Black Canary

Born into a family of crime fighters, Dinah Laurel Lance follows in their footsteps, assuming the costume and identity of her mother, the original Black Canary.

Origin:

The current Black Canary, Dinah Laurel Lance is the daughter of the former Black Canary and member of the Justice Society of America, Dinah Drake Lance and private eye Larry Lance. As a child, Dinah was inspired to be a crime-fighting heroine just like her mother and the other former JSA members whom she loved like aunts and uncles. Growing up, she developed the "Canary Cry" and with the help of numerous mentors, including the former JSA member Wildcat, she developed her fighting skills. Today, she is one of the world's most skilled fighters and a prominent member on her small team of crime-fighters, The Birds of Prey.    

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters

Starting with this three-issue miniseries, Dinah moved to Seattle with Green Arrow to start a new life, opening her own florist shop “Sherwood Florist”. Her move to Seattle, though, began a slow spiral downward in her life. Dinah had decided to join an operation to bust a drug ring, but failed. They kidnapped Dinah and proceeded to torturing her, causing her to lose her fertility and Canary Cry. Eventually Green Arrow would save her but Dinah would not be the same after this.

From then on, she started to attend extensive counseling, and was able to recover psychologically from the events. However, Dinah’s relationship with Ollie would take a turn for the worst. With years of trust issues having accumulated from being abandoned and walked out on several times by him and having learned of his fathering a son with Shado (albeit unwillingly) and taking money from her business, she finally broke off their relationship after she walked in on him kissing her young florist shop assistant.

She came pretty close to hitting rock bottom after learning of Green Arrows death from Connor Hawke who turned out to be yet another one of Oliver’s offspring. Although her life seemed to be spiraling out of control she continued to fight for justice.

Birds of Prey:

During Dinah’s downward spiral, Oracle (aka: Barbara Gordon) would ask Black Canary to work as an agent for her, and they would form the Birds Of Prey. When she began working with the Birds of Prey, she decided to get rid of the blond wig and bleach her hair blond. At first Dinah did not get along with Oracle, but eventually the two put their disagreements aside and became best friends, learning that they had so much in common. Later it was revealed during one of the early Birds of Prey issues that Dinah had been married to a man named Craig Windrow when she was very young, but divorced him soon after. Her ex-husband made an appearance in a Birds of Prey storyline where he was seeking her help but in fact, wanted her to return to him after he had stolen money from the mob. When Dinah began dating a European man who later turned out to be Ra's al Ghul, she was seriously injured and the only way to save her was to dip her into the Lazarus Pit. The Lazarus Pit would restore her meta-human ability in the “Canary Cry” and her fertility. 



AQUAMAN

Aquaman is the King of the Seven Seas and ruler of Atlantis. He is one of the founders of the Justice League of America and one of DC Comic's most recognized heroes.

Origin:

Young Arthur with his parents (Tom and Atlanna)According to his first origin story, Aquaman a.k.a. Arthur Curry was the son of Atlanna, an Atlantean princess banished from Atlantis due to her interest in and frequent visits to the surface world; and Tom Curry, a surface man and lighthouse keeper. One night, amidst a terrible storm, Tom Curry would find Atlanna thrown up on the shore by storm-tossed waves, and rescue her from harm. Both Curry and Atlanna made the lighthouse their home and developed a strong bond that would quickly lead to a sentimental relationship, which in turn, would later lead to the birth of Arthur Curry.   Tom Curry accepted his relationship with Atlanna, and though he always knew there was more to her than she would let on, he'd never ask her about her origins.  After Arthur was born, all of that became even more irrelevant as his presence there cemented the bond between the two.

Young Arthur was found by his father playing underwater two years after his birth after he had apparently been there for an hour without drowning.  Several years later, both Tom and Arthur himself would learn the truth about Atlanna's origins, as she would reveal that she came from the lost continent of Atlantis while she lay in her deathbed. Atlanna would also reveal to Arthur that he had inherited her ability to live and breathe underwater, as well as her power to communicate with and control all marine life.

After Atlanna's death, Arthur's father became determined to train him both physically and mentally so that he would one day be in complete control of his powers. Arthur was also taught by his father to view himself as someone special, as a savior of the oceans, as The King of the Seven Seas.

Aquaman, Later, after his father's death, Arthur Curry would leave the lighthouse which had been a home to him and his family for years, to venture into the oceans and find his true destiny. He would later become the king of Atlantis and marry Mera, a visitor from an other-dimensional water-world known as Xebel. He would also take young Aqualad under his wing and fight the forces of evil side by side with the occasional help of his wife, Mera.

