You! Lack! Humility! And humanity! You are supreme in your power and your pride! The lessons you need so profoundly can never be learned by a god of thunder -- thus I cast you out -- thus shall you shed your godly trappings -- no longer art thou God of Thunder! Thy memory too shall I strip bare! Then go -- for life anew awaits -- on Midgard... 
- —Odin[src]
History
Origin
As with other Asgardians born after Buri, Odin and his pantheon had undergone several reincarnation over the millennia. The earliest recorded reference to the Asgardian pantheon took place around 10,000 BCE, when Odin and several of his kinsmen were invoked by humans.[citation needed]
Odin the All-Father's true origin was shrouded in mystery, often only delivered in short stories by Odin himself. Odin was presumed to be the son of Bor (son of Buri, the first Aesir) and Bestla, a giantess. Bor and Bestla had two other sons, Vili and Ve.[8] According to myth and legend, Vili, Ve, and Odin journeyed into the realm of Surtur when they were younger. Vili and Ve sacrificed themselves to allow Odin to escape from Surtur's realm. Upon their deaths, Odin's own godly attributes were increased as a result of his brothers' powers joining with his.[citation needed]
At some point, Odin went to Aesheim and created the humans. Bor was ill-pleased and afflicted them with suffering.[9]
War of the Serpent
When Bor died his son Cul proclaimed himself All-Father and ruler of Asgard but Odin, Vili and Ve opposed him.
Facing Cul's madness, perceived in his statements and actions against the mortals, wanting them to be afraid, Odin went to Yggdrasill and stabbed his eye as a sacrifice in exchange for wisdom, and was revealed that Cul was corrupted. The path to follow was then revealed to him by the World Tree by a prophecy. [10]
Along with his two brothers, Odin assaulted Cul's fortress. For forty days and forty nights, Cul and his Worthy remained hidden in the palace while his brothers slaughtered their Draumar forces and eventually broke in. [10][11]
Facing Odin, Cul denied their brotherhood, claiming to be the Serpent that Will Feast on the World. Odin recited the prophecy of the World Tree and then defeated his brother, projecting him away.[10]
Burning Aesheim
Odin then slaughtered Aesheim, razed and renamed Midgard for that no God would ever live there again.[10]
Leading his armies, he destroyed the realm, assaulting the fortresses of the mortals and killing every single one of them,[7] billions of mortals tainted by the Serpent's sickness.[12] Odin was known then as the Usurper or the Destroyer.
He erased the memory of his brother, and became the All-Father, trying to rule with patience and compassion (unlike Cul), and trying to escape the World Tree prophecy.
Thor & Loki
Odin mated with Jord, in order to sire Thor.[13]
Later Odin and his army battled King Laufey and the Giants of Jotunheim. As Laufey went to kill Odin, he was defeated and left for dead. Odin adopted Loki, son of Laufey, as his own son.[14] Unknown to him, this part was a trick set up by a future Loki to ensure their destiny.[15]
Many Adventures of Odin
Odin, the son of Bor, the grandson of Buri, had many unrecorded adventures. Among these were his battle against Rimthursar (which preceded Thor's birth), the battle with Kryllik and his trolls, his encounter with Fear and Desire, meeting Millennius, his defeat of the Mangog, and the imprisonment of a snow giant.[citation needed]
Odin was often accompanied by his ravens Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory), as well as the wolves Freki (Greedy) and Geri (Ravenous).[citation needed]
Modern Age
At one point, Odin decided that it was time for his son Thor to learn humility. Odin had Thor surrender his hammer to him, and then sent him to Earth in the mortal guise of a crippled young medical student named Donald Blake, stripped of his memory (again) of his true identity. As Blake, Thor learned the value of humble perseverance in dealing with his injured leg, and he came to care for the sick and dying, first as a medical student, and later as a successful physician. After Thor had spent ten years in the role of Blake, Odin planted within Blake's mind the suggestion to take a vacation in Norway. There Blake encountered a party of alien Kronans, also known as the Stone Men from Saturn, and rediscovered his magical hammer Mjolnir.[16]
