Thor's hammer weighs 10 quadrillion pounds -- or an 'imposing' 5?

By Amy Hubbard

March 24, 2014 3:52 PM PT

What does Thor’s hammer weigh? Ten quadrillion pounds? 42.3 pounds? Less?

Among scientific laws is this one: Nerds will be nerds. So YouTube brainiacs Vsauce3 played “what if.” What if Thor’s hammer were made from a dying star instead of forged in a dying star (because we all know that’s how it was made).

It would be inconceivably dense and heavy. Mayhem would ensue. It would attract human bodies faster than the speed of sound, ripping them apart with its pull. If the god of thunder were to set it down (say, to give his impressive muscles a rest), it would sink to the center of the Earth!

Mjolnir is one mighty hammer.

But according to a 1991 Marvel trading card, Thor’s hammer weighs 42.3 pounds. It’s made of Uru metal. (That’s Asgardian. Duh.) Don’t try to probe more deeply into its composition. “Mystical nature makes further analysis impossible,” the card states. (Pssst. This is where the suspension of disbelief is supposed to kick in. Stop playing “what if” and let Thor sling his hammer.)

But we did have to wonder: How much did the prop that Chris Hemsworth used in the “Thor” movies weigh?

We’re guessing it did not weigh 42.3 pounds. That would be like hefting a 4-year-old, or a female Australian shepherd, or the leg of a 225-pound man.

Sideshow Collectibles made a replica of the film prop. It wasn’t forged in a dying star, but they did hammer together some steel, wood and leather. That one weighs “an imposing 5 pounds.”

We have tried to contact Russell Bobbitt, maker of the prop. He talked with Fast Company about tossing it back and forth with Hemsworth during filming. We’ll update this post if we get the real skinny.