Flash!

Known as the "Scarlet Speedster" or "The Fastest Man Alive", the mantle of The Flash has been donned by five different heroes over the years; Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, Jesse Chambers and Bart Allen have all served as the Flash.

Bart Allen
Bart first appeared in full in Flash volume 2 issue 92 in July of 1994, having previously appeared briefly at the end of issue 91. He was created by writer Mark Waid and artist  Mike Wieringo.  

Bart's life flashes by, Born to  Don Allen and  Meloni  Thawne, the fourth Flash,  Bart Allen, actually hails from the future, unlike the other Flashes before him. In his time, the 31st Century, Bart's father and Aunt Dawn were killed by the Dominators when they took over the planet. They then captured Bart but luckily he was saved before any harm could come to him. Being born with super-speed, Bart suffered from a hyper-metabolism and aged at an exponentially increasing rate. Traveling with his grandmother, Iris West, Bart went to the past and met Wally West, the third Flash, who was able to help stabilize Bart's metabolism and stop his aging at roughly 14 years old.

Gaining experience and Young Justice
Bart was actually mentored greatly by Max Mercury and Wally West. Bart served as Impulse instead of Kid Flash for a time due to his immaturity. While Impulse, Bart founded Young Justice alongside Robin and Superboy, with Wonder Girl soon joining afterwards. The group disbanded after the deaths of Omen and Donna Troy, which they found themselves to be partially at fault for. 

New Teen Titans and Kid Flash
Bart and the others were recruited by Cyborg to become a part of the new Teen Titans. On the team's first mission Impulse is attacked by Deathstroke and undergoes surgery for a destroyed kneecap. Recovering quickly due to his rapid healing, Bart emerges a 'year' (to Bart, not even actually a day) of self-exile in the public library as Kid Flash. Bart grew very close to his teammates and was there when things started to go nuts during Infinite Crisis.

After Superboy-Prime attacked Conner Kent (Superboy) in Smallville and injured or killed many Teen Titans, Bart joined with Flashes Wally West and Jay Garrick to stop the rampage of Superboy-Prime, by running him at top speed into the Speed Force. Jay reached his limit before entering the Speed Force and Wally turned into energy and vanished, leaving Bart alone with Superboy-Prime. Barry Allen, Johnny Quick and Max Mercury, all of whom had previously been absorbed into the Speed Force, appeared and aided Bart. After taking Superboy-Prime into the Speed Force, Barry told Bart that "Wally is waiting for you". After they disappeared, Jay claimed that the Speed Force was gone.

Bart spent four years in an alternate reality's Keystone City, with Max, Barry, Wally, and an alternate version of Jay Garrick. There Superboy-Prime managed to escape from his prison, and the alternate Jay failed to stop him. All the speedsters rallied together to return to their dimension so they could warn everyone about Superboy-Prime. However, they knew that not even the fastest men alive could get there before the insane Boy of Steel. Barry suggested to Wally that he somehow absorb the entire Speed Force, but cautioned that it might kill him. Bart bravely volunteered, because Wally had his family to think of, and Barry was incapable of it because he was already dead. Wally handed him the ring and Barry gave Bart his Flash suit, which would both help Bart survive his journey.

Evolution to becoming the Flash, Bart reappeared in Tokyo wearing his grandfather's costume. He later helped the heroes against the army of escaped super-villains in the Battle of Metropolis. Bart then explained to the nearby  Wonder Girl that his grandfather's uniform was the only thing that could survive the trip back from where he had been, and that he was the only one there "who could still run". Bart then unleashed his anger against Superboy-Prime for killing Conner Kent, pummeling him at super-speed and forcing Superboy to retreat from the battle.   

Bart would become the Flash when Jesse Chambers lost her powers, but not for long. He would die at the hands of his Rogues, in a plan orchestrated by Bart's evil twin Inertia.     

Return of Bart Allen
During the Legion of Three-World's event, Bart Allen was resurrected by the Legion of Superheroes. During Superboy Prime's assault, Bart returned as Kid Flash, alongside his old pal Superboy, just in time to help save the day. Bart then returned to the present in his teenage form and decided to remain Kid Flash. When Barry Allen returned, Bart was initially angry that Max Mercury did not escape the Speed Force as well, as he felt no real connection to Barry but in many ways considered Max to be like a father to him. This didn't stop Bart from helping out Barry in his time of need though, as Professor Zoom returned to haunt the Flash family once more. Through the course of events that would form a Flash family rebirth, Max indeed did return, much to Bart's delight. The united forces of the various speedsters then pooled together to stop Zoom once more. Not long after, Bart rejoined the Teen Titans in their time of need, aiding the team in Dakota and in the process becoming a full time member again.

