Odinsword

Odinsword
Thor and the gods of Asgard with the Odinsword on the cover of Thor #156 (Sep. 1968). Art by Jack Kirby.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Journey Into Mystery #117 (June 1965)
Created by	Stan Lee Jack Kirby

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.

Publication history

The sword first appears in the Tales of Asgard (a back-up feature published in the title Journey Into Mystery) 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.^[1]

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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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 aliens who visit Earth and humble the Skyfather figures of Earth (Odin; Zeus and Vishnu).^[6]

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.^[7] The sword's true name is Ragnarok, and is capable of slaying the Serpent, as revealed by Odin when he gave it to Thor. ^[8]

Notes

1. ^ Journey Into Mystery #117 (June 1965)
2. ^ Thor #127 (Apr. 1966)
3. ^ Thor #154 - 157 (July - Oct. 1968)
4. ^ Thor #185 - 189 (Feb. - May 1971)
5. ^ Thor #242 - 250 (Dec. 1975 - Aug. 1976)
6. ^ Thor Annual #7 (1978) & Thor #283 - 299 (May 1979 - Sep. 1980)
7. ^ Thor #300 (Oct. 1980)
8. ^ Fear Itself #6 (September 2011)