Key Info

- Belt worn by Thor that doubles his power

Brief Bio

In Norse mythology, megingjörð is a belt worn by the god Thor. The Old Norse name megin means power or strength, and gjörð means belt.

According to the Prose Edda, the belt is one of Thor's three main possessions, along with the hammer Mjölnir and the iron gloves Járngreipr. When worn, the belt is described as doubling Thor's already prodigious strength.

In verse 7 of the skaldic poem Þórsdrápa (Lay of Thor) written by the 10th-century poet Eilífr Goðrúnarson refers to Thor's power-belt.

Harðvaxnar sér herðir

halllands of sik falla

(gatat maðr) njótr (hin neytri)

njarð- (ráð fyrir sér) gjarðar.

Þverrir lætr nema þyrri

Þorns barna sér Mǫrnar

snerriblóð til svíra

salþaks megin vaxa.

The line "njótr njarðgjarðar" literally means "he who benefits from the mighty belt", referring to Thor's magical belt/girdle of strength/power, Megingjörð.