Thor #360
Into the Valley of Death
The warriors of Asgard have finally returned home following the aftermath of the Surtur War. Among those returning include Harokin and and the Einherjar, who are returning home with machine guns they obtained from American troops. The last ones through are the Warriors Three who had one last adventure on Midgard before returning home.[1]
The warriors are shocked to discover Asgard in ruins and Thor finally tells them that Odin had seemingly perished in the final battle against Surtur.[2] Frigga then addresses her people. Holding Odin’s scepter of power, she tells the people of Asgard that they must move on and rebuild as that is what Odin would have wanted from them. Thor then announces that Frigga will keep the scepter in her care as they correct one last wrong. He wishes to lead an army into Hel itself in order to liberate the souls of mortals that Hela has been keeping there.[3] It is only after this mission is completed will the people of Asgard be able to decide who shall lead them moving foward.
Thor is then approached by Harokin, who shows off the guns he got in trade from Midgard and how he and his warriors will reverse engineer and learn how they work to give them an added edge in Hel. Thor then sends Agnar of Vanaheim to the realm of Karnilla to recruit Balder on their quest since he has been to Hel and back in the past.[4] Thor then tries once again to apologize to Sif for striking her earlier. Although Thor was under an enchantment at the time, Sif cannot bring herself to forgive him. Overhearing this, Heimdall tries to appeal to Sif’s sense of reason, telling her that she doesn’t have to forgive Thor, but it is not something difficult to do. When the Enchantress arrives to speak to Heimdall in private, he leaves his sister to ponder his words.
Thor, meanwhile, has returned to the palace where he has come looking for his father’s ancient runes. Frigga warns Thor that the power of the runes are dangerous and even his father wouldn’t use them lightly. However, Thor needs to know the way to Hela’s domain and the runes are the only way to learn this secret. He takes the runes up to the top of Hlidskjaf and summons the entity known as Angerboda. She openly tells him how to travel to Hel but after finishing her instructions she begins transforming into an undead ghoul and attacks Thor. The thunder god is able to fight her off, banishing Angerboda with a single blow from Mjolnir. Although he was victorious against the undead witch, Thor feels a sense of foreboding ahead.
Meanwhile, the Enchantress and Heimdall have retreated into the nearby wood to talk in private. The sorceress admits to Heimdall that she has developed an interest in him and wishes to learn more about the former guardian of the Bifrost bridge.[5] Their conversation is interrupted by the Executioner who has come seeking Amora in his endless attempt to win her favor. Annoyed by his constant fawning, the Enchantress takes Skurge off to talk and rejects him outright. She tells him to leave her alone and threatens to perform all sorts of magic on him if he refuses to follow her wishes.
Days later, the reconstruction of Asgard has begun in earnest as Balder the Brave returns home. Thor asks his long time friend about his experience in Hel. Recounting how he was trapped there while his body hovered between life and death. Balder recounts how Hela came to him and attempted to keep him trapped in her domain by unleashing an army of the dead against him. Balder only managed to escape Hela’s bosom by fighting his way through each and every one of them. The horror of slaughtering tens of thousands of warriors was the horror that eventually turned Balder’s hair white as snow. Despite this traumatic experience, Balder agrees to lead Thor and his fellow warriors into Hel to rescue the lost souls.
At sunset, Thor goes to bid farewell to his mother. Frigga knows that Thor isn’t just going to Hel to rescue the lost souls, but to also search for any sign of his father. She warns him that he might never find what he is looking for. When Sif comes to speak to Thor, Frigga gives the couple some privacy. She wants answers as to why Thor struck her earlier. While Thor insists that he was under a spell, he figures that it could only have worked if he wasn’t naturally enamored by Lorelei. However, he likens this love and its consequences to the magic that forced it into being: fleeting. Sif wonders if Thor takes this to mean that their love for one another was also fleeting. Thor can’t answer that because any certainty he had over anything disappeared along with Odin, but he insists that when he did love her, he loved Sif like none he ever loved before. Changing the subject, Sif asks if Beta Ray Bill can be present at the althing as he was Odin’s greatest creation.[6] Thor agrees to summon Bill when the time comes and departs on his quest.
After Thor leaves, Frigga enters the room and tells Sif that her son is fallible and that she shouldn’t judge him harshly after so recently losing his father. She then warns her about her love for Beta Ray Bill, as he is a mortal and to love one is just as fleeting as magic due to their short lifespans.
Outside the castle, Thor is approached by the Executioner. At first Thor suspects that his foe has come to cause trouble and is surprised when the Executioner asks to join Thor on his mission into Hel. Thor agrees and soon he meest with the Einhherjar. Mounting his chariot pulled by the goats Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, Thor leads the charge into Hela’s domain.
Recurring Characters
Thor, Hela, Harokin, Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Frigga, Agnar, Sif, Heimdall, Enchantress, Executioner, Balder, Modgud, Toothgnasher, Toothgrinder
Continuity Notes
For more on the Warrior Three’s adventure on Midgard, see Power Pack #15.
The Surtur War ran from Thor #350-353 ending in the seeming demise of Odin. In issue #354, Thor decided to keep Odin’s death a secret until his people returned home. In reality, Odin is still alive and will be discovered as a prisoner of Seth in Thor #398-400.
These human souls were individuals who had their bodies taken over by Malekith’s faerie minions in Thor #345-348.
Balder spent a period of time hanging between life and death from Thor #274 through 301. During that time his soul was trapped in Hel. Agnar’s quest to recruit Balder is told in the pages of Balder the Brave #1-4.
The Bifrost was destroyed by Surtur in Thor #351. It will be restored in Thor #426.
Did you forget that Odin gave Beta Ray Bill his powers? See Thor #337-340.