Odin continued to take a great interest in his son's life, even though there was often friction between them because of Thor's love for Earth and its inhabitants. When Thor fell in love with his assistant Jane Foster, Odin disapproved and went to great lengths to break the relationship: He sent Loki to persuade the Enchantress to travel to Earth and seduce Thor,[17] and when that failed, Odin even traveled to Earth himself, which caused Loki to abuse his absence to try and claim the Asgardian throne for himself.[18] When Thor decided to reveal his secret identity as Donald Blake to her, Odin temporarily removed his powers.[19]
Odin was believed dead twice before, killed both times in combat with Surtur; during the first instance Heimdall, and later Balder, ruled Asgard in his absence, and a latter time Thor inherited Odin's full power and ruled over Asgard and, later, Earth, although this later part of Thor's lordship was erased due to time travel.[citation needed]
Odin's spirit was present during the final Ragnarok, freeing Thor from Hela's clutches to send him to Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. As Thor eventually destroyed the Loom of Fates and stopped Asgard from perpetuating Ragnarok - which ends the entire Norse pantheon and Asgard itself - Thor believed Odin might be dead permanently.[20]
Odin Family Tree
Years later, when Thor returned from hibernation in space,[21] he began to find the lost Asgardians,[22][23][24] and although successfully restoring them all, did not attempt to find his father. During the Odinsleep, Thor had a vision in which he discovered that on a subconscious level he did not want to do so as he wished to be free of his father. Also during his Odinsleep, Thor did finds Odin in a limbo between life and death, where every day he did battle with Surtur to prevent the demon from re-entering the world. Odin declined Thor's offer of taking his place, and stated that Thor must continue to lead the Asgardians, while Odin continues to exist in a state he described as approximating the Asgardian equivalent of heaven in order to prevent Surtur from re-entering the world.[9][14]
Thor later brought Odin back to life in order to garner consultation and aid in defeating Ulthana Thoth, leader of the Ano-Anox World Eaters,[25] which Odin promptly defeated with the aid of Thor. Odin learned there after of Asgard's downfall, Balder's death and Loki's de-aging, leading his people to the split ruins of the world tree. There, Odin revealed the story of the world seed, a universal seed of untold power discovered long ago by Bor and his sons. Bor - not knowing the seed's potential power - planted it thus giving birth to the world tree. Odin commanded Thor to retrieve the world seed from the depths of the ruined tree. Thor proceeded into the depths, retrieving the seed only at the cost of a wound that continued to fester upon him long after.[citation needed]
Fear Itself
Odin wandered the rubble of Asgard until he sensed the awakening of the Serpent. Uatu the Watcher arrived nearby to monitor this key event in history. Odin proceeded to berate and scold the Watcher for his passive stance toward the coming prophecy. Thor later discovered him yelling to which he questioned him why Odin responded by giving a dismissive reply. Heimdall later interrupted the gathering of heroes in Asgard declaring the coming of the Serpent Odin and commanded all Asgardians to leave Midgard. Thor refused and began a battle against him. Odin used his power to render Mjolnir useless binding Thor in chains bringing him to the Asgardian plane reborn under Odin's power. Transforming the realm into a war machine as part of his plan to raze earth thus cutting the power base for the Asgardian Fear God. Later Thor escaped his confines thanks to Loki and pleaded with his father to return to earth to save it not destroy it, Odin gave Thor his wish returning him to earth via a portal he created sucking Thor in and tossing his hammer Mjolnir with a stringent warning. Thor would have until the shadow of the Serpent fell on the world tree before Odin's plan to raze the earth would become inevitable. Odin was later seen appearing on the ruins of the World Tree when Tony Stark offered his sacrifice, in the form of his sobriety to speak to him.[6]
Odin listened to Stark's appeal to use Asgard's forges to create weapons that might aid the heroes against the Serpent. Odin agreed, transporting Stark to the realm Svartalfheim home of the dwarfs chief weapon smiths to Asgard. Later Odin was seen with Heimdall at the gate to Asgard from earth where the Avengers returned with a wounded Thor in tow and where an irate Captain America berated the All-Father to fix Thor whose aid was vital to the battle.
