The Asgardians or Gods of

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...

are a

fictional race Fantasy tropes are a specific type of literary tropes (recurring themes) that occur in fantasy fiction. Worldbuilding, plot, and characterization have many common conventions, many of them having ultimately originated in myth and folklore. ...

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. Some are taken from mythology while others are original creations.

Fictional history

They were worshipped about a millennium ago by the

Norsemen The Norsemen (or Norse people) were a North Germanic ethnolinguistic group of the Early Middle Ages, during which they spoke the Old Norse language. The language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is the pre ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

and various

Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...

, but they no longer have, or seek to have, any worshippers on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

. The gods live in a dimension called

which is also home to five other races (

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

, Dwarves,

Elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

Trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

, and

Demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...

Known members

Known

Æsir The Æsir (Old Norse: ) are the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion. They include Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, and Baldr. The second Norse pantheon is the Vanir. In Norse mythology, the two pantheons wage war against each other, res ...

include Amora the Enchantress,

Balder Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was kno ...

, Bor, Búri,''Journey Into Mystery'', #97 (October 1963)

Brunnhilde Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( non, Brynhildr , gmh, Brünhilt, german: Brünhild , label= Modern German or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess Brunhilda ...

Fandral Fandral the Dashing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardian adventurers consisting of Fandral, Hogun the Grim, and Volstagg the Val ...

, Frigga,

Heimdall In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old Norse Heimdallr) is a god who keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the sky. He is attested as possessing for ...

, Hermod,

Hildegarde Hildegarde Loretta Sell, known as Hildegarde (February 1, 1906 – July 29, 2005) was an American cabaret singer, who was well known for the song "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup". Early life She was born Hildegarde Loretta Sell in Adell, Wisco ...

, Hoder, Kelda,

Lorelei The Lorelei ( ; ), spelled Loreley in German, is a , steep slate rock on the right bank of the River Rhine in the Rhine Gorge (or Middle Rhine) at Sankt Goarshausen in Germany, part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. Th ...

, Magni, Mimir,

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

Sif In Norse mythology, Sif (Old Norse: ) is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century ...

, Skurge the Executioner,

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

, Tyr, Vidar, Vili, Ve, Volla, and

Volstagg Volstagg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardian adventurers and supporting cast of Thor. He is known for having multiple children. ...

. Known

Vanir In Norse mythology, the Vanir (; Old Norse: , singular Vanr ) are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods (the other being the Æsir) and are the namesake of the ...

include

Frey Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and ...

Freya In Norse paganism, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chario ...

, Idunn, Njord, and

Sigyn Sigyn (Old Norse: "(woman) friend of victory"Orchard (1997:146).) is a deity from Norse mythology. She is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13t ...

Powers and abilities

Despite their mostly human appearance, all Asgardians possess physical attributes that operate on superhuman levels. All Asgardians possess some degree of superhuman strength, with males typically being stronger than females. The Asgardians are extremely long lived and age at an extremely slow pace as compared to human beings, unlike the Olympians who cease to age once reaching adulthood. The bodies of the Asgardians possess some degree of superhuman durability. If an Asgardian is injured, he or she will be able to recover much faster than humans. However, they sometimes require magical aids in order to heal themselves from severe injuries, such as missing limbs, organs, and severe blood loss. Often, even with the help of magic, regenerating limbs or organs is beyond their capacity. Only the most physically or mystically gifted Asgardians have the potential to heal from such severe injuries. The muscle, bone, and skin tissue of an Asgardian is considerably denser than that of a human being. This contributes to the Asgardians superior strength and weight. Due to their superior metabolism, Asgardians also possess superhuman levels of stamina in all physical activities. All Asgardians are born with the potential to wield and control mystical energies for a variety of purposes, although only a certain few have been observed to have developed this ability to any noticeable degree. Asgardians are not true immortals. They do age, albeit slowly, but are immune to all known Earthly diseases. Each Asgardian needs, and is allocated, a golden apple grown by

Yggdrasil Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional s ...

and tended by Idunn. Eating their own apple is essential for an Asgardian to maintain his or her physical vitality. If an Asgardian dies, his or her place in a type of afterlife is determined by the circumstances of their death. If an Asgardian has died in battle, the

Valkyrior The Valkyrior is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Based on the Valkyries of Norse mythology, the group, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appeared in ''Thor'' #133 (October 1966). W ...

will take his or her soul to Valhalla, Odin's palace, where they shall spend eternity feasting and fighting. The souls of Asgardians that haven't died in battle are taken to the realm of

Hela HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta La ...

, the Asgardian Goddess of Death. There has been some contradiction regarding the origin of the Asgardians. Main Marvel canon states that the Asgardians are descendants of the Elder Gods, as are all other pantheons on Earth.

Reception

* In 2022, ''

CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

'' ranked Asgardians 2nd in their "The Avengers' 10 Best Allies In Marvel Comics" list.

Other versions

Some comics set in alternate universes have claimed that they are not Gods. Rather, they are aliens whose science and abilities are advanced so far beyond the science and abilities of humans that the Asgardians appear to be magic, such as in "

Earth X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Univ ...

" where the Asgardians turned out to be the final evolution of manipulation by the

Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. The Celestials ...

Other media

Asgardians have appeared in films set in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

, with Thor appearing in several films in the series.

Tom Hiddleston Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...

portrays Loki in the films ''

'', '' The Avengers'', '' Thor: The Dark World'' and the upcoming '' Thor: Ragnarok'' and the two-part '' Avengers: Infinity War''. The 2011 film ''

'' and the 2013 film '' Thor: The Dark World'' featured many unnamed Asgardians. Those films and other films in the series have featured Odin, Sif, Frigga, Heimdall, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun.

References

External links

Asgardians at MarvelDirectory.com
*'' Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition'' (

) ** #1: ''Abomination to Batroc's Brigade'' (August 1985):

and

***Asgardians: Frigga,

, Hermod, Hoder,

Hogun Hogun the Grim is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgard (comics), Asgardian adventurers and supporting cast of ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Th ...

, Idunn,

, Tyr, Vidar and Volla ** #2: ''Clea to Gaea'': Enchantress ** #5: ''Gardener to The Hulk'' (April 1986):

** #7: ''Khoryphos to Magneto'' (June 1986):

Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...

** #9: ''Molecule Man to Owl'' (August 1986):

** #12: ''Sif to Sunspot'' (November 1986):

** #13: ''Super-Adaptoid to Umar'' (December 1986):

** #14: ''Unicorn to Wolverine'' (January 1987):

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

***

Warriors Three The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters served as supporting cast members in ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor''. The Warriors Three are the Asgard (comics), As ...

and

{{Thor Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee pt:Asgardianos fi:Asgardilaiset