Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1 *Spoilers*

[seekquaze]

THOR & HERCULES: ENCYCLOPAEDIA MYTHOLOGICA #1 Answers some questions and raises others.

Normally I stay away from handbooks, but I decided to pick this one up because I have always been a fan of mythology and curious as to how all the gods work in Marvel. If you are curious as all about any of the pantheons besides the Olympians and Asgardians you should definitely pick this up.

The basic set up is each pantheon has its own page that has a picture of some of the gods from it at the top of the page. The rest contains a list of important, their home, and a brief description about them and anything that sets them apart from other gods. This part is in many ways the same through out due to the similar abilities of gods, but contains a few features that set the pantheons apart from each other. The main part is the history of the pantheon from its legendary beginnings to activities through modern times. IIRC, there are twenty-one pantheons listed. The Eternals and Deviants are also each given a page due to their importance to mythology.

If the pantheon was important enough or had some members who made prominent appearances those members are on the following pages given about a quarter of the page with basic biographical information such as name, aliases, roles, physical data, relatives, etc. The history part is part mythological on their activities in ancient times to their most recent activities. The powers descriptions include an estimated strength level (to be taken with a yardstick) and various abilities they have either demonstrated or should have the ability to demonstrate. Some of the profiles are on members who might not be gods, but still affiliated with that pantheon.

Overall, I found most of the biographies accurate as far as I know an as up to date as the last Thor issue. A few contradictions (which I will get into below) due creep in as is the nature of comics or myths. I did have a few problems with some of the power descriptions. Neptune’s powers are mentioned to have eroded, but no reason is given why his have done so and none of the other Olympians. Bor’s description only mentions eyebeams, his physical strength, and his fighting skills but nothing else. Many of the descriptions due get a bit repetitive, but that would be necessary since much work along the lines of: “So and So has energy-manipulating abilities that include enchantments, dimensional portals, shape-shifting, etc.” I think the writers took the same basic description and used it over and over again. But again that makes sense because you can only describe the same power set in so many ways.

A few key points it clarified or kind of established:

-The origin of the gods is now that after Atum ate the Elder gods and digested them he spat out pure “godstuff.” This godstuff was influenced by the unconscious mind of humanity giving rise to the first generation of modern gods (Buri, Uranus, etc.). These gods either took residence in or were born in “twilight” dimensions of Earth and later migrated to the planet.

-Atum is a type of universal recycling machine whose job is to eat gods who no longer have a purpose. This actually makes sense because other wise you would have who knows how many gods whose worship has long passed and stay isolated in their realms.

-Most of the stories concerning the gods’ creations can be true, but take place in their own native dimensions or in earlier periods of Earth’s past. Remember, on Marvel Earth human civilization has risen and fallen several times.

-The Vanir were founded by Njord who was Bor’s brother.

-Balder still officially at least has his heat and light powers.

-The Conan stories are still considered part of continuity.

-Gaea had a hand in creating just about all the pantheons.

-The final fate of the Odinforce is revealed.

-The difference between true immortality and virtual immortality comes down to a matter of aging. Olympians are true because they stop aging. Asgardians are virtual because they age at a very slow rate. Most gods are the former.

-A single pantheon tends to have ruled a geographical area. Any other gods in that region were probable the same set of gods under different name. Like how Odin was known as Wotan and Wodan to the German and Anglo-Saxons. Europe for instance was ruled overall by four pantheons: Celtics to the west, Aesir to the north, Olympians to the south, and Finnish to the east.

-Generally there is a strength/speed tradeoff. Some like the Olympians and Asgardians are on average slightly stronger, but physically weaker pantheons such as the Japanese have slightly faster reflexes.

-Unique traits are among the most interesting. The Native American gods are more a loose collective than an organized group. The Middle Eastern gods that remained on Earth degenerated into demons. The Chinese gods are mostly defied mortals who get extra powers from their balance of chi. The Hawaiian gods get extra power by absorbing mana. The Celtic gods can only speed limited amounts of time on earth. Zoroastrian gods are completely dependent on their skyfather for existence. There are some other differences as well.

-Otherworld might be the most important dimension in relation to Earth.
I know that it is unlikely writers will pay attention to the subtle differences between the pantheons, but I wish they would and I feel it adds a way of further depth and would not take long to look up when considering a story.

Some questions it raises:

-Based on the descriptions of the different pantheons in a way Asgard is one of the weakest due most of its inhabitants not bothering to develop any other abilities.

-The question is raised if Cronus retained any of his energy powers after his dethronement. Did Zeus possible steal them and is that why he is more powerful than his brothers?

-Despite the gods supposedly originating form mankind some of them such as Izanagi are stated to have existed long before mankind. Does this mean some have different origins or that somehow the planet created the gods long before mankind?

