Path: news.daimi.aau.dk!glad
From: Peter Andersen <Peter.Andersen@mjolner.dk>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.beta
Subject: Re: Mjolner BETA System available for Windows 95 / NT
Date: 5 Feb 1996 11:27:28 GMT
Organization: DAIMI, Computer Science Dept. at Aarhus University
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Bryan Dollery writes:
> 
> Hi,
> 	Mjolner
> 
> Wasn't (isn't) that the name of The Hammer that belonged to Thor, 
> Scandinavian god of War/Thunder/Lightning?
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Bryan Dollery
> 
> |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
> |  ____________  |
> | /\  _________\ | Bryan Dollery.
> | \ \ \______  / | BSc(Hons) Software Engineering [Level 3, Year 4].
> |  \ \ \  / / /  | School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences.
> |   \ \ \/ / /   | Liverpool John Moores University.
> |    \ \/ / /    | 
> |     \  / /     | "That is not dead which can eternal lie,
> |      \/_/      | and with aeons strange even death may die." H.P.L.
> |________________|
> 


Yes you are right. Here are some of the other names used (from the FAQ):


Q16) What is Mjolner, Sif, Valhalla, Bifrost, Yggdrasil, etc.?

Many have wondered about the origins of the strange product names used
for parts of the Mjolner BETA System. Due to the origin of the Mjolner
BETA System, many of the components of the system bear Nordic names.
These Nordic names originate from the Nordic Mythology, and are thus
names within the common cultural background of people in the entire
Nordic region: 

Mjolner: 
   is the name of the hammer of the god Thor. According to the
   Mythology, this hammer is the perfect tool that cannot fail, that
   grows with the task, and always returns to the hand of Thor if he
   throws it at something. Finally about the pronunciation of Mjolner.
   For English people the "spelling of the pronunciation" could be:
   "Myolner" or "Myulner", and for French people it could be:
   "Mieulnor". 
Yggdrasil: 
   is the name of the Tree of the World, the ash tree of which the
   crown covers the whole world. The tree gets it power from the gods,
   from the evil giants, and from the kingdom of the dead. Everything
   in the world happens under the mighty crown of Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil
   is the name of the metaprogramming system. 
Bifrost: 
   is the name of the luminous bridge, the rainbow, that leads from
   Midgaard to Asgaard. Midgaard is the place where the human beings
   live, and Asgaard is the habitat of the Gods in the middle of the
   world. Bifrost is the name of the graphics system. 
Valhalla: 
   is the name of Odin's hall to where all dead warriors come when
   they have fallen as heroes on the battlefield. Valhalla is the name
   of the source-level debugger. 
Sif: 
   is the name of the wife of Thor. Sif is famous for her golden hair.
   Sif is the name of the hyper structure editor. 
Freja: 
   is the name of the goddess of love. She lives in Folkvang and is
   the most beautiful of all women in Asgaard. She owns the golden
   piece of jewelry Brisingemen. Freja is the name of the CASE tool. 
Odin: 
   is the name of the highest ranking god in Asgaard. 
Thor: 
   is the name of the strongest of all gods. He is the god for all
   peasants. He is the son of Odin and Frigg and lives together with
   his wife Sif in Trudvang on the farm Bilskirner which is the
   biggest house in the world, with 540 floors. 


Sincerely,

Peter Andersen
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mjolner Informatics Aps                  Phone:   (+45) 86 20 20 00 ext. 2753
Science Park Aarhus                      Direct:  (+45) 86 20 20 11 - 2753
Gustav Wieds Vej 10                      Fax:     (+45) 86 20 12 22
DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark                Email:   peter.andersen@mjolner.dk   
_____________________________________________________________________________
			     BETA is better
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