Odin, Balder, and Skadi
Background: In Norse mythology, Odin was the All-Father, ruler and patriarch of the gods. He was a great leader in battle--strong, wily, and ruthless when necessary. He had many sons and daughters, but the most famous of his offspring were the Mighty Thor and Beloved Balder. Thor was the most like his father. With his magic hammer, Mjolnir, he felled many giants and enemies of the gods. This made him the pride of Odin’s heart. Balder was also a skilled warrior, but he was most known for his other qualities: generosity of spirit, kindness, intelligence, good humor, etc. For these traits he was his mother, Frigg’s, favorite. In actuality, all the gods and the creatures of the world loved Balder—except the trickster god, Loki. Loki, already with a heart full of malice towards the other gods, was jealous of the attention Balder received and plotted to do away with him. He tricked Balder’s blind brother into shooting him with an arrow made from mistletoe. This was the only thing in nature that had not promised Frigg to never harm her son. Balder died from his wound. Odin discovered Loki’s treachery and sentenced him to be chained on a mountain with a poisonous snake hanging over his head. This snake’s venom was like acid and would drip onto his face, scarring and burning him. His wife, Sigryn, tried to catch as much as she could in a bowl, but every once in a while she had to go empty it. During that time, Loki had to endure the pain of the dripping venom. There Loki would remain until Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods. At Ragnarok all the dead gods and giants would be restored to life so they could fight in the final battle. Loki escaped to lead the giants and monsters against the gods. Both sides were destroyed completely and a new age of man dawned.
My story takes the myths a little further. For Wrath of the Aesir, the gods did not die at Ragnarok. Frigg used her powers to open a gateway to another dimension, seemingly giving her own life to make it a healing warp that would restore her family members to life and good health. But Loki’s daughter, Hel, used her death magic to corrupt Frigg’s energy, killing many that Frigg had tried to save. Hel also managed to redirect the gate so those who survived would end up prisoners on a barren world. After millennia of being trapped in such a place, Odin became bitter and hard. He knew Loki would find a way to return somehow and he became obsessed with revenge. When Zane and Zoe were born, he sensed Loki’s energy and used what power he had to try to kill them. When Zane later returned to Norway, Odin was able to open a small gate and pull him through it. Believing Zane to be the reincarnated Loki, Odin planned to torture and kill him. The Sentinels traveled to this barren world to save their teammate.
Skadi is a character I created to be one of Balder’s daughters. She is named for the Norse goddess of the mountains because she is a stubborn, quiet force. From the start she and her sister, Gudrun, believed Zane to be an innocent and tried to help him. After some convincing, Balder realized the truth as well—Zane was not Loki. He did not want to believe it at first because he, like Odin, hated Loki with a passion. But Balder, being a man of honor and justice, could not in good conscience allow someone to be harmed if there was a possibility of innocence. Odin refused to let go of his hatred and battled Zane to have his revenge. When Zane defeated him and showed mercy, Odin began to think maybe he was wrong. While he never admitted his error or even that he believed Zane was not Loki, he at least stopped trying to kill him and the other Sentinels.
