Thor #297
The Sword of Siegfried!
Thor has sought out Odin’s severed eye to learn why his father has claimed to murdered him in the forgotten past. The eye has shown the thunder god the distant past. Thousands of years ago, Odin had been cursed by a dwarf named Alberich after he took away the Ring of Nibelung. Seigmund ended up in an incestuious affair with his sister Sieglinda earning the ire of her husband, Hunding. Odin’s wife, Frigga and goddess of marriage, demanded that Odin avenge this infidelity by ensuring Hunding slew Siegmond. Odin followed through with this, but not without interference from Brunnhilda who sought to save the couple against Odin’s wishes.
With Brunnhilda fleeing the scene of the battle with Sieglinda. She has fled to Valhalla where she asks the other Valkyrie for aid in hiding Sieglinda, who is pregnant with Siegmund’s child. The other Valkyrie are reluctant to help for fear of Odin’s wraith. However, Hildegarde informs Brunnhilda of a forest that Odin fears to enter as an ideal spot to hide Sieglinda. Brunnhilda teleports Sieglinda away moments before Odin finally arrives. Seeing his betrayer, Odin’s fury turns to sorrow as he now has to punish one of his favored shield maidens. Stripping Brunnhilda of her godhood, Odin takes her to a lonely mountain top on Midgard. There he intends to put the disgraced Valkyrie into an eternal sleep until she is awoken by a kiss from a the man who finds her. She will then fall deeply in love with this man. Brunnhilda is horrified to learn her fate and pleads with Odin to make sure that she is only awoken by a man worthy of her love. Odin agrees to this condition and erects a barrier of flame around the mountain that can only be crossed by a man who knows no fear.
As Brunnhilda is put to sleep, Sieglinda is found in the forest by a dwarf named Mime. He cares for the woman until she gives birth to her child. Sieglinda dies giving child birth, her final wishes being to name the boy Siegfried and that Mime one day reforge the broken sword Needful into a weapon for her son. Mime then raised Siegfried on his own and he grew up to look exactly like his father, and as a result, just like Thor as both mortals were imbued with the thunder god’s essence. Siegfried grew up to be a braggart with the strength to match. One day, as Mime was busy forging a sword, he came crashing into their home while fighting a bear. Defeating the beast, Siegfried tests out the new weapon but it easily breaks under his strength. This is when Mime finally gets around to mentioning the remains of Needful and its origins. Determined to wield his father’s weapon as his own, Siegfried insists on reforging the sword himself. Despite his lack of knowledge, Siegfried manages to recast Needlful with Mime’s guidance.
What Siegfried doesn’t know is that Mime is the brother of Alberich and wants to claim the Ring of Nibelung for himself. By this time, Fafnir had retreated with his gold cache to a cave on Midgard where he has taken on the form of a dragon to protect his treasure. He tells his adopted son that in order to become a true warrior he must learn the meaning of fear by fighting Fafnir. Unaware that he is being duped, Siegfried is interested in clashing with the dragon in order discover this new sensation.
Meanwhile, Alberich and his minions have been watching and waiting Fafnir’s cavern to try and find a way to steal the ring back for himself. They are then visited by Odin who tells Alberich that the ring will be claimed by someone else. Their argument awakens Fafnir who emerges from his cave and drives Alberich and his men away. This happens just as Mime and Siegmund arrive. Seeing the new intruders, Fafnir vows to teach Siegmund the meaning of fear before slaying him.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Odin, Valkyries (Valkyrie, Valtrauta, Hildegarde, Grimgerta, Hecara, Leita, Ortlinda, Rossveissa, Sygnet) Sieglinda, Odin’s Eye, Mime, Alberich, Fafnir
Continuity Notes
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.