Ancient laws prevented Odin from doing so, explaining the burden fell to Thor to end the Serpent and die in battle. Donning his own armor, Odin departed with Thor for Svartalfheim to retrieve Stark and his weapons for enchantment by him. Making one last plea to Thor to be taken away from the coming battle, asking the very same question he posed when he beat Thor before. "Are you man or are you god?" Prompting Thor to remind Odin of the man he raised him to be. Stark displayed the weapons to Odin which he in turn asked of his own weapon. Stark transformed into his armor mode displaying the modifications, Odin warned him he must be thrust into the hot uru pool for his enchantment to which Stark agreed.[12]
After Thor battled Nul and Angrir, he was injured and taken to Asgard where Odin helped and prepared him to battle against the Serpent. When Thor died killing the Serpent, Odin exiled himself in Asgard space, feeling guilty for not saving his family, leaving his wife Freyja to reign over (the now called) Asgardia after Tony Stark rebuilt it with his Repulsor Tech.[26]
Return
Odin was later freed from his self-exile by Loki.[27] He traveled to the Tenth Realm of Heven and discovered his long-lost daughter Angela. He revealed to Angela her true heritage as an Asgardian and offered to join him and the other Asgardians. Having been raised an Angel and told to hate Asgardians, Angela refused. The All-Father then set to return to Asgardia.[28]
After returning to Asgardia with his brother, Freyja revealed King Loki's existence and their plans for Asgardia's golden future by forcing present day Loki to become evil once more. Odin berated his wife, claiming that he wished no part on the plan and that Loki would not go easily into any "box" they planned for him.[29] After Loki revealed that he had killed and stolen the body of the young Loki Thor had resurrected, thus being beaten and exiled from Asgardia by Freyja, Odin appeared to Loki and told him that he already knew, reaffirming Loki was his child and that he loved him nevertheless. However, Odin refused to help Loki, claiming that he needed to pay for killing his better self and to remember what a lie was before sending him back to Earth.[30]
The New Thor
After Thor became unworthy to wield Mjolnir,[31] Odin attempted to retrieve it, but the worthiness enchantment had changed, which caused Odin to become unworthy to lift it as well. Soon after, Odin learned that a new Thor had been taken up the mystical weapon. Odin took this personally and wanted the hammer back. Odin asked Heimdall who the new Thor was, but Heimdall told Odin that he wasn't omniscient and even he couldn't determine the new Thor's identity. So, Odin ordered his son, the original Thor, now going by the name of Odinson, to determine the identity of the new Thor.[32] Odin eventually decided to simply get the hammer back and sent his revived brother, Cul Borson, to retrieve it while in the Destroyer Armor, however, this plan failed.[33]
All-New, All-Different
Following the disappearance of the Odinson, Odin became a tyrant and began to rule Asgardia with an iron fist, using the Thunder Guard and the Destroy Armor to protect his sovereignty, and going as far as imprisoning anyone opposing him, including his own wife.[34]Attributes
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Powers
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Odin possessed all the conventional attributes of an Asgardian God. However, as the King of the Asgardians, many of these attributes were significantly superior than those possessed by the majority of his race.
Odin during the Celestials 3rd host
Superhuman Strength: In spite of his advanced age Odin was much stronger than most Asgardians, near the time of his death he could lift 60 tons, where an average Asgardian male can lift 30 tons, However at his peak during the time of the Celestials 3rd host on Earth, Odin could lift 75 tons, but in Odin's physical prime he could lift 90 tons. He's also able to augment his strength to even greater heights by tapping into the Odin Force. With this power, despite being extremely weakened due to his battle with Galactus and thereby forced to go into his "Odinsleep", he was able to knock out the powerful cosmic entity with one powerful headbutt right before going into his Odinsleep (an act which severely injured both parties).
Superhuman Speed: Odin, despite his age, was capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete capable of speeds rivaling most superhuman's.
Superhuman Agility: Odin's agility, balance, and bodily coordination, were far superior to the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.
Superhuman Reflexes: Odin's reflexes, were much more superior to the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.
Superhuman Stamina: Odin's musculature produced considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a human, and most other Asgardians. As a result, he possessed superhuman stamina in all physical activities. He could exert himself at peak capacity for months before fatigue would begin to impair him.
Superhumanly Dense Tissue: Odin's skin, muscle, and bone tissues were about 3 times as dense as those of a human beings, this contributes, in part, to Odin's superhuman strength and weight.
Superhuman Durability: Odin's body was considerably more resistant to physical injury than the body of a human being, or even most other Asgardians for that matter. Odin's body was capable of withstanding great impact forces, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, falls from great heights, and powerful energy blasts from cosmic level beings without sustaining injury, however, though to what extent is unknown.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Like all other Asgardians it was possible to injure Odin, but he recovered from injury with superhuman levels of speed and efficiency, Odin was capable of regenerating massive tissue damage or loss to a degree far beyond that of most other Asgardians, even of being able to regenerate missing limbs and organs, faster and with much more efficiency. Odins healing powers were far superior to all other Asgardian Gods.
- Extended Longevity: Odin, like all Asgardians, was extremely long-lived, although not truly immortal as some other god pantheons. However, Odin still aged at a pace much slower than human beings. He was also immune to all known Earthly diseases and infections.