Green Arrow

An Archer Superhero, dressed in a manner similar to Robin Hood, who fights crime with specialized trick arrows.

Green Arrow was originally created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941. Along with his sidekick Speedy, Green Arrow was essentially treated as a more light-hearted version of Batman. Idle millionaire Oliver Queen found himself stranded on a desert island, and taught himself archery to survive. Eventually, criminals came to the island. He used his archery skills to defeat them, and decided to keep fighting crime as a hobby. Shortly after beginning his career, Green Arrow met Roy Harper, an orphan who'd been raised by a Native American mentor on an isolated mesa. The boy was even faster with the bow than GA, and picked up the name "Speedy.

While never a major hit in The Golden Age of Comic Books, Green Arrow and Speedy sold decently, and were members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, DC Comics' second superhero team. After World War Two, the pair was moved to Adventure Comics along with Aquaman. As pet characters of editor Mort Weisinger, they were published continuously as backups to the Superboy feature all the way from 1946 to 1960. GA and Speedy then jumped to World's Finest until 1964. During this time period, Green Arrow changed very little, sticking to short, fun stories in which he used trick arrows to thwart criminals and save lives. Perhaps the best remembered stories are the short run in 1958 by Jack Kirby.

In 1969, however, artist Neal Adams gave Ollie a new costume and his now-trademark forked beard. Inspired by this striking new look, writer Dennis O'Neil followed this up with a storyline in which Oliver Queen lost his money. A few nights on the street, dealing with the social services net from the bottom, radically altered Green Arrow's politics. From (at best) a "limousine liberal", Green Arrow became an outspoken champion of the poor and oppressed, advocating progressive social policies as a cross between Robin Hood and Abbie Hoffman. Also around this time, Green Arrow became romantically linked to Black Canary, at that time an immigrant from Earth-Two.

Green Arrow was then teamed up with Green Lantern Hal Jordan in a series of socially relevant stories in which the "by-the-book" Hal and "plays by his own rules" Ollie deal with issues like racism, political corruption, pollution and overpopulation. Speedy had not been seen adventuring with his mentor in some time and this was made a plot point when it was revealed that Green Arrow's neglect had allowed Roy to become addicted to heroin. He recovered from this with help from Black Canary.

After some years of being teamed with Green Lantern or appearing in back-up stories, in 1983 Green Arrow got his own mini-series for the first time. It sold decently, but was not followed up until 1987. As part of its new "mature readers" line, DC gave writer/artist Mike Grell the chance to reinvent Green Arrow again in The Longbow Hunters mini-series, followed by an ongoing series. Some radical changes were made, moving GA from the fictional Star City to Seattle, discarding the trick arrows for the most part, removing Black Canary's sonic scream and generally avoiding the more comic-booky elements of The DCU. This series also became notorious for the scene in which the assassin Shado rapes Oliver Queen, though it was mistakenly referred to as an affair by other writers in the years to follow.

After Grell left the series, it was reintegrated with the rest of the DCU just before Zero Hour. After Oliver Queen was forced to kill his best friend Hal Jordan as a part of that crisis, Oliver retreated once more to the Buddhist ashram where he went once before after accidentally killing someone.

It was here that a new character was introduced - an idealistic young monk and Green Arrow fanboy named Connor Hawke. Connor was later revealed to be Ollie's child by a previous relationship. Shortly after learning of their relationship, Oliver Queen died in a plane explosion. He gave his life to save the city of Metropolis and Connor became the new Green Arrow. Roy Harper, meanwhile, had become the superhero Arsenal. Connor joined the Justice League for a time but eventually sought the peace of the ashram once more. While there, he had visions which told him that his father was still alive.

The Green Lantern

What is a Green Lantern?
A Green Lantern is an officer of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. Most famous of the Green Lanterns are those who patrolled Earth, including Hal Jordan and Alan Scott.

A Green Lantern is equipped with an item that is regarded as one of the most powerful weapons in the DC Universe, called a Green Power Ring. The Power Ring enables its bearer to manifest their thoughts into hard-light constructs and other various properties only limited by the ring's amount of power and the user's willpower and imagination. The Power Ring is based on advanced technology rather than having its power magically derived.

