Gungnir
;)
was the magic spear belonging to Odin, the leader of the Germanic gods. It was forged by dwarfs, the sons of Ivaldi, at the same time as a wig of spun gold, which the fire god Loki ordered as a replacement for the golden hair of Thor's wife Sif. Mischievous Loki had cut off her beautiful locks as a joke. Having made the wig, the dwarfs decided to please the gods by using the furnace to make a ship for Freyr and, for Odin, a spear that managed to be both strong and slender, and never misses its mark. It was required in Viking custom that a spear should be thrown over the heads of an enemy before battle commended, as an entreaty for Odin's aid. When the god hung himself on the cosmic tree Yggdrasil for nine nights in order to obtain wisdom, he was, just like Christ, stabbed with a spear.