Item from Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
Caladan Brood's weapon — a hammer forged by the Sleeping Goddess herself, with one purpose held in reserve: strike the ground and wake Burn, ending the world to save it.
Burn's Hammer was given to Caladan Brood by the Sleeping Goddess Burn herself — or forged from her essence, or grown from her dreaming. The accounts vary because the event predates reliable history. The hammer's martial function is secondary to its true purpose: if struck against the ground with full intent, it will wake Burn from her millennia-long sleep, and when Burn wakes, the world she is dreaming will end. This makes the hammer the ultimate deterrent — a weapon that can only be used once, by someone willing to destroy everything to prevent something worse. Caladan Brood carried this responsibility throughout the campaign against the Pannion Domin, and the alliance with Dujek's Host depended on the understanding that Brood would use the hammer rather than allow the Pannion Seer to succeed. The weapon never struck the ground. But every god and ascendant in the Malazan world knew it could, and that knowledge shaped their behavior more than any battle.
A massive warhammer of dark iron, its head engraved with runes that predate every known script. The handle is wrapped in leather so old it has petrified. The weapon is sized for Caladan Brood — a being of immense physical stature — and would be unwieldable by a normal human. When Brood carries it, the ground beneath his feet seems to vibrate faintly, as though something vast and sleeping stirs in recognition far below.
Also known as: Burn's Hammer, the Hammer, Caladan Brood's hammer, the world-ending hammer