Mainly, the ring is used for anti-gravity, to unleash torrents of energy, to translate alien dialects and to create hard-light constructs of any shape or complexity. Though, in the past, it has been unable to affect yellow-colored objects, this impurity has been overridden by Hal Jordan's power of will.

The ring must be periodically charged by contact with a Power Battery (a.k.a. Lantern) which in turn draws energy from the Guardians Of The Universe' Central Power Battery on the planet Oa, the central headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps at the center of the universe.

Oath of the Green Lantern:
Though not necessary, many Green Lanterns recite an oath while re-charging their Green Power Ring.  Some believe it aids them in re-affirming their strength of will.  Recitation of the Oath takes an approximate equal amount of time required to recharge the ring.  The most common oath used is as follows:

In brightest day, 

In blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight,

Let those who worship evil's might,

Beware my power!

Green Lantern's light.

The Green Lanterns of Earth:
While the title of Green Lantern is bestowed upon anyone in the Green Lantern Corps there are several superheroes associated with the Earth in the DC Universe (and the sector designated as sector 2814).

Alan Scott
Alan Scott was the original Green Lantern, and unlike the others his title had nothing to do with the Corps. His powers are derived from a magical artifact called the Starheart rather than the advanced technology that makes up the Power Ring. Alan originally came from a parallel version of Earth known as Earth-2. 

Hal Jordan
The first Green Lantern of DC's mainstream continuity's Earth, Hal Jordan was given his power ring by the dying Lantern Abin Sur when his spaceship crashed on Earth. Hal Jordan would be the first human Green Lantern of sector 2814. His first appearance was in Showcase #22 in 1959.

John Stewart
John Stewart was chosen to become the Green Lantern of Earth after Hal Jordan gave up his position and Guy Gardner was injured.

Guy Gardner
When Abin Sur's spaceship crash-landed on Earth his Power-Ring logged Guy Gardner away as a "backup" Green Lantern of Earth. Guy became a full-fledged Green Lantern after John Stewart. 

Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner was selected by Ganthet to be the Green Lantern of Earth after Hal Jordan was infected by the demon Parallax. For a short time he played the role of Ion, but has since then become a regular Green Lantern.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood was a Saxon noble, living near the castle of Nottingham. By various means he was forced into a life of banditry, using his cunning and skill-at-arms to relieve bishops, nobles, and servants of the king of gold and jewels levied from the oppressed peasants. Robin collected a band of supporters, his "Merry Men" around him, dressed in green. The members that never cease to appear are Robin himself, Maid Marian, Little John, and Friar Tuck. Along with being a middle-ages Communist, Robin spends his time fighting the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham, and, ultimately, King John, who had usurped the throne from the rightful King, Richard I (Coeur de Lion or Lionheart).

Prometheus

Prometheus was the Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel who was entrusted with the task of molding mankind out of clay. His attempts to better the lives of his creation brought him into direct conflict with Zeus. Firstly he tricked the gods out of the best portion of the sacrificial feast, acquiring the meat for the feasting of man. Then, when Zeus withheld fire, he stole it from heaven and delivered it to mortal kind hidden inside a fennel-stalk. As punishment for these rebellious acts, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora (the first woman) as a means to deliver misfortune into the house of man, or as a way to cheat mankind of the company of the good spirits. Prometheus meanwhile, was arrested and bound to a stake on Mount Caucasus where an eagle was set to feed upon his ever-regenerating liver (or, some say, heart). Generations later the great hero Heracles came along and released the old Titan from his torture.

Medusa

The Medusa was an ugly creature. Let's have a look at how she came into existance, for she wasn't always that ugly... Again, the Gods played their role.

The Medusa was the daughter of Phorkys and Keto, the children of Gaia (Earth) and Okeanos (Ocean). She was one of the three sisters known as the Gorgons. The other two sisters were Sthenno and Euryale. Medusa was the only mortal out of the three. She was once very beautiful and lived far in the north were the sun didn't visit. Being very curious, she wanted to see the sun, and asked the Goddess Athena for permission to visit the south. Athena refused to allow her to visit. The medusa got angry and dared to say that Athena hadn't given her permission because she was jealous of her beauty. That was it; Athena was angered and punished her by turning her hair into snakes and cursing her by making her so ugly that whoever looks her in the eyes would turn into stone.

