Hammer of Thor (monument)
Encyclopedia
60°0′14"N 70°26′10"W
The Hammer of Thor is a 3.3 metres (10.8 ft) tall, t-shaped, man-made rock formation, located along the Arnaud River
in the Ungava Peninsula
, Quebec, Canada. It was discovered in 1964 by an archaeologist who thought it was erected by Vikings. He named it "The Hammer of Thor", in reference to Norse
culture. Today some scholars believe that it is more likely to be an artifact of Inuit
culture, an inuksuk or stone landmark.
It is located on the northern bank of the Arnaud River
(formerly known as Payne River), about 15 miles (24.1 km) above Payne Bay, near the western coast of Ungava Bay
, in the Ungava Peninsula
, Quebec
, Canada.
, during an anthropological expedition to Ungava
. It had been standing for many years, and no one in the area knew who had erected it. Inuit tradition held that it predated their arrival in the area. Lee considered it to be European in appearance, and considered it to be proof that the Norse inhabited the Ungava region about a thousand years before. Lee thought it looked like a hammer and named the monument "The Hammer of Thor".
Given growing knowledge about and appreciation for Inuit
culture, contemporary scholars believe this work is as likely to be an inuksuk, a stone landmark, erected by Inuit.
The Hammer of Thor is a 3.3 metres (10.8 ft) tall, t-shaped, man-made rock formation, located along the Arnaud River
Arnaud River
The Arnaud River is a river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, flowing from the low plateaux of the Ungava Peninsula through a series of glacial lakes to Ungava Bay. Its mean discharge is approximately 15 km³ per year, but the river flows only in the summer as it is frozen to several metres for the...
in the Ungava Peninsula
Ungava Peninsula
The Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, and Ungava Bay to the east. The Ungava Peninsula is part of the Labrador Peninsula and covers about 252,000 km²...
, Quebec, Canada. It was discovered in 1964 by an archaeologist who thought it was erected by Vikings. He named it "The Hammer of Thor", in reference to Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
culture. Today some scholars believe that it is more likely to be an artifact of Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
culture, an inuksuk or stone landmark.
Description
The Hammer of Thor consists of three rocks stacked on top of each other—a vertical shaft, a cross piece, and a capstone. The vertical column, or shaft, measures about 8 feet (2.44 m) tall; the cross piece is about 4.5 feet (1.37 m) long; and the capstone is 14 inches (35.56 cm) in height. The entire monument stands about 3.3 metres (10.8 ft) high; and has been estimated to weigh about 4000 pounds (1,814.4 kg).It is located on the northern bank of the Arnaud River
Arnaud River
The Arnaud River is a river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, flowing from the low plateaux of the Ungava Peninsula through a series of glacial lakes to Ungava Bay. Its mean discharge is approximately 15 km³ per year, but the river flows only in the summer as it is frozen to several metres for the...
(formerly known as Payne River), about 15 miles (24.1 km) above Payne Bay, near the western coast of Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
, in the Ungava Peninsula
Ungava Peninsula
The Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, and Ungava Bay to the east. The Ungava Peninsula is part of the Labrador Peninsula and covers about 252,000 km²...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada.
Discovery
The monument was discovered in 1964 by archaeologist Thomas E. LeeThomas E. Lee
Thomas Edward Lee was an archaeologist for the National Museum of Canada in the 1950s and discovered Sheguiandah on Manitoulin Island. Public interest in the find contributed to passage in Ontario of a bill to protect archeological sites...
, during an anthropological expedition to Ungava
Ungava
Ungava may refer to:* Ungava Peninsula, in northern Quebec* Ungava , Quebec's largest and most northern provincial riding* Ungava Bay, on the northern coast of Quebec, on Hudson Strait...
. It had been standing for many years, and no one in the area knew who had erected it. Inuit tradition held that it predated their arrival in the area. Lee considered it to be European in appearance, and considered it to be proof that the Norse inhabited the Ungava region about a thousand years before. Lee thought it looked like a hammer and named the monument "The Hammer of Thor".
Given growing knowledge about and appreciation for Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
culture, contemporary scholars believe this work is as likely to be an inuksuk, a stone landmark, erected by Inuit.
See also
- Inuksuk - a man-made stone landmark or cairn, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America, from Alaska to Greenland.