Legendary hammers tend to be named for what they do or who they serve: Thor's Mjölnir, D&D's Hammer of Thunderbolts. This hammer name generator builds names for war hammers, mauls and maces in three shapes: short names like Sacred Anvil, a name with an epithet like "Righteous, Fist of the Sky-Father", and full titles like "Star-Iron Warhammer, Breaker of Chains".
Hammers in myth and history
- Mjölnir, Thor's hammer, is the most famous of all. Its name is usually linked to words for crushing or grinding. In the Norse myths it was forged by the dwarves Brokkr and Eitri, and its handle came out short because Loki, disguised as a fly, kept biting Brokkr as he worked the bellows.
- "The Hammer" as a title: Charles Martel, the Frankish leader who won at Tours in 732, takes his name from martel, "hammer". Edward I of England was called Scottorum malleus, "Hammer of the Scots". Judah Maccabee's name is traditionally explained the same way.
- Real war hammers came into their own in the late Middle Ages, when plate armour made edges glance off. A hammer face or spike could dent or pierce armour that a sword couldn't cut, which is why knights carried them, along with maces and the spiked morning star.
Famous hammers in games
- Dungeons & Dragons: the Hammer of Thunderbolts and the Dwarven Thrower, which flies back to its owner's hand. In early editions, clerics could only use blunt weapons, which is why so many holy warriors carry hammers and maces.
- Warcraft: the Doomhammer, carried by Orgrim Doomhammer and then Thrall, and Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros.
- Skyrim: Volendrung, the war hammer of Malacath, the orcs' Daedric Prince.
Notice how many are named for their owner or for what they do. That's the habit the generator follows.
The three name shapes
- Two-word name (Sacred Anvil, Thundering Maul): good for magic items the party finds along the way.
- Name and epithet (Righteous, Fist of the Sky-Father): for a relic with a reputation, the kind people tell stories about.
- Full title (Star-Iron Warhammer, Breaker of Chains): for the legendary weapon at the centre of a quest.
Giving a hammer a history
- Who made it? Dwarves are the classic hammer-smiths, as with Mjölnir. A god's forge or a temple gives a hammer a holy name; an orc warlord's forge gives it a brutal one.
- What did it break? "Breaker of Chains" or "Smasher of Idols" tells you its most famous deed in three words.
- Who carried it? Like the Doomhammer, a hammer can carry a family name down the generations, or give one: Charles Martel got his from his.