Monday, May 9, 2011

The Mighty Thor!

For Asgard!
By now you've seen or heard about the new Marvel movie, Thor. Why am I bringing up a comic book character based on Norse mythology? If there is one thing I like more than the World of Greyhawk, it's got to be the Mighty Thor. To date I own over 400 issues of the comic which has been around in several volumes since 1962 (Journey Into Mystery #83). Yes, I am a Thor-junkie.

Thor and the Norse pantheon have always been a good fit with D&D. The Norse pantheon appeared in the classic 1st edition Deities and Demigods.  Their domains were also covered in an article by Roger E. Moore titled Plane Facts on Gladsheim in Dragon Magazine #90. In that same issue he wrote a module set in the dangerous mountains of Jotunheim called Aesirhamar. I highly recommend this issue for anyone wanting to run a planar quest in this genre.

The Mighty Thor comic is also a good resource for anyone wanting to run something in the plane of the Norse gods. Here is a couple great maps from the Thor Annual #10 of all the various worlds including Asgard, Jotunheim, Muspelheim and more found within the pages of Mighty Thor. Despite being set in modern times, Thor's fantastic background of monsters (Midgard Serpent, Frost Giants, Fenris Wolf, etc.) and magic (Norns, Loki, Enchantress, Lorlei, etc.) make any issue you pick up a possible inspiration for an adventure.

Even if you don't read comics, or use Norse gods and vikings in your game, at least go see the movie. Not only is it is an action packed spectacle to see, but you may even find something that works for your game. Enjoy!

Update 4/11/2021: I had to remove the broken links to the comic book maps. Ten years later, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a resounding success. This Thor fan is still beaming!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Never knew/realized the premise of Mighty Thor. A bit disappointing. I don't remember Odin having that kind of power, the ability to strip another God of his/her powers.

In addition, ancient Norse mythology once assigned more power to Thor than it did to Odin. Odin's being the "All Fatherer" is a rather "new" addition to the mythology.

Not sure I'd like the movie. But I'll give it a shot.

Mystic Scholar

Argon said...

Odin has always been known as the all-father. He was also the first caster of rune lore.

Odin being able to cast other gods out of Asgard. He is the lord of Asgard. However because of the immense power Odin wields he must sleep to replenish his power and strength. During the Odin sleep he is vulnerable.