was no more than a very
heavy, flat rock.
I don't recall where Thor's clouds were described as anvil shaped---is
this from an English translation, or in the original Old Norse? I ask
since it became very apparent, quite quickly, that Palsson and a lot of
these translators leave out very crucial items concerning little details
on metalworking in the saga translations. I also bring it up too, since
some of the passages are a real pain to get a decent translation of
since some of the words are so poorly attested in Old Norse.
Best, MEH
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