The Price — and the Pride!

Investigating the claims that Odin murdered him at some time in his forgotten past, Thor has been getting answers from Odin’s severed eye.[1] It had just shown him the rebirth of Asgard following an earlier Ragnarok.

Now, Thor witnesses his past self fighting with two Storm Giants named Fafnir and Fasolt. The two giants were commissioned to construct the kingdom of Valhalla in exchange for Idunn, the goddess responsible for the golden apples that prove the people of Asgard with their immortality. Although Odin had no intentions of honoring this wager, Loki brought Idunn to the storm giants leading to the clash with Thor. Although Thor is more powerful than the two giants, Odin orders him to stand down because his word is his bond and he has to honor the original deal unless he can find something more valuable to offer in exchange.

Since it was Loki’s job to do this, Odin turns to the trickster god and demands he provide a solution. Loki explains that he was going to claim the Rhinegold from Midgard only that it was stolen by a dwarf named Alberich of the Nibelung clan. He explains that the gold has been spun into a ring that could give whoever wears it dominion over both gods and mortals alike. Overhearing this, both Fafnir and Fasolt demand that Odin give them the so-called Ring of Nibelung in exchange for Idunn. Thor protests this, but Odin insists that they have to do as they are told as without the golden apples of Idunn the gods will wither away and die.[2] Odin then transports himself, Thor, and Loki to the domain of Alberich on Midguard. They appear in a cave where the dwarf has forced his people to mine for gold. He lords over them with the power of the ring as well as the golden Tarnhelm he wears on his head. This mystical helmet allows Alberich to turn invisible and shapeshift.

When Odin demands the dwarf turn over the Ring of Nibelung, Alberich refuses and uses the Tarnhelm to transform himself into a dragon. He manages to fight Thor to a standstill, but Odin forces Alberich to turn over the ring, the helmet, and his cache of gold after tricking Alberich to turn into a frog. Although he has no other choice, Alberich puts a curse on the ring, telling Odin that all will lust after it and those who possess it will only experience sorrow. Dismissing this curse, Odin claims the Ring of Nibelung and soon he and his sons return to Valhalla. When they arrive, Odin offers Fafnir and Fasolt all of the gold but refuses to give up the ring. That’s when the prophet Erda appears before them and warns Odin to give up the ring or he will regret it. Although he covets the ring for himself, Odin forces himself to give it up as having Idunn back is more important.

Once in their possession, Fafnir and Fasolt fight over who gets to wear the ring. Ultimately, Fafnir slays his brother and then warns the Asgardians to beware him as he vows to learn the secrets of the ring and come back to avenge Fasolt. When Thor tries attacking the Storm Giant, it teleports away with the power of the ring. Odin then convinces his son to let it go as they should be celebrating the completion of Valhalla. Thor obliges his father, using Mjolnir to connect this new realm to the rest of Asgard. Walking away with his wife Frigga, Odin wants to celebrate but decides to cast a spell to make everyone forget what has transpired so that none remember the ring. Loki, meanwhile, tells Thor that Odin has planted the seeds of Asgard’s eventual downfall this day.

Watching all this from the present day, Thor is starting to understand the reasons behind all this madness and admits to the eye that he doesn’t like any of it.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Odin, Frigga, Frey, Idunn, Erda, Odin’s eye, Fafnir, Fasolt, Loki, Alberich, Mime

Continuity Notes

1. Odin made this claim in Thor #291. Odin removed his eye and fed it to Mimi to stave off Ragnarok in issue #274 it has terrorized another dimension until Thor found it in issue #292.

2. A footnote here reminds readers that the story of Idunn’s golden apples was originally told in Journey into Mystery #114.