-Will any of the writers when using some of these gods bother to note the differences named or will they just treat them like the Asgardians and Olympians?

I know these handbooks are not for everyone, but I found this an enjoyable read and if you are a fan of mythology or are interested in knowing more about the various pantheons of Marvel it is worth picking up.

[TOAA]

-Despite the gods supposedly originating form mankind some of them such as Izanagi are stated to have existed long before mankind. Does this mean some have different origins or that somehow the planet created the gods long before mankind?

Well there was life on planet before mankind therefore he might come from some pre-human species.

[Phantom Druid]

I got the handbook, and I think it's pretty neat. As far as the Marvel Universe goes, i've always been a fan of alot of their D-List characters, including the Celtic gods/heroes, so you know I hopped on this the second I heard about it. i'm excited about this Dark Siege of Asgard thing that I'm hearing about, and I'm hoping this book is a hint that we will be seeing some of these lesser known pantheons play key roles.

[Hypestyle]

I'll eventually get it.. I just didn't want to shell out $4.99 right away..

[Soundrave]

I agree, it was great stuff and well worth the $5. I really enjoyed the info on the lesser known characters like the Chinese, Filipino, and Australian gods.

Marvel should really do more with these guys.

[Thursaiz]

I loved the section of the two different Celtic pantheons. They need to show up more often. I'd definitely buy a series like the 'God Squad' issues with Hercules and some gods going after baddies. Might appeal to a more international audience.

[Camron Amaya]

-The final fate of the Odinforce is revealed.

Which is....?

[Soundrave]

Originally Posted by Camron Amaya

Which is....?

It retired and lived in Miami Beach for three years before passing away peacefully in its sleep.

[protege]

Well, I have to read it in more depth, but i would like to see some of those pantheons pop up somewhere, and several figures in particular.

[Sighphi]

Originally Posted by seekquaze

-Atum is a type of universal recycling machine whose job is to eat gods who no longer have a purpose. This actually makes sense because other wise you would have who knows how many gods whose worship has long passed and stay isolated in their realms.

What does this mean?
Cause it if means Gods that are no longer worshiped then most of the Marvel U gods should not exist. MU gods should then be Jesus,Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Muhammad and Sea Man.

[daveageallen]

Originally Posted by Sighphi

What does this mean?
Cause it if means Gods that are no longer worshiped then most of the Marvel U gods should not exist. MU gods should then be Jesus,Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Muhammad and Sea Man.

6 OF WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED ARE NOT GODS. NOT SURE ABOUT SEAMAN THOUGH.

[Sighphi]

Yeah that was mostly a joke but the point still stands....... what does gods that dont serve a purspose mean? Atum was made to stop gods when they got too powerful and now he was switched to a god culler which doesnt make sense at all.

[Flâneur]

Originally Posted by Sighphi

What does this mean?
Cause it if means Gods that are no longer worshiped then most of the Marvel U gods should not exist. MU gods should then be Jesus,Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Muhammad and Sea Man.

The Asgardian pantheon actually does still have worshippers in real life, there are small sections of Iceland where you can find priests of Tor. Alot of people follow Shinto in Japan as well, it's actually a significant religion there. There are also revivalist Isis cults which have re-established traditions from Isis worship in early AD. Others are also prominent pop culture icons, especially the Greek pantheon.

[seekquaze]

Originally Posted by Sighphi

What does this mean?
Cause it if means Gods that are no longer worshiped then most of the Marvel U gods should not exist. MU gods should then be Jesus,Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Muhammad and Sea Man.

The exact phrasing was "gods whose time has past." I took that to mean gods who no longer had a purpose and just existed, but it could be taken several ways.

As Flâneur stated, many of the gods still have small groups of worshippers or at the very least have stories told about them. Some still serve a purpose by keeping demonic threats related to their pantheon at bay. So they still have a purpose.

Most recently, Atum threatened to eat the Greek gods when the Titans escaped. If the Titans had won in theory they would have replaced the Greek gods in the scheme of things. Same thing if the Skrull gods had won. Atum is linked to the cosmic axis and when when it shifts depend on when he feeds.

The comment I made about gods no longer worship I did not fully explain. If a group of gods isolate themselves in their home realm and a million years from now no one remembers them are they still gods? Why do they still exist? How many groups of gods are out there that are isolated like them? How much matter and energy is being wasted because they are not using it? I would think the universe would produce ways to recycle that power.

[Sighphi]

Originally Posted by Flâneur

The Asgardian pantheon actually does still have worshippers in real life, there are small sections of Iceland where you can find priests of Tor. Alot of people follow Shinto in Japan as well, it's actually a significant religion there. There are also revivalist Isis cults which have re-established traditions from Isis worship in early AD. Others are also prominent pop culture icons, especially the Greek pantheon.

Well if we go by this then no religion is dead.
So Atum's new job is already useless.