Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-27464043-20160413174300/@comment-14267015-20161008185942

Hugues de Payens wrote: I had a question going back to Thor and magic. I know the whole magic and tech is the same thing quote. But, how is the lifting of Thor's hammer explained? It was Odin using magic to take away Thor's powers and place the worthiness enchantment on Mjolnir. If you're looking for an exact reason for most people being unable to lift the hammer there's no clear cut explanation. In the comics I think it was explained that it causes gravitons to increase its weight to the point the unworthy person couldn't lift it. Early on Iron Man managed to use Mjolnir after Thor was knocked out, the catch is they had been in space and there was no gravity or solid ground around. Once he moved it close enough to Earth to be affected by it's gravitational pull, Tony was unable to move it.

As for "science and magic being the same thing" I always interpreted that as it being common practice in Asgard to use both and in some cases combining them, like the soul forge in Dark World. However, it is clear magic exists as it's own thing there as well; Loki and Freya's illusions obviously aren't being produced from any sort of tech and then of course when Odin took Thor's powers and placed the enchantment on Mjlonir. Odds are in Asgard the use and practice of magic has been going on for so long to them it essentially is a science.