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How was Loki ultimately able to breath when Thor put Mjolnir on his chest

There are several points I condsidered,

  • Worthiness

Worthiness Enchantment: This enchantment surrounding Mjölnir prevents it from being wielded by anyone save those who have been found worthy. Thus far, this includes Thor, the Red Norvell, Buri, Bor, Odin, Beta Ray Bill, and Captain America. To anyone else, Mjölnir cannot be lifted from the ground[citation needed] nor wrested from Thor’s grip.

So we all know that only someone worthy can weild the hammer

  • Mjolnir's actual weight

How much would Thor's hammer (Mjolnir) weigh?

The magic of the hammer makes its weight arbitrary. Consider that weight is the force on an object due to gravity, that means that we have to take into account the mass of the hammer and gravity(a constant). However, the hammer doesn't adhere to physics as we know it.

At one moment it can be wielded by Thor, set on a table without breaking the structure, and fly through the air. At the next moment the Hulk himself, who we know to be exceedingly strong can't lift it up. If we attribute these instances to its weight changing, then it can obviously be any arbitrary weight necessary. (Technically we don't know if there is an upper bound but as it's magic it is safe to say there is, in so far as it is convenient to the plot). If we attribute them to some force other than a change in weight, the weight still becomes inconsequential, as it still performs the same way as if it did not have weight.

From the answer I can only assume that due to its magical properties that it can be placed on any inert object and not crush it. So the actual weight of Mjolnir should not cause anyone to not be able to breath due it is actual weight.

So ,to my question, My issue is that no one worthy can lift the hammer, so would it not move with Loki's chest movements and as he breaths in move closer to the ground, but due to him not being worthy when breathing in would not be able to raise the hammer, so with every breath it would move close to the ground and thus crushing his chest so as he could no longer breathe any more?

I can't see any magic working here, as the worthiness prevents anyone not worthy lifting it under any circumstance and if someone was to say it would keep the same height as when Thor placed it, Loki could breath out and therefore create a gap between him and Mjolnir and then escape. I would liken this to a boa-constrictor, every time he moved the hammer would move closer to the ground ultimately crushing him.

So I don't see any scenario where Loki could breath after having the hammer placed on his chest.

Community
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KyloRen
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  • Perhaps the issue here is with wielding the hammer, not moving it. – Adamant Oct 28 '16 at 08:18
  • @Adamant, if that is the case , then he should be able to move away from under it? – KyloRen Oct 28 '16 at 08:20
  • Maybe as an Asgardian, he can hold his breath for a long time. – Adamant Oct 28 '16 at 08:21
  • @Adamant, I edited the question. I would think the hammer would ultimately crush him. – KyloRen Oct 28 '16 at 08:24
  • @Adamant: To be fair, he did survive freefall through what appeared to be empty space. For quite some time. – Lightness Races in Orbit Oct 28 '16 at 10:17
  • you are assuming the hammer would just crush his chest, that is not true. Also, the hammer remains still to a referential. So it could sit on the helicarrier without blocking it from moving. Same as the chestbone of Loki. So long the distance between hammer and chest doesn't change, it is not being moved. – Mindwin Remember Monica Oct 28 '16 at 10:47
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    See also: How much would Thor's hammer (Mjolnir) weigh?, If Thor's hammer is so heavy, why does it not crush the table it is on? – phantom42 Oct 28 '16 at 10:52
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    This post has two well-received answers on it that people have invested time and effort in providing for you. There's a reason you can't just pull the question, it's totally unfair on them, and removes good content from this site. I know this is a dupe, but dupes are fine, they help people to navigate to the content they need. if you couldn't find the dupe, why should somebody else be able to? I know you may not enjoy the taste of the DV's, but if that's really a problem for you, contact a mod and ask if you can have the question dissociated from your account, don't try and vandalise the site – Au101 Oct 28 '16 at 11:56
  • @Au101, I don't care. I want the post deleted. If I had of known it was a duplicate I would not have posted. Add those questions to the original question. – KyloRen Oct 28 '16 at 11:58
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    Nobody posts a dupe on purpose, it happens to the best of us. The dupe mechanism is there by design, we like having dupe questions that can direct people to the answer they want. Clearly you couldn't find the dupe question, or - as you say - you would never have spent the time writing this question. Moving the good answers will not provide that handy indexing feature. If you don't want this post tarnishing your record, there's a better route to that end – Au101 Oct 28 '16 at 12:02
  • @Au101, then I want it deleted. Why should I be penalized when I want it gone? – KyloRen Oct 28 '16 at 12:07
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    @KyloRen Because I''m pretty sure that the question "belongs" to StackExchange once it's been posted. – Dr R Dizzle Oct 28 '16 at 12:10
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    For someone who doesn't care about downvotes, you sure do care a lot about downvotes. – phantom42 Oct 28 '16 at 12:13

2 Answers2

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Here is a picture from the scene in question, where Loki is pinned to the Bifrost by having Mjolnir placed on top of him.

Loki held down by Mjolnir

Here is a good look at the costume Loki was wearing in Thor.

Loki in Thor (2011)

The simple answer is that Mjolnir was placed on top of the breastplate that Loki is wearing. It seems safe to assume that there is enough room between Loki's chest and his breastplate for him to breathe, as otherwise he wouldn't ever be able to breathe while wearing it.

Plus, we have to remember that Mjolnir was only on top of Loki for a handful of seconds, half a minute at most. After that, Thor realises that he must destroy the Bifrost, and calls Mjolnir to him in order to do so.

Dr R Dizzle
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You don't necessarily need to lift your chest to breathe. There is also belly breathing.

ths
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    Say that to a snake. – KyloRen Oct 28 '16 at 09:38
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    @KyloRen Loki is not a snake most of the time. – Mindwin Remember Monica Oct 28 '16 at 10:46
  • I'm not sure of that - I recall that expanding the chest is what actually inflates the lungs, not the reverse (the chest rises because the lungs inflate). I think belly breathing lets the chest move less, but I think it still has to move for someone to breathe. – Megha Oct 28 '16 at 12:32
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    try it. i don't move my sternum when belly breathing. of course, if a heavy weight actually compresses the chest, it's a different matter. – ths Oct 28 '16 at 12:34