Thor #397
When the Gods Make War
Thor and his allies — Hogun, the Black Knight, and Earth Force — have been captured by the legions of Set in the Egyptian death god’s realm. Stripped of his powers, Thor refuses to scream in agony as he is being tortured by Grog the God-Slayer. Without its mystical enchantments, Grog is able to lift Mjolnir and has taken it into his possession. After thoroughly mocking the fallen thunder god, Grog decides to leave Thor and his comrades for a spell to consider their fate.
However, rather than accept defeat, Thor struggles to get free. Hogun and Earth Lord agree and Skyhawk reluctantly follows suit since there are no other options for them.
Meanwhile, in Asgard, Seth has led his legions into the fable land to wipe out its people in one final assault. However, despite the surprise attack, the Asgardians are beginning to push back against the invaders prompting suggestions that they retreat. Seth refuses to do so, confident that no matter what, death will always win in the end.
This is because — back in his own dimension — Seth has trapped someone in a sphere that is siphoning his power in a way that will ensure the death god’s victory.[1] When Grog goes to check on their prisoner and blasts him when he speaks out of turn.
Back in Asgard, the battle has turned thanks to the fact that Balder — with no way of reaching Thor — has taken the power of the thunder god and led his people into battle. However, things take a turn when Balder is suddenly injured in battle, something that should be impossible given the enchantments that make him invulnerable to everything except mistletoe.[2] As Balder is protected by Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg until he can get back on his feet. With the tide of battle beginning to turn against them, Balder sends Volstagg on a mission to evacuate all the women and children as they can no longer guarantee their safety.
Back in Seth’s dimension, as Thor and the others try to break free, Wind Warrior is still free and hiding somewhere outside the Black Pyramid where her comrades have been taken prisoner. She had fled the earlier battle because — prior to getting her powers — she was a simple housewife and panicked. Now she is being hunted by Seth’s minions who are looking for her. When she is found, Wind Warrior surprises herself when she is able to use her ability to generate hurricane winds to blow her attackers away. After she has dispatched her pursuers, she is then approached by a group Seth’s minions have been weary of, the so-called Lost Ones.
Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Seth arrives at the castle of Loki, which is protected by a mystic barrier. The barrier opens as the death god approaches and he is welcomed in by the trickster. However, Loki is not happy with the idea that Seth has come to slay everyone in Asgard as this leaves him with no kingdom to rule. Seeing something in Seth’s eyes that tell him that the death god might actually win, Loki teleports away to consider his options from a safe distance. While back in the kingdom, Volstagg has loaded his wife and children onto a boat and sees them off to safety before turning around and rejoining the battle.[3]
By this time, Loki has appeared in Seth’s domain in his astral form to see what is transpiring there. Entering the dungeon of the Black Pyramid, he witnesses as Grog comes back to taunt his half-brother Thor some more. However, the thunder god has been straining against his bonds this entire time and finally manages to break free and fight back. Despite his lost powers, Thor manages to defeat Grog and the guards and free his comrades. Regrouping they all agree to keep fighting back against Seth. Witnessing this, Loki realizes that he has no other choice but to assist his hated brother from the shadows or else he too might end up being destroyed.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Grog the God-Slayer, Loki, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Sif, Valdor, Hildegard, Earth Force (Earth Lord, Skyhawk, Wind Warrior), Black Knight, Bes (unidentified), Gundrun
Continuity Notes
This turns out to be Bes, the Egyptian god of luck and probability, as we’ll learn next issue.
Balder has been protected by a spell that prevents him from being hared by anything except mistletoe for centuries. See Journey into Mystery #106.
Here, Volstagg calls his wife Gundrun, whereas she was called Hildegrund during Walt Simonson’s run in issue #367, 374, and 378, prior to those appearances she had been unnamed. She is called Hildegund again in Thor #482. Writers alternate between the two names without much rhyme or reason, although Hildegrund — at the time of this writing in November, 2021 — has been the most commonly used one. Unlike most Asgardian’s, Hildegrund/Gundrun is not actually based on anyone in Norse mythology. Adding to the confusion is that she and Volstagg have daughters named Gundrun and Hildy, adding to the confusion. I suppose that like many Asgardians who do have origins in Norse mythology she too goes by man different names and answers to at least two of them.
