Just one step more, then it's all over
The words echoed in my head. They'd been echoing for a long time. Anxiety had become a vulture sitting on my chest, day in and day out, and I was tired. So tired of fighting.
But I couldn't take that final step.
Standing there, at the edge, something happened. Warmth spread through my chest. Memories surfaced, not the big, dramatic ones, but small ones. The smell of rain on warm stone. Voices I like. A laugh I'd forgotten I had.
And I felt the iron against my skin.
It was Mjolnir. Thor's hammer. I'd worn it for a long time without really understanding why. That evening, I understood.
Many see Mjolnir as a symbol of raw strength. Power. Battle. And sure, that's true — in the myths, it crushes giants like biscuits. But what's always gripped me isn't what the hammer does to others, but how it came to be.
The myth that describes how Mjolnir was made, among other things, is to me a metaphor for what it takes for a human being to take shape.
To me, Mjolnir symbolizes the drive to want to live. That force which exists in everything and everyone who have life, even when we can't feel it. Especially when we can't feel it.
On dark days, Mjolnir helps me remember one thing: what's pressing down on me isn't me. It's a heavy blanket that has fallen over me. The drive is still there, underneath. It hasn't left. You just need to find your way out.
It's a force hard to put into words. But it can be felt. Like warmth in the chest. Like iron against skin.
And here's what's beautiful: the longer you carry your Mjolnir, the stronger its effect becomes. It reminds you not only of the power within you, but also of the dark passages you've already walked through. The hammer gathers stories. Your story.
I was born and raised in Finland, and it feels natural to also look eastward. In the Finnish tradition, there is the god Ukko and his hammer Ukonvasara. The shape is somewhat different, but the function is the same: to create light from darkness.
I've made a special edition inspired by the Ukonvasara, and it has a feature that makes me happy: it also works as a fire steel. It strikes sparks for real. You hold it in your hand, strike it against the flint, and out of the darkness, a spark jumps. It takes patience. It requires trusting the process. But the fire comes.
If you'd like a guide on how to start a fire with a fire steel, reply to this post and I'll put it together for you.
Take care.