Modern Superheroes and Ancient Mythologies: Part 1
The headline reads, “Heroes: Stephen Fry reveals how modern superhero stories have plundered ancient mythology.”
When I first read it, part of me was thrilled. I’m a sucker for this stuff, and I plan to grab a copy of the book out of the library in coming weeks.
But another part of me was cynical, responding with the adolescent, “Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.”
Since the Norse god Thor is part of the most popular team of superheroes in cinematic history, how could this be anything but dead obvious?
There are, for example, plenty of direct references to Norse, Greek and other myths in the world of comic books. Below are some examples:
Norse Myth
Aside from Thor in the Marvel Universe, there are various other examples of comic book heroes directly linked to Norse myths:
-> Valhalla comics: A Danish series published by Carlsen Comics and drawn by Peter Madsen. These are based on the stories and legends in the Elder Eddas.
-> Ragnarok: These are manhwa (like the better known manga) created by Lee Myung-jin and published by Daiwon C.I. in South Korea. The series mostly draws from Norse mythology.
-> Ink Pen: A syndicated comic strip that included, among other, the Norse gods Tyr and Hela.
-> Beowulf (DC Comics): A short-lived series that featured the hero of the famous epic poem Beowulf.
-> A whole slew of Marvel comics: These are often linked to the Thor, but they incorporate a wide range of other Norse gods and heroes.
-> A range of non-Marvel comics: Sure, the Norse god types tend agglomerate in Marvel, but there are various others. Take Ymir, for example. The frost giant (and first living creature in the universe) isn’t exactly a well known character in U.S. popular culture, yet there he is in variety comics, such as Zölasträya and the Bard, Master of the Void, DC, Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends, and Valhalla.
Greek and Roman Myth
-> Wonder Woman (DC): She is the best known of the Greek-myth based superheroes, and plenty of other Greek gods are woven into her books. She