Odinforce: Odin was capable of manipulating vast amounts of magical energy, referred to as the Odin Power, the Odin Force or the Odinsource, for a number of purposes. With this power, Odin was capable of magical feats such as transporting the entire human race to an alternate dimension,[18] casting foes into deep space with a thought,[35] read minds from across even dimensions,[36] projecting force blasts,[37] manipulate matter for a number of purposes, erecting nigh impenetrable force fields, barriers which can shield entire cities,[38] altering size,[39] endowing people or objects with powers,[40][41][42] and compressing the population of an entire planet into a single being, namely Mangog.[43] Odin was highly skilled in the use of his powers during combat situations, and was able to casually knock around the Silver Surfer and Thanos simultaneously and even put the Silver Surfer down in one simple blast when he got annoyed as he kept asking them to stand down but they kept attacking to no avail, as their attacks could not even phase Odin.[44][45][37] He has easily beaten Absorbing Man(who had absorbed Asgard itself) and Loki together.[35] Odin's power is such, that he was able to bring back both, Thor and Brunhilde back to life.[46] The power of the Odin Force is such that it can stop time itself, and allow one to travel through time.[47] He has taken away a soul from the demonic entity Mephisto[48]; Odin's power was so vast, that when a part of Odin, his dark side bonded with the conceptual entity Infinity, went rogue, it was so large that it could crush planets in its grip as if they were pebbles, his mere limbs stretched as far as galaxies. Odin's battle with Infinity destroyed entire galaxies and countless worlds. When awoken from his trance by Thor, Odin swiftly got rid of Infinity and with one simple act was powerful enough to restore all the damage Infinity had caused across the Universe in moments.[49] Shortly afterwards, Odin was able to easily slay the virtually indestructible Hela, Asgardian goddess of death, in an attempt to stop her from claiming Thor's life and soul, and then instantly bring her back to life upon realizing her continued existence was necessary to maintain the natural order of Asgard. Odin was able to quickly overpower Annihilus when the latter attempted to seize Asgard when its dimension intersected with that of the Negative Zone, after both Thor and the other Asgardians had failed in combat.[50][51] Odin's power is such, that it has stated that at his peak, it is equal to the likes of Galactus as Odin was able to render a hungry Galactus unconscious right before the Odinsleep.[52][53] Even the ability to grant human beings the gift of immortality is within Odin's grasp, as Thor asked him to do for Jane Frost in order to marry her. Odin is also capable of placing multiple permanent enchantments on items, as he did for Mjolnir, lasting until he himself cancels them or they are overpowered by a superior enchantment.
Odin was so powerful that in his fight with Seth which was waged on several planes of existence simultaneously, the energy released from their battle was so powerful it shattered entire galaxies, and reignited dying suns.[54]
In battle Odin often carries the magical spear Gungnir ("The Spear of Heaven"), an artifact made of the mystical metal uru, that he uses to channel his personal energies, though possessing no abilities of its own; and the power scepter Thrudstok, a small mace. Odin also bears Draupnir (the "Odinring") as a symbol of supremacy, though its specific properties are as of yet unknown. He can manipulate energy for various effects, including projection of concussive force, creation of force shields, levitation, molecular manipulation of matter, matter-energy conversion, illusion-casting, and inter-dimensional teleportation. Odin, however, is not totally self-sufficient. Odin commands the life energies of the entire Asgardian race, and can absorb any and all of their life energies into his person at will, even to the point of restoring life to a dying Asgardian. While possessing power that is inherent opposed to the need for outward sustenance Odin must once a year undertake the Sleep of Life, also known as the Odinsleep - a state of deep sleep lasting for one 24-hour day to keep his powers from waning. During this time Odin is guarded closely as he is vulnerable.[55]
Odin is also a master tactician and schemer. In addition to feats such as preventing Ragnarok,[56] it has been revealed that Odin was planning for the arrival of the Celestial Fourth Host for centuries.[57][58] Odin's wisdom was such that he was able to ultimately thwart the eternal cycle of Rangnorak forever by sending Thor to Midgard as part of his secret plan to destroy the Asgardian cosmic entities known as Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. Even after Odin had perished fighting Surtur, his plan for his son succeeded and set all of Asgard free.
Odin occasionally travels using the enchanted ship Skipbladnir, which had several mystical properties in its sails and oars, such as enabling Odin to navigate the "sea of space." The ship can be mystically shrunk to the size of a fist. Odin also rides the eight-legged steed Sleipnir, who can fly through the air at incalculable speeds.Abilities
God of Wisdom: Vast knowledge of ancient and arcane wisdom, considered to be his most powerful weapon.
