Post by Z451 on Sept 22, 2013 17:06:59 GMT
Odin
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 (father, one of the first Asgardians) and Bestla (mother, a mountain giantess).
Bor and Bestla had two other sons, Vili and Ve.
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 brother's powers joining with his.
Recently, the Serpent was released from a prison under the oceans claiming to be the elder brother of Odin.
Odin was the father of Thor with Jord (actually Gaea), and the adoptive father of Loki, whom he took as his own after he his father, the Storm Giant Laufey had fallen in battle.
As with other Asgardians born after Buri, Odin and his pantheon had undergone several reincarnation over the millenia.
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.
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.
Odin was often accompanied by his ravens Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory), and well as the wolves Freki (Greedy) and Geri (Ravenous).
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.
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, 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.
When Thor decided to reveal his secret identity as Donald Blake to her, Odin temporarily removed his powers.
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.
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.
Years later, when Thor returned from hibernation in space, he began to find the lost Asgardians, 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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
Odin was speechless for a moment, but dismissed the Avengers back to earth, taking Thor to his private chambers, mystically healing some wounds until Thor woke and attempting to sway Thor from the battle against the Serpent which Odin deemed his own fight.
After Thor staunchly refused his plea Odin retrieved the armor he wore when he bested the Serpent in their first battle explaining he could only bind him not kill him.
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.
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 ex-wife Freyja to reign over (the now called) Asgardia after Tony Stark rebuilt it with his Repulsor Tech.
Odin was later freed from his self-exile by Loki. The All-Father then set to return to Asgardia.