OR

Medusa, originally a beautiful young woman whose crowning glory was her magnificent long hair, was desired and courted by many suitors. Yet before she could be betrothed to a husband, Poseidon (Neptune) found her worshipping in the temple of Athena (Minerva) and ravished her. Athena was outraged at her sacred temple being violated, and punished Medusa by turning her beautiful tresses into snakes and giving her the destructive power to turn anyone who looked directly at her into stone.

OR

During the time of Ancient Greece; there was a priestess named Medusa. Medusa was so ravishing that she was wanted by every man in Greece. She couldn’t get married because she was a priestess of Athena (Goddess of war); known as the Virgin goddess. She is so beautiful she is beyond the reach of any male desire. Servants were virgins and were devoted to the Goddess’ service. Medusa started as a symbol of purity. Poseidon, (God of sea) in a fit of raw lust, ravages the virgin priestess. She runs to the temple of Athena looking for help but there Poseidon takes her virginity and in turn desecrates the sacredness of the temple. She was no longer eligible for ordinary mirage or service to the Goddess. Athena curses her; angry about Medusa having sex on the floor of her temple. Now her curse prevents her from having anymore contact with the outside world. She kills people with a mere look. Medusa was then banished to a secluded island.



Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull, Lakota Medicine Man and Chief was considered the last Sioux to surrender to the U.S. Government.
In the early 1850s, the Lakota (Sioux) had begun to feel the pressure of the white expansion into the Western United States. Sitting Bull did not participate in the resistance until 1863 when the settlers threatened the Hunkpapa hunting grounds. He had distinguished himself from an early age as a leader, killing his first buffalo at ten and "counting coup" (touching the enemy without their knowing) at fourteen. Because of his leadership during these times he was named principle chief of the Teton Sioux Nation in 1867.
Although the war with the whites ended with the treaty of Ft. Laramie in 1868, the discovery of gold in the Black Hills which was sacred to the tribe caused continued tensions.

After participating in the Sun Dance Ceremony, Sitting Bull had a vision in which he saw his people victorious over the white soldiers who had been sent to protect the gold prospectors. Just weeks later, General George Armstrong Custer and a regiment of the seventh cavalry attacked the seven bands of the Lakota Nation along with several families of the Cheyenne and Arapaho. The attack was clearly in violation of their treaty. Precisely as Sitting Bull had seen in his vision, every white soldier was killed that day at Big Horn along with a few Native Americans. Following the success of the battle, Sitting Bull and his followers headed for Canada.

After the paticularly harsh winter of 1881, Sitting Bull, and those of his group who were still with him, finally gave themselves up to the American army. Sitting Bull was held prisoner for two years before he was moved to the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. In 1885, officials released him and he joined the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and toured throughout Europe.

Sitting Bull remained a powerful force among his people, and upon his return to the U.S. would counsel the tribal chiefs who greatly valued his wisdom.

Shortly after his return, the federal government again wanted to break up the tribal lands. They persuaded several "government appointed chiefs" to sign an agreement, whereby the reservation was to be divided up and subsequently distributed among the tribal members. Missing from the list of recipients was Sitting Bull's name. Jealousy and fighting among the Lakota eventually led to his death. It was reported that he was murdered by tribal police who had been sent to arrest him.

 

Valkyries

In Norse mythology the Valkyries are dísir, minor female deities, who served Odin. The Valkyries' purpose was to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle and to carry them off to Valhalla where they became einherjar (lone fighters). This was necessary because Odin needed warriors to fight at his side at the preordained battle at the end of the world, Ragnarök. In Valhalla the Valkyries also "serve drink and look after the tableware and drinking vessels". It appears, however, that there was no clear distinction between the Valkyries and the Norns. Skuld is for instance both a Valkyrie and a Norn, and in the Darraðarljóð, the Valkyries weave the web of war. Odin sends the Valkyries to every battle. They allot death to men and govern victory. Gunn and Rota [two Valkyries] and the youngest Norn, called Skuld, always ride to choose who shall be slain and to govern the killings.

In modern art, the Valkyries are sometimes depicted as beautiful shieldmaidens on winged horses, armed with helmets and spears. However, Valkyrie horse was a kenning for wolf, so contrary to the stereotype; they did not ride winged horses. Their mounts were rather the packs of wolves that frequented the corpses of dead warriors. They were gruesome and war-like.

Whereas the wolf was the Valkyrie's mount, the Valkyrie herself appears to be akin to the raven, flying over the battlefield and "choosing" corpses. Thus, the packs of wolves and ravens that scavenged the aftermath of battles may have been seen as serving a higher purpose.

