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Hammer Of The Gods: Back From The Dead #2
Published by ComicMix, July 2008
Odin goes to China... and gods do not like other gods visiting...
Credits: Mike Oeming (Artist), Mike Oeming (Writer), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), John Staton (Colorist)
Comments (1)
Russ Rogers (10:27 PM on Tue Jul 22, 2008)
I went and looked up [Google and Wikipedia] "Yggdrasil," the great Ash tree that joins the nine worlds. The name means "terrible steed." "Ygg" is "terrible" or "Yggr" is sometimes an epithet for Odin, "the Terrible One." So this is Odin's Horse. The horse part isn't because Odin uses Yggdrasil to travel from place to place, it's in reference to a myth where Odin HANGED himself from the tree for nine nights in order to gain knowledge of the ruins. Hmm, nine worlds joined by the tree, nine nights hung from the tree. I don't know what it means. But I like the drawing of Odin and his Ravens traveling the trunk and limbs.
It's interesting, Norse theology has Odin gaining knowledge, maybe "transcendent knowledge," hanging from a tree in a ritual sacrifice. Christian theology has Christ enduring suffering "hanging from the tree of Calvary." I'm not sure if the one story influenced the other. But there are parallels.
Do I always over-think stuff? Yeah.
Oh well. I love the strong sense of design, the simplicity and the grandeur of the big, double-page spreads, especially the building on the mountain on 13-14.
Anyway. Nice job. Keep hammering out the pages. I'm looking forward to next weeks installment and seeing how you may be blending Norse and Chinese myth.