Original artwork, not a still
Inscription on Thor's hammer, Journey into Mystery #83 (August 1962)
Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of... Thor.
— Journey into Mystery ‧ 1952
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The inscription sets the rule that makes Thor's hammer more than a weapon: the power belongs to whoever deserves it, not whoever owns it. That one condition fed decades of stories about who could and could not lift it, including Odin's judgement of Beta Ray Bill as worthy. It also made the line a shorthand for any test of character.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Journey into MysteryShow the scene
Journey into Mystery #83 (August 1962), the debut of Thor. American doctor Donald Blake, on holiday in Norway, stumbles on scouts from a Saturn-based alien invasion, flees them into the hills and loses his cane. Trapped in a cave behind a boulder, he finds a walking stick and strikes the rock in frustration, and it becomes a hammer and he becomes the thunder god. The hammer carries the inscription that Wikiquote records from this issue: whosoever holds it, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Thor (Marvel Comics)Journey Into Mystery #83 sectionReference checked
- Marvel Database: Journey Into Mystery Vol 1 83SynopsisReference checked
Context reviewed