The armor of the Valkyries sheds a strange flickering light, which flashes up over the northern skies, making what men call
                                              the 'Aurora Borealis', or 'Northern Lights'.

Frigg

Frigg (also spelled Frigga), in Norse mythology, the chief goddess, wife of the principal god Odin. Her name means "wife" or "beloved," and she was the goddess of marriage, associated with love and fertility. One of her sons was the beloved but doomed god Balder. In the heavenly realm of Asgard, Frigg lived in a magnificent palace called Fensal. She sometimes dressed in the plumage of falcons and hawks, and she could also travel in the form of these birds. She had 11 maidservants: Fulla, Hlin, Gna, Lofn, Vjofn, Syn, Gefjon, Snotra, Eir, Var, and Vor, who helped the goddess in her role as goddess of marriage and justice. They are sometimes considered to be various aspects of Frigg herself rather than distinct beings.

In both the 'Poetic (or Elder) Edda' and the 'Prose (or Younger) Edda' Frigg is named as Odin's wife and as the mother of the Aesir. As Odin's wife she was the highest of the Asynjur, the female deities in the Norse pantheon. Although Frigg loved Odin, she was known to have had an occasional affair. Odin was not a faithful husband, either; Frigg's rivals included Rind, Gunnlod, and Grid. Frigg was also a seeress who knew the future but never spoke of it, not even to Odin, though he knew she had this power. Frigg is not mentioned at length in the surviving literature. Her most prominent role is in the story of the death of Balder.

After her son Balder began to have dreams that he was in great peril, Frigg traveled everywhere on Earth, asking everything in the world not to harm her son. Once these pledges were made, the gods began to amuse themselves by throwing weapons and shooting arrows at him for sport, since anything they hurled at him would simply be deflected. But Loki, the trickster-fire god, deceived Frigg into confiding that she had excepted a young sprig of mistletoe from taking the vow. Loki immediately went out and gathered a shaft of mistletoe, took it back to the assembly where the gods were still entertaining themselves by hurling things at Balder, and tricked the blind god Hod into hurling it at Balder, who was immediately killed.

Frigg is believed to have originated as a much older, widely worshiped Earth Mother goddess, identified as Jorth (also spelled Jorth or Iord), Fjorgyn, or Nerthus. In the 'Prose Edda', Frigg is identified as the daughter of Fjorgyn (also spelled Fiorgvin, Fjorgvin, or Fiorgyn). Frigg is sometimes also confused with the goddess Freya--both are deities of love and fertility. Other goddesses, about whom almost nothing is known, are also identified with Frigg, including some of those named as her servants: Gefjon, Hlin, Saga, and Eir. The Romans associated Frigg with Venus. Frigg appears in Richard Wagner's operatic cycle 'The Ring of the Nibelungs' as the goddess Fricka, wife of the highest god, Wotan (the Germanic version of Odin)



Thor's Children



Magni-(The Powerful) Norse son of Thor and Jarnsaxa, possessed of more physical strength than all the Gods except perhaps Thor. His fate will be to survive Ragnarok and, with his brother Modi, drag Thor's Hammer Mjollnir to the meadows where survivors will gather to rebuild the world.



Thrud-(Power/Strength) A Valkyrie who serves ale to the Einheriar in Valhalla. Norse daughter of Thor and Jarnsaxa. Some of the gods had promised to marry her to the dwarf Alvis, if he would forge weapons for them. Thor, however, did not like this arrangement and felt that a dwarf made an inappropriate son-in-law. He therefore devised a test of knowledge to prevent this marriage. Alvis had to prove that his great wisdom made up for his small stature. Thor prolonged the test until sunrise and Alvis, still caught up in the test, was touched by the rays of the sun and was turned to stone.

Modi-(The Brave) Norse son of Thor and Jarnsaxa, Patron of Berserkers and the battle-mad. His fate is to survive Ragnarok and, with his brothers' help, drag Thor's Hammer Mjollnir to the meadows where survivors will gather to rebuild the world.





Sif



Sif is the Norse Goddess of the grain, who is a prophetess, and the beautiful golden-haired wife of Thor. She is a swan-maiden, like the Valkyries, and can take that form.

