The Enchanters Three are

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

s 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 ...

. The Enchanters Three first appear in

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 ...

#143-144 (Aug.-Sept. 1967), and were created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

Publication history

The group first appeared in

#143-145 (Aug.-Oct.1967), and did not appear in Marvel continuity again (on this occasion with a new member) until thirty one years later in ''Thor'' vol. 2 #15-19 (Sept. 1999-Jan. 2000).

Fictional character biography

The Enchanters are apparently brothers and hail from the realm of Ringsfjord, which exists on the extra-dimensional continent 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 ...

. The original three Enchanters are Forsung, Brona and Magnir, sorcerers whose power is amplified by the Living Talismans in their possession. Brona and Magnir are first encountered by the Asgardian warriors

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 ...

and

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 ...

, who follow the pair and decide to conquer Asgard and then Earth. Balder and Sif escape to Earth to warn the Thunder God

of the impending threat, unaware that Brona and Magnir are following. Forsung travels to Asgard and confronts Odin directly. Thor and his fellow Asgardians defeat the Enchanters, while after a long and protracted battle Odin slays Forsung and crushes his Living Talisman. Odin then banishes Brona and Magnir to a limbo-like dimension. Thor eventually discovers he is having difficulty controlling his magical hammer Mjolnir, which veers away when thrown and on occasion does not return. During a battle with the

Absorbing Man Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #114, cover dated March 1965, created by writer Stan Lee and writer/artist Ja ...

, Mjolnir becomes lodged in a wall and does not return. Thor reverts to his current mortal persona of Jake Olsen, who is subsequently given a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

by a being that emerges from Mjolnir: Enrakt, the newest Enchanter. Enrakt is the youngest of the brothers and was apparently still in training during the first battle with the Asgardians. Although the

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 ...

come to Thor's aid, they are defeated by Enrakt, who brags that his now free brothers - Brona and Magnir - are attacking Odin at that very moment. Jake Olsen takes advantage of the melee to reclaim Mjolnir, and as Thor fights Enrakt to a standstill, then escapes to Asgard. Aided by fellow Avenger the

Scarlet Witch Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...

, Thor travels to Asgard, where together with Odin the trio are swallowed by a gigantic serpent summoned by Enrakt. Freeing themselves, the group confront the Enchanters Three, with Odin defeating Brona and crushing his Living Amulet; the Scarlet Witch trapping Magnir in solid rock and Thor almost beating Enrakt to death. At the suggestion of Odin, Thor unmasks Enrakt to discover it is actually the corpse of "Ceranda", a woman Thor met off-world and once loved. Enrakt had been using her body - and Mjolnir - to hold his spirit. Enrakt's spirit, together with Brona and Magnir, is banished and Ceranda's body is placed in state in a memorial hall in Asgard.''Thor'' vol. 2 #15-19 (Sept. 1999-Jan. 2000)

Powers and abilities

Each of the Enchanters wears a sentient talisman carved in the image of a stone face on their chests. Each talisman can speak and act of its own volition, absorb energy and enhance the Enchanters' powers. The Talismans can also manifest in other forms, such as an elemental storm or as a humanoid creature. All four Living Talismans have apparently been destroyed in battle.

References

External links

* {{Thor Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1967 Fictional trios Fictional wizards Marvel Comics characters who use magic