The hammer is essentially a masculine force, and when striking or crushing it represents justice and revenge. The hammer is not only a tool; it represents might. When paired with an anvil, represents ANDROGYNE, and with that often fertility and creation. The hammer is the thought while the anvil is the brain.
It is used often by the gods; it is Thor's most valued (but often lost) possession. They use it for destruction, protection and fertilization, but it also symbolizes immortality. Destiny is linked with the hammer too, as well as violence and manual labor.
"The two-headed hammer is an ambivalent symbol of the mountain of Mars
and of sacrificial Inversion" (Cirlot, 137).
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