Was the Mjölnir usable by only the worthy?

Question

Present works of fiction present Mjölnir as a hammer of unbelievable power, which can only be used by the worthy.

But, when the Mjölnir is given to Thor, its properties are described:

Then he gave the hammer to Thor, and said that Thor might smite as hard as he desired, whatsoever might be before him, and the hammer would not fail; and if he threw it at anything, it would never miss, and never fly so far as not to return to his hand; and if be desired, he might keep it in his sark, it was so small; but indeed it was a flaw in the hammer that the fore-haft was somewhat short.

It says nothing of the "worthiness" of the weilder. Is there any significant evidence in Norse mythology about the Mjölnir and the worthiness of its user?

Answer 1

As your quote shows, the story of it's creation makes no such specification.

If stealing it qualifies as "using" (I believe, in the the Marvel universe, simply lifting the hammer qualifies), the Þrymskviða from the Poetic Edda tells the story of the giant Þrymr stealing Mjollnir, in order to extort the gods into giving him Freyja as his wife.

"I have Hloritha's
Hammer hidden:
Under eight miles
of earth it lies,
And such no one
shall see again
Save he first bring me
Freyja to wife!"

It does depend on your definition of "worthy", but I think Þrymr's intentions disqualify him by most reasonable definitions.

Seems to indicate that the worthiness requirement is a Marvel invention.