By her first marriage to the Giant Orvandil, Sif had a son named Ullr ("the Magnificent"), who is a god of winter and skiing. By Her second husband Thor, She had a daughter, Thrudr ("Might"), a Goddess of storm and clouds and one of the Valkyries, and two sons, Magni ("Might") and Modi ("Anger" or "The Brave"), who are destined to survive Ragnarok and inherit Mjollnir from Thor (though some say the Giantess Jarnsaxa "Iron Sword" is their mother).

Sif is famous for her very long, very golden hair. One night, Loki, who just couldn't resist a little chaos and mischief, snuck into her chamber and chopped it all off. A sobbing and horrified Sif went straight to her husband, who in His rage started breaking Loki's bones, one by one, until finally He swore to make the situation right. So he went to the dwarves and persuaded them to make a new head of magic hair for Sif from pure gold. The new head of golden hair was given to Sif, where it magically grew from Her head just as if it were natural. Her golden hair is said to represent the wheat of summer that is shorn at harvest-time.



THOR

The son of Odin and Jord; the Earth Goddes. Thor was the strongest of the Aesir, the collective name for the principal race of Norse Gods; they who lived in Asgard, and with the All-Father Odin, ruled the lives of mortal men, Known as the God of Thunder, his hall is Bilskirnir, which Is located in the region Thrudheim (A Place Of Might). Thor married the golden-haired Sif, a Goddess of Fertility. He kept a mistress named Jarnsaxa (The Iron Cutless), with whom he had two sons, Magni and Mosi and his daughter is Thrud.

Thor was usually portrayed as a large, powerful man with a red beard, flowing hair, hearty enjoyment of food and drink and eyes of lightening. Despite his ferocious appearance, he was very popular as the protector of both Gods and Humans against the forces of evil. He even surpassed his father Odin in popularity because, contrary to Odin, he did not require human sacrifices. In his temple as Uppsala he was shown standing with Odin at his right side. They say Thor presides over the air; he governs the Thunder and Lightning, the Winds and Rains, Fair Weather and Crops. If a plague and famine threaten, a libation is poured to the Idol Thor.

The Norse believed that during a Thunderstorm, Thor rode through the heavens on his shariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni (Gap-Tooth) and Tanngnost (Tooth Grinder). Lightning flashed whenever he threw his hammer Mjollnir. Mjollnire (That Smashes) was made for him by the dwarfs Brok and Eitri, who made many magical objects for the Gods. Thor wears the belt Meginghard which doubles his already considerable strength. His greatest enemy is Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent. At the day of Ragnarok, Thor will kill this serpent but will die for its poison. His sons will inherit his hammer after his death. Ragnarok (Doom of the Gods), also called Gotterdammerung, means the end of the cosmos in Norse mythology.

Thor was very well-known for his quick and hot temper. This was often vented on the Giants, the main enemies of the Gods. Thor would smash their heads with his mighty hammer Mjollnir. To wield this awesome weapon he needed iron gloves and a belt of strength. Mjollnir would return to Thor’s hand after being thrown and was symbolic of lightning.

Thor was foremost of the Gods to the common man, who would call on him to ensure Fertility, and widely worshiped. Hammer shaped amulets, a symbol of Thor because it was his weapon, were worn about the neck well into the Christianization of Scandinavia. There are molds from that time which contain both cross and hammer shapes, side by side. His name occurs in numerous place names, and it was his statue which was central in the great temple at Uppsala. He was associated by the Romans with Jupiter. Donar was an early version of Thor among the early Germans. The Anglo-Saxons worshiped a Thunder God named Thunor.

Thor has lived on, not as a part of any religion, but on our weekly calendar. Thursday (Thor’s Day) was derived from this mighty God.

Poseidon

Poseidon was the God of the seas and (widely known as the "Earth-Shaker") of earthquakes.  He was also the ruler of Atlantis. In Roman mythology, he was known as Neptune. He was integrated into the Olympian gods as the brother of Zeus and Hades, generally considered the second most powerful God after Zeus. Poseidon and Amphitrite, a nymph and ancient sea-goddess and daughter of Oceanus, had many children including Triton, messenger of the sea and herald to Amphitrite, Theseus, the cyclops Polyphemus, and Orion the giant master hunter. He was the patron god of many important sea-faring cities, and was widely prayed for safe voyages, for he could quickly send a tempest to destroy those who disrespected him.

