The Warhammer originally belonged to the patriarch of the Rourken, a clan of the Dwemer (Dwarves). Legend has it that the leader of the Rourken threw his hammer and proclaimed that his clan would settle wherever it landed. The hammer landed in the province of Hammerfell (hence the name), homeland of the Redguard. True to his word, the leader of the Rourken raised the city of Volenfell, the capital of the Western Dwemer, at the location. How exactly this mythical Dwarven hammer ended up in Malacath's possession is completely unknown.