Odinsword
Encyclopedia
The Odinsword is a fictional weapon
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. It is a huge magical sword several hundred feet in length. The Odinsword first appears in Journey Into Mystery
#117 (June 1965) and was created by writer Stan Lee
and artist Jack Kirby
.
) story called "The Sword in the Scabbard". The weapon is first wielded by the fire demon Surtur, and is stolen from the entity by Norse
god Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve. The Odinsword is then placed in the realm of Asgard under constant guard, as it is prophesied that drawing the blade from its scabbard
will cause the end of the world, known to the Norse gods as Ragnarok
.
The Odinsword features briefly at the climax of a story featuring the Thunder God Thor
- the son of Odin - and the villain Seidring, an Asgardian who has abused Odin's trust and now possesses the Odinpower. When Thor threatens to draw the Odinsword from its scabbard unless the power is returned to Odin, Seidring panics and concedes defeat. When the creature Mangog
is accidentally awakened by the Rock Troll
Ulik
, it seeks revenge against Odin as it is made from a race that was destroyed by Odin for their evil acts, and attempts to storm Asgard and draw the Odinsword. Although Thor and the Asgardians fail to stop the creature, it is dispelled at the last moment by Odin, who has just emerged from the Odinsleep.
The Asgardian Warriors Three
attempt to draw the Odinsword when under the mental control of Infinity (a part of Odin's persona that was split from the character), but are stopped by Thor, who aids Odin in defeating Infinity. Mangog returns - disguised as a currently missing Odin - and after banishing Thor from Asgard again attempts to draw the Odinsword, but is defeated when the deception is revealed and ceases to exist.
The Odinsword's origin was retconned during the Celestial Saga, a storyline written by Roy Thomas
; Mark Gruenwald
and Ralph Macchio
in the title Thor. Crafted from the cursed Ring of Power, the sword is intended for future use against the Celestials
, near-omnipotent alien
s who visit Earth and humble the Skyfather figures
of Earth (Odin; Zeus and Vishnu
).
Odin enters the armor of the weapon the Destroyer
, and after absorbing the essence of every god - with the exception of Thor - in Asgard and becoming 2,000 feet tall, draws the Odinsword. As the Destroyer Odin travels to the Celestials' base in the Andes
region on Earth, and uses the Odinsword to penetrate a forcefield around their sanctum. The character confronts the Celestials (together with the gestalt entity (formed by several parts) the Uni-Mind
) and uses the Odinsword to damage the armor of several opponents, but they regenerate
immediately. After the Destroyer has been defeated, witness Thor lifts the discarded Odinsword and hurls it through Arishem, the Field Leader for the Celestial Fourth Host. Arishem recovers immediately, and after removing the Odinsword from its chest, studies it for a moment before vaporising the weapon. The sword's true name is Ragnarok, and is capable of slaying the Serpent, as revealed by Odin when he gave it to Thor.
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. It is a huge magical sword several hundred feet in length. The Odinsword first appears in Journey Into Mystery
Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...
#117 (June 1965) and was created by writer Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and artist Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
.
Publication history
The sword first appears in the Tales of Asgard (a back-up feature published in the title Journey Into MysteryJourney into Mystery
Journey into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...
) story called "The Sword in the Scabbard". The weapon is first wielded by the fire demon Surtur, and is stolen from the entity by Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
god Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve. The Odinsword is then placed in the realm of Asgard under constant guard, as it is prophesied that drawing the blade from its scabbard
Scabbard
A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. Scabbards have been made of many materials over the millennia, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel.-Types of scabbards:...
will cause the end of the world, known to the Norse gods as Ragnarok
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
.
The Odinsword features briefly at the climax of a story featuring the Thunder God Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
- the son of Odin - and the villain Seidring, an Asgardian who has abused Odin's trust and now possesses the Odinpower. When Thor threatens to draw the Odinsword from its scabbard unless the power is returned to Odin, Seidring panics and concedes defeat. When the creature Mangog
Mangog
Mangog is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Thor #154 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
is accidentally awakened by the Rock Troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
Ulik
Ulik
Ulik is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Ulik was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appears in Thor #137 ....
, it seeks revenge against Odin as it is made from a race that was destroyed by Odin for their evil acts, and attempts to storm Asgard and draw the Odinsword. Although Thor and the Asgardians fail to stop the creature, it is dispelled at the last moment by Odin, who has just emerged from the Odinsleep.
The Asgardian Warriors Three
Warriors Three
The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters who served as supporting cast members in Thor, published by Marvel Comics. The Warriors Three is made up of the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg...
attempt to draw the Odinsword when under the mental control of Infinity (a part of Odin's persona that was split from the character), but are stopped by Thor, who aids Odin in defeating Infinity. Mangog returns - disguised as a currently missing Odin - and after banishing Thor from Asgard again attempts to draw the Odinsword, but is defeated when the deception is revealed and ceases to exist.
The Odinsword's origin was retconned during the Celestial Saga, a storyline written by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
; Mark Gruenwald
Mark Gruenwald
Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...
and Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio (comics)
Ralph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...
in the title Thor. Crafted from the cursed Ring of Power, the sword is intended for future use against the Celestials
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
, near-omnipotent alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s who visit Earth and humble the Skyfather figures
Sky father
The sky father or heavenly father is a recurring theme in mythology all over the world. The sky father is the complement of the earth mother and appears in some creation myths, many of which are Indo-European or ancient Near Eastern. Other cultures have quite different myths; Egyptian mythology...
of Earth (Odin; Zeus and Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
).
Odin enters the armor of the weapon the Destroyer
Destroyer (comics)
Destroyer, in comics, may refer to:* Destroyer , the Golden Age superhero* Destroyer , who also used that identity* Destroyer , the Asgardian weapon* Drax the Destroyer, the cosmic character...
, and after absorbing the essence of every god - with the exception of Thor - in Asgard and becoming 2,000 feet tall, draws the Odinsword. As the Destroyer Odin travels to the Celestials' base in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
region on Earth, and uses the Odinsword to penetrate a forcefield around their sanctum. The character confronts the Celestials (together with the gestalt entity (formed by several parts) the Uni-Mind
Uni-Mind
The Uni-Mind is a fictional composite being in the Marvel Universe. The Uni-Mind and the Eternals were the creation of Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
) and uses the Odinsword to damage the armor of several opponents, but they regenerate
Regeneration (biology)
In biology, regeneration is the process of renewal, restoration, and growth that makes genomes, cells, organs, organisms, and ecosystems resilient to natural fluctuations or events that cause disturbance or damage. Every species is capable of regeneration, from bacteria to humans. At its most...
immediately. After the Destroyer has been defeated, witness Thor lifts the discarded Odinsword and hurls it through Arishem, the Field Leader for the Celestial Fourth Host. Arishem recovers immediately, and after removing the Odinsword from its chest, studies it for a moment before vaporising the weapon. The sword's true name is Ragnarok, and is capable of slaying the Serpent, as revealed by Odin when he gave it to Thor.