Like his brother Zeus, Poseidon was known for having many human lovers. His consort was Amphitrite, a nymph and ancient sea-goddess, daughter of Nereus and Doris. A mortal woman named Tyro was married to Cretheus (together they had one son, Aeson) but loved Enipeus, a river god. She pursued Enipeus, who refused her advances. One day, Poseidon, filled with lust for Tyro, disguised himself as Enipeus, and from their union were born the heroes Pelias and Neleus, twin boys. Poseidon also had an affair with Alope, his granddaughter through Cercyon, his son and King of Eleusis, begetting the Attic hero Hippothoon. Cercyon had his daughter buried alive but Poseidon turned her into the spring, Alope, near Eleusis. Poseidon was the father of many heroes. He is thought to have fathered the famed Theseus. Poseidon rescued Amymone from a lecherous satyr and then had a child with her; Nauplius. Not all of Poseidon's children were human. In an archaic myth, Poseidon once pursued Demeter. She spurned his advances, turning herself into a mare so that she could hide in a herd of horses; he saw through the deception and became a stallion and captured her. Their child was a horse, Arion, which was capable of speaking. Poseidon also had sex with Medusa on the floor of a temple to Athena. Medusa got changed into a monster by Athena. When she was later beheaded by the hero Perseus, Chrysaor and Pegasus emerged from her neck. There is also Triton, the merman; Polyphemus, the cyclops; finally, Alebion and Bergion and Otos and Ephialtae, the giants.

In his benign aspect, Poseidon was seen as creating new islands and offering calm seas. When offended or ignored, he supposedly struck the ground with his trident and caused chaotic springs, earthquakes, drownings and shipwrecks. Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage, sometimes drowning horses as a sacrifice; in this way, according to a fragmentary papyrus, Alexander the Great paused at the Syrian seashore before the climacteric battle of Issus, and resorted to prayers, "invoking Poseidon the sea-god, for whom he ordered a four-horse chariot to be cast into the waves.”

Poseidon was a son of Cronus and Rhea. In most accounts he is swallowed by Cronus at birth but later saved, with his other brothers and sisters, by Zeus. However in some versions of the story, he, like his brother Zeus, did not share the fate of his other brother and sisters who were eaten by Cronus. He was saved by his mother Rhea, who concealed him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which she gave to Cronus to devour. The kourotrophos, or nurse of Poseidon was Arne, who denied knowing where he was, when Cronus came searching; Poseidon was raised by the Telchines on Rhodes, just as Zeus was raised by the Korybantes on Crete. According to a single reference in the Iliad, when the world was divided by lot in three, Zeus received the sky, Hades the underworld and Poseidon the sea. Poseidon has a home in Aegae.

Poseidon and Apollo, having offended Zeus, were sent to serve King Laomedon of Troy. He had them build huge walls around the city and promised to reward them well, a promise he then refused to fulfill. In vengeance, before the Trojan War, Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack Troy (it was later killed by Heracles).

Archangels of God



The Archangels – Marshals of the Divine Host

The powerful immortals known as the archangels (sometimes called The Seraphim) were once servants of the gods, who gained their independence, a stronghold, and a small host of servant angels of their own as a reward in their endless efforts against the primordials at the Dawn of Creation. The archangels do not usually serve only one god, but divinity as a whole. They do favor, however, deities who are good or at least cooperative.

·         Gabriel is the Grand Herald of the gods, and the most powerful of the Archangels. He is also responsible for selecting souls for birth, and has influence on the lunar tides and waters of the world.

   ·         Raphael is a healer and sage, and it is said that for those who come to his fortress he either heals any injury or answer any question.

·         Michael is a warrior of great strength and has an inspiring personality, and he is said to have never lost a battle. Many titan lords and even a few primordials fell to his powerful sword.

      ·         Uriel is an introverted mystic, and he rarely stays in his stronghold, instead wandering the planes searching for signs of the ‘end of the world’. When that time comes, it is said that he will be responsible for gathering all existence for some form of Final Judgement. Rumor holds that Uriel also has the power to bring final death to immortal souls.

·         Samael is a loner and mercenary, and has few contacts to the other archangels. His tactical skill is valued by many deities, and he serves them willingly for the right price and as long as elemental creatures get hurt in the way. His army is a small squadron of powerful immortals with unique powers.  Samael is also known as a “fallen angel”, equitable with Satan and the chief of the evil spirits. One of Samael’s greatest roles is that of the angel of death. In this capacity he is a fallen angel but nevertheless remains one of the Lord’s servants.

Most of the time, the archangels follow their own agendas, but when the Astral Powers are threatened, they join their powers to crush their foes. Traditionally, Samael is not seen as a part of The Seraphim by the other four, but when need arises, they call upon him and his tactical genius.