Expert Combatant: Odin is a skilled hand to hand combatant.
Master Tactician: His thousands of years of experience resulted in him becoming a master tactician which could possibly win him many battles.
Asgardian Mystical Combatant: Odin was also extremely adept at wielding his vast energy powers during combat situations. Odin was extremely skilled at using Asgardian magic, surpassing even that of Karnilla or the Enchanters.
Allspeak: Thanks to the Allspeak Odin can communicate in all of the languages of the Nine Realms, Earth's dialects, and various alien languages.Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Odin normally wore Asgardian battle armor. He also at times wore a blue cloak with a wide brimmed hat covering his missing left eye, at which times it was said he went by the name Grimner.
Weapons
- Gungnir: ("The Spear of Heaven"), which was made of Uru, a metal unique to the dimension of Asgard. The origin of this three-pronged spear was unknown. Odin enchanted the spear to return to his hand when thrown. Gungnir had no powers on its own; rather, it served as a conduit through which Odin could channel his power.
- Thrudstok: a power scepter, a small mace. Like Gungnir, it was made of Uru. Thrudstok had no powers on its own; rather, it served as a conduit through which Odin could channel his power.
- Odinsword: Also known as the Over Sword of Asgard. A special weapon. It was a giant-sized sword that, if ever unsheathed, it was said, that "the end of the universe is at hand".
Transportation
- Skipbladnir: a Viking-style long-boat whose enchanted sails and oars enabled it to navigate the "sea of space". Its mystical properties enabled Asgardians to ride it safely without any natural protection from the vacuum of space. Skipbladnir could be mystically shrunk to the size of a fist.
- Sleipnir: Odin rode the eight-legged steed Sleipnir, who could fly through the air at incredible speeds.
Notes
Odin losing his eye has multiple contradicting and often contradictory causes and occurrences:
- He has sacrificed his eye to Mimir in exchange for wisdom (or for an answer to his quest to save Balder and prevent Ragnarök).[citation needed]
- He has sacrificed his eye to Yggdrasill to gain wisdom and defeat his brother Cul.[10]
- He lost his eye at some during the Aesir/Vanir War.[59]
Trivia
Odin utilized multiple animals in his service.
See Also
- 581 appearance(s) of Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 13 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 57 minor appearance(s) of Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 353 mention(s) of Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 16 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 123 invocation(s) of Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 242 image(s) of Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 76 quotation(s) by or about Odin Borson (Earth-616)
- 19 item(s) used/owned by Odin Borson (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Odin at the Guide to the Mythological Universe
- Odin at the Norse Mythology Blog
- Odin at the Pantheon Database
References
- ↑ Thor: Ages of Thunder
- ↑ Thor #240
- ↑ Thor #184
- ↑ Thor #497
- ↑ Thor #620.1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fear Itself #4
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Secret Avengers #14
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #97
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Thor (Vol. 3) #7
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 The Mighty Thor #7
- ↑ New Mutants (Vol. 3) #31
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Fear Itself #6
- ↑ Thor #300–301
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Thor (Vol. 3) #8
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 3) #12
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #83
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #103
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Journey into Mystery #104
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #113
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 2) #85
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 3) #1
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 3) #3
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 3) #4
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 3) #5
- ↑ Thor #615–621
- ↑ Fear Itself #7
- ↑ Original Sin #5.4
- ↑ Original Sin #5.5
- ↑ Loki: Agent of Asgard #7
- ↑ Loki: Agent of Asgard #11
- ↑ Original Sin #7
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 4) #5
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 4) #6
- ↑ Mighty Thor (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Journey into Mystery #123
- ↑ Thor #172
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 Thor #471
- ↑ Thor #338
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #513
- ↑ Thor #339
- ↑ Thor #459
- ↑ Thor #378
- ↑ Thor #154–157
- ↑ Thor #470
- ↑ Warlock and the Infinity Watch #25
- ↑ Thor #300
- ↑ Thor (Vol. 2) #79
- ↑ Thunderstrike #15
- ↑ Thor #185–188
- ↑ Thor #405
- ↑ Thor #406
- ↑ The Mighty Thor #5
- ↑ Thor Annual #14
- ↑ Journey into Mystery #513
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #118
- ↑ Thor #273–278
- ↑ Thor Annual #7
- ↑ Thor #283–301
- ↑ The Mighty Thor #18
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Book of the Dead 2004 Vol 1 1