The Icy Hearts

Asgard

Thor has been rescued from an avalanche by a giant named Tiwaz. While the thunder god sleeps, Tiwaz helfts around Mjolnir and deems it a worthy weapon. When Thor begins to awaken, the giant puts down the enchanted hammer and welcomes him back to the land of the living. Sitting down to sculpt from the ice around his home, Tiwaz explains how he saved Thor from the ice and snow. He has been nursing Thor back to health after Hela conspired to kill him. In order to see how he is recovering, Tiwaz challenges Thor to a test of strength. Thor gives it his best but is still weak from his ordeal and his savior carries him back to bed.

Given some hot soup to eat, Thor talks about the recent demise of his father, Odin, who seemed to perish in a battle against the fire demon Surtur.[1] Hearing the thunder god’s sullen tone, Tiwaz can’t believe that he would choose to remember his father in such a fashion. This insults Thor who demands to know who he is to talk about Odin in such a way. All Tiwaz will say is that he knew Odin from well before Thor was born and even helped the All-Father get his first job. However, he doesn’t go into any more detail and suggests Thor get some rest to build up his strength.

New York

Stranded on Earth following the battle with Surtur’s demonic hordes, the Warriors Three decide to pass the time by seeing the city. Seeking a mead hall to drink in, the trio enter a department store. Although they quickly realize their mistake, the products on display astound them. Volstagg takes particular interest in some non-stick frying pans and marvels at the idea of not having to scrub at dishes once he is finished eating.

Elsewhere in the city, Sif and Beta Ray Bill are also exploring New York. They pass by a jewelery exchange just moments before a group of men arrive in high tech armor. After attaching a device to the building to nullify the alarm system, they then go inside to loot the place.

Asgard

Thor has awoken again and is now strong enough to get out of bed on his own. That’s when he notices Mjolnir standing on a nearby table and wonders how Tiwaz got it there since it is enchanted and cannot be lifted by anyone except the most worthy. The elderly giant explains that his animated ice statues were the ones that carried it back from the avalanche site, something they could do since they are not truly alive. This is a satisfactory answer for the thunder god who agrees to grapple with Tiwaz again. Although he is defeated by the giant again, Thor does better than last time, showing that he is making a quick recovery. After another meal, Thor goes back to bed to rest some more.

Meanwhile, Loki and Lorelei have returned to Asgard from Earth, the teleportation is a rough one because the Bifrost Bridge connecting the realms has been broken.[2]

The following morning, Thor wakes up and witnesses Tiwaz bring one of his ice statues to life by breathing on it. This convinces Thor that Tiwaz must be his father, since Odin has always had a knack for disguises. Tiwaz assures Thor that, even though he was once called the All-Father, he is not Odin but an old god who has retired in the solitude of these mountains. He points out that he can’t be Odin since he has both of his eyes.[3] Hearing about his father’s past makes Thor admit that there is very little about Odin’s early life and much of it confusing. Tiwaz says Odin’s past isn’t important, that Thor loved him is. Still, Tiwaze knows about some recent contradictions Thor has heard recently, namely a story from Odin’s severed eye that suggested that Odin was created by the amalgamation of the old gods of the last Ragnarok cycle and how this contradicts a more recent story from Odin himself about how he and his brothers Vili and Vi battled Surtur centuries ago.[4] Tiwaze doesn’t tell Thor which story is true, but knows that he wouldn’t give much stock to a floating eyeball with a grudge.

With that, Tiwaz challenges Thor to another fight and this time Thor actually wins, much to the giant’s delight. They then sit down to another meal where Thor is told that he will have to leave soon and return to Asgard. Thor is reluctant to do so as he is still grieving over the loss of his father. Tiwaz tells Thor that he can look to the mortals to learn how to process his grief, quoting Ecclesiastes from the King James Bible (or Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds, if you’re cool) Tiwaze goes on to say that the mortals move on from grief and loss because their time on Earth is so finite and they have things to do. To punctuate this, one of Tiwaz’s ice sculptures sits on his hand and reminds Thor of the tasks he still has yet to complete as the heat from her creator’s hands slowly melts her away to nothing.[5]

This finally gets through to Thor who agrees that it is time to resume his life and move on. With that, Tiwaz provides Thor with furs to wear in the cold and food for his journey. However, before the thunder god leaves the old god asks him to look in on some people in a chalet on the other side of the mountain to make sure they are doing okay. Thor agrees and bids Tiwaz farewell. On the other side of the mountain, Thor is delighted to see that the people in the chalet are his step-mother Frigga and the children of Asgard, who had been sent her by Odin before Surtur’s attack. The thunder god tells Frigga of Odin’s fate, something she already sensed and already mourned. When they decide to head back home, the children are more than eager to return to Asgard.

Watching them go from the distance, Tiwaz is joined by his eagle, Whiteface. He is impressed with Thor and remembers the last time he saw the thunder god when he was still a newborn. He is proud with how the boy has turned out as he is so much like his father before him. This doesn’t surprise Tiwaz overly much as this is what he expected from his own great-grandson.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Sif, Tiwaz, Frigga, Gunnhild, Hrolf, Arngrim, Beta Ray Bill, Green Liberation Front, Lorelei, Loki, Whiteface

Continuity Notes

1. Odin and Surtur seemingly died in combat in Thor #353. They survive and will turn up again in Thor #398-400.

2. The Bifrost was shattered by Surtur in Thor #351. It will remain this way until it is repaired in Thor #426.

3. Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to learn about an impending threat of Ragnarok back in Thor #274.

4. In Thor #294 stated that Odin was created by the merging of a number of older gods which included past incarnations of Vili and Vi. This appears to be direct contradiction to the tale of Odin fighting Surtur alongside his brothers in Thor #349. Although this story seems to refute the idea of Ragnarok cycles, Thor (vol. 2) #83 confirms that Asgard goes through these cycles. Click here for more on the conflicts surrounding Norse mythology in the Marvel Universe.

5. The ice sculpture reminds Thor that he must rescue the mortal souls trapped in Hela’s domain. These were people whose bodies were stolen by the Dark Elves in Thor #348. He will rescue them in Thor #360-362. She also reminds him how he send Fandral to tie up the loose ends in Don Blake’s life, that happened last issue.

Topical References

• The department store that the Warriors Three visit is depicted as Macy’s. This should be considered a topical reference as this is a real-world business.