![]() "Loki makes trouble typically he fixes it. He's dishonest and he makes trouble on a really, really big scale, although he is trying to avert Ragnarök," Kaplan said. She said both Odin and Loki are trouble-makers, but they're very different from their Marvel counterparts. So he's interesting because he's very much about making trouble, but he doesn't lie. Then he has to be tricky in order to make things right again. "Typically, he makes trouble for the gods, and then he gets them out of it. "But he doesn't lie, and he always makes things right again," Kaplan said. Loki is a trickster in mythology, just like he is in the comics and movies. "But poetry is actually an alcoholic magical substance, and one of the words for poetry is also the word for madness, so he's also kind of associated with insanity, because it's the idea that you're in a slightly altered state when you compose. " also the one who steals poetry from the giants and brings it to gods and people," Kaplan said. And no matter what, the gods always beat the giants - until the end, which is called 'Ragnarök,' where the giants finally beat the gods. Odin frequently lies, and he engages in battles of words and knowledge, she explained. His associations are with warfare, strife, poetry, and the type of magic that men are not supposed to do." Odin's contribution is frequently gathering knowledge and prophecy and magic stuff. "But he's not a hand-to-hand combat guy like Thor. "During these constant battles with giants, Odin creates strife," she said. Kaplan explained that in Norse mythology, the gods are usually battling the giants. "But Odin in mythology starts wars, creates strife." "When I saw, the part when I really cracked up is when Anthony Hopkins scolds his son for bringing on war," she said. In the MCU, Odin is played by Anthony Hopkins, and Kaplan said the character's portrayal contrasts greatly with the version from mythology. "I believe it mostly has to do with our idea of what 'Scandinavian' is supposed to look like." Odin and Loki "But there are things that it is not about, because, after all, this was Kirby, who was Jewish," she said, naming the artist who originally co-created the Marvel character. After all, we've got understandings about what 'blue-eyed, blond' means. ![]() I suppose you can make some interpretations about what the blond is about. "I'm not sure why he wasn't created as a redhead. "See? Myths are great."Īlthough Kaplan admitted she has seen beards on the comic book versions of Thor - naming Marvel's Red Norvill as an example - she said the classic Marvel and MCU Thor as a blonde, blue-eyed god represents something very different from the traditional mythology. He's like, 'all the other gods will call me a sissy!' And all about him getting his hammer back," she laughed. Kaplan cited a story where others dress Thor up in women's clothing. "You take that away from him and it changes who he is." "This was a society where beards are an important signifier of masculinity, and Thor in the mythology is very much about the ideals of masculinity," she said. 'Ah, What a Lovely Maid It Is!' by Elmer Boyd Smith (Image credit: Elmer Boyd Smith) (opens in new tab)īut Thor of mythology is supposed to be a redhead and have a beard, which Kaplan admits may sound "picky," but is related to the system of Norse mythology in an important way. The boomerang thing is dead-on." Thor's appearance and masculinity We never actually see that in the stories, but we're told in one of our best sources that that is true. In the Thor comics and films, movie-goers will see Chris Hemsworth, who is playing Thor, wielding a hammer that is named Mjölnir, with a name and power that is similar to its roots in mythology. That's not true of stories about Odin or Loki." Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor ![]() The stories of Thor make sense if you substitute a human in there. So of all the Norse gods, Thor fits best with that idea of a hero. "And in stories of human heroes, a lot of them are monster-slayers. He's the defender of the realm of gods and men. "What I mean is that Thor in mythology is very much heroic in that he runs out and battles and saves people. "The mythological Thor is, of the Norse gods, the one closest to looking like a human hero," she said, "so if you were going to pull out a god from Norse mythology and make him into a hero working on behalf of mankind, Thor's your man."īut Kaplan said "looking" like a human hero doesn't mean his actual appearance. According to Kaplan, that version of Thor isn't much of a stretch. One of the most obvious aspects of Marvel's Thor is that he's a superhero, fighting for good and defending those in need. Thor #8 variant cover (Image credit: Alex Ross (Marvel Comics)) (opens in new tab)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |