Based on Norse Mythology
So what exactly is Ragnir (Iron Thunder)?
Its model is believed to be Marvel’s Mighty Thor — or more precisely, Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, the Thunder God from Norse mythology.
As a fun side note, even Volvo — a car brand from Sweden, a Nordic country — designs its headlights in the shape of Thor’s Hammer (Mjolnir), showing just how famous Norse mythology is worldwide.
And when we talk about Norse mythology, Ragnarok — the great final war between the gods and Loki’s army — is one of the most iconic stories. It’s a name familiar from countless RPGs.
I believe the murals in Elbaf are foreshadowing for the final stage of One Piece, modeled after Ragnarok.
Speaking of Norse, the Vikings are the seafarers of the north.
Even before the SBS corner began in the manga, in the margins of Volume 2, Oda wrote: ‘”Among all kinds of pirates, Vikings are one of my favorites.”‘
Oda is said to have decided the ending of One Piece before the series even began. And Vikings — his beloved since Volume 2 — believed in Norse mythology. The Elbaf Arc must carry enormous weight.
At the center of Viking belief stands Loki — and what I want to focus on is Loki’s weapon: ‘Ragnir.’
The name Ragnir alone evokes the apocalypse of Norse mythology. A name carrying two such concepts cannot be accidental.
Who Made Ragnir, and Why?
In Norse mythology, Mjolnir was crafted by dwarven blacksmith brothers Brokkr and Sindri.
The catalyst was, of course, Loki.
Loki arrived at their forge carrying magical items he’d had made — ‘The Golden Wig,’ ‘The Great Spear Gungnir,’ and ‘The Ship Skidbladnir’ — and taunted: ‘Can you make something better than these?’
Accepting the challenge, the brothers forged ‘The Golden Boar Gullinbursti,’ ‘The Gold Ring Draupnir,’ and finally ‘Mjolnir, Thor’s Hammer.’
In One Piece terms, Ragnir is likely an ancient technology generator built at a research facility connected to Vegapunk’s lineage.
To summarize: Ragnir is an ancient technological hammer that Loki and the giants of Elbaf have been preserving — an ancient weapon that may channel elemental forces.
5 Types of Elemental Abilities
So far, what we know about Ragnir’s abilities:
First, from the theory above: Ragnir is an ancient technology generator. So its lightning attribute is the default. Even before absorbing the squirrel’s Zoan fruit, it was already lightning-type.
Ragnir’s base is a lightning-attribute hammer — just like Mjolnir in Norse mythology.
Next is the ice attribute.
Ice Attribute
In Chapter 1171, the technique called ‘Primordial World (Niflheim)’ instantly froze the opponent Ragnir struck.
This power is likely the attribute of the squirrel it absorbed.
The squirrel from Norse mythology is Ratatoskr — a messenger squirrel who carries words between the eagle at the top of the World Tree Yggdrasil and the serpent at its roots. Since the roots extend deep underground, Ratatoskr must endure freezing cold every time.
And the ice technique’s name, Niflheim, is the name of the realm of ice in Norse mythology. Its polar opposite is Muspelheim, the realm of blazing fire.
Which makes me wonder: could Ragnir also wield a fire attribute as a bonus?
Lightning and ice alone would be impressive — but adding fire too would be extraordinary.
Gravity Manipulation Too?
There’s also suspicion that Ragnir can freely alter weight.
This kind of ability was shown by users of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit, the Ton-Ton Fruit, and the Zushi-Zushi (Gravity) Fruit.
Thunder, ice, possibly fire — that’s already incredible. But if we’re aiming to surpass a Fleet Admiral, let’s add gravity manipulation to the list too.
Wood Attribute Too?
Speaking of surpassing a Fleet Admiral — we can’t forget the Mori-Mori (Forest-Forest) Fruit.
Aramaki’s power is controlling plants. Plants = nuts. Squirrels eat nuts as their staple food. Maybe Ragnir could launch a hail of nuts — like Usopp’s Pop Greens — and instantly grow a whole forest?
So the theory stands: Ragnir potentially holds 5 elemental attributes — lightning, ice, fire, gravity, and plants.
Incidentally, Oda introduced his love of Vikings in a margin note in Volume 2. The anime ‘Vicky the Viking’ features characters that inspired many of the giants in the Elbaf Arc — worth a watch!
