Thor #321
Magick’s Menace
The Menagerie of Rimthursar have been reborn in the bodies of mortals. Thor attempted to return their spirits into the chalice from whence they came and failed. Thor is now stuck trying to find another way to restore things to normal, something made more difficult by the fact that the Menagerie has the annoying habit of causing trouble wherever they go.
Deciding to seek assistance in Asgard, Thor teleports himself and the Menagerie away. Appearing on the Bifrost Bridge, Thor petitions Heimdall to let them pass. Sympathetic to the thunder god’s plight, Heimdall won’t let the Menagerie pass since they are partially mortal but agrees to keep an eye on them while Thor seeks help from his father.
When Thor arrives at the royal palace he learns from the Grand Vizier that Odin is not present. His father has gone to the nearby forests where two clans are fighting one another. One group is led by Jolena, a former lover of Odin, leaving the All-Father in a precarious position as his involvement could be viewed as infidelity toward his wife, Frigga.
Thor suspects that Loki is responsible for the Minagerie and goes to his home to confront him. However, he discovers that his half-brother is once again shackled to his wife Sigyn. Both Loki’s wife and the guards all confirm that Loki has been under constant watch and could not have been responsible for the Minagerie. Annoyed by the false accusations, Loki at least points Thor in the right direction, telling him to go and question the Dwarves of the Mound.
Soon, Thor ventures out to the domain of the Dwarves and discovers that their mound is long gone. They explain that their mound was stolen by an evil sorcerer. They explain that one day, a hawk appeared before the goddess Freya and convinced her that Odin had died. Believing this at face value, Freya began to cry. The eagle was Rimthursar in disguise and he upset her in order to collect her golden tears. Rimthursar then arrived at the Dwarve’s mound where he slaughtered a bear. He then had the Dwarves bring some snakes to feast upon the blood. Pouring the golden tears of Freya onto the snakes they formed into a mesh that allowed Rimthursar to remove the mound. He then used an bull to carry it to the top of a nearby mountain where the mound’s proximity to the sun caused it to melt. This was all a part of a spell that would allow Rimthursar to regain his long lost silver chalice. Learning that Rimthursar also went by the name of Farbauti, Thor realizes that it was this spell that allowed the Minagerie to take their current human hosts.
At that same moment, Rimthursar appears on the Bifrost Bridge to collect the Menagerie. Before Heimdall can stop him, the god also known as Farbauti teleports himself and the Menagerie back to Midgard to collect the chalice. Rimthursar’s only mistake is tipping off Thor by sending a flaming message to mock the thunder god. Doubling back to the rainbow bridge, Thor learns from Heimdall what happened. Returning to Midgard, Thor tries to stop Rimthursar from stealing back the silver chalice. However, in the ensuing battle Thor shatters it with a bolt of lightining. Suddenly, the Minagerie collapses to the ground, seemingly dead. However, they revive moments later leaving Thor no closer to a solution to his problem than before. Still, the thunder god vows to restore the mortals to normal even if he has to challenge the power of Odin himself.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Rimthursar, Menagerie (Grult, Slithgarn, Kyrie, Borna, Fairgold), Heimdall, Loki, Grand Vizier, Sigyn, Odin, Sleipnir, Jolena, Freya
Topical References
The building that Thor takes the Minagerie to the top of is identified as the Sears Tower. So named as it was used as the headquarters for the Sears department store chain. This should be considered a topical reference as the building was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009.
