Worthy, Part 1

Over the past few weeks, Thor has been sullen ever since Brunnhilda made light of the fact that he does not have an enchanted weapon of his own.[1] Growing concerned, Balder and Sif go to check on him where he has gone every day after classes, the room where Mjolnir rests. Thor has been trying in vein to lift the enchanted hammer but has only succeeded in lifting it a few inches because he is not yet worthy to wield it.[2] When Thor gives up for the day, both Sif and Balder commend him for at least accomplishing a few inches, proof that he is on the right path to becoming worthy. When they talk about how it is Thor’s fate to wield Mjolnir, Thor suddenly gets an idea and races off to get his horse and ride off to Nornheim.

After a few days ride, Thor is in the swamps of Nornheim where he seeks an audience with the Norns. The trio of women — Urd, Skuld, and Verandi — can divine the future through their magic cauldron. When he meets with them they know why he has come. They tell him that in order to lift Mjolnir, Thor will have to face death itself. When the young godling asks for clarification on what they mean, the Norns disappear in a flash of light. This encounter leaves Thor with more questions than answers and so he heads back for Asgard to try and figure out the meaning to their words.

As Thor returns home he discovers that Asgard is under attack by the Storm Giants. Thor races in to help where he can and sees that many have been injured. Among them is Balder who tells Thor that the giants have kidnapped Sif. The two begin planning to follow their trail all the way back to Jotunheim if need be. However, this idea is shot down by Odin who orders the youth to remain in Asgard. The All-Father promises his son that they will rescue Sif, but Thor is to remain behind and defend the city in his absence. When Thor protests this, Odin tells his son he can’t go because his feelings for Sif might cause him to act rashly while on the rescue mission. Thor points out that it is Odin’s feelings for him that prevent him from allowing his son to accompany them. Odin gets down to eye level as he knows the other reason why Thor is so desperate to go. He tells his son that proving one’s worthiness comes not only from actions, but from the heart as well and insists that he stay behind.

Seeing that his father won’t bend on this, Thor goes to the royal throne room to think and sit. His mind is filled with all the times Sif has been there for him in recent times, particularly his recent quest for mystical items and his brush with death. He also thinks about how the two have finally opened up about their romantic feelings for one another.[3] Thinking of how he may lose Sif after all this fills him with anger. He ultimately decides to defy his father any go after Sif anyway. Storming into the chamber where Mjolnir is kept, Thor tries to lift the enchanted hammer once more. This time, he is able to lift it high over his head. Having finally succeeded in proving worthy, Thor warns the Storm Giants to beware![4]

Recurring Characters

Thor, Sif, Balder, the Norns (Urd, Skuld, Verandi), Odin

Continuity Notes

1. Brunnhilda chided Thor in Thor: Son of Asgard #7. Per Journey into Mystery #82, only those deemed worthy can lift Mjolnir. This story takes place during a period of time where Thor had not yet met that criteria, as seen in issue #1.

2. Thor has slowly been earning his worth to wield Mjolnir, which makes him capable of lifting a by a few inches after each quest. Recorded moments include Thor: Son of Asgard #2-6 as well as Journey into Mystery #100-102. The circumstances in which Thor lifts Mjolnir have many contradicting accounts, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, capiche?

3. This is a montage of scenes from the last 9 issues. Highlights include, Thor’s brush with death (issue #5-6), their frolics in the land of Jannia (issue #4), and their first kiss (last issue).

4. The circumstances leading to Thor lifting Mjolnir has had a number of different accounts behind the events leading to Thor lifting Mjolnir for the first time. They include:

   • A more truncated version of these events are told in Journey into Mystery #102. In that story, Thor isn’t stopped by anybody. Sif is also depicted with blonde hair instead of black, an contradiction we covered in Thor: Son of Asgard #7.

   • A version of events told in Avengers Origins: Thor #1, states that Thor was away from Asgard having a private discussion with his father about when he will be worthy to lift Mjolnir. In this version of the story, Loki attempts to lift Mjolnir before Thor finally succeeds.

   • That said, they all tell basically the same tale, with only minor differences, a lot of them esthetic due to the different artists who drew them. That said, the unique moments in each version don’t negate one another, as one could argue that the scenes not shown in other retellings happened “behind the scenes” of that version of events. Verily, this is not such a contentious matter as the issue with Sif’s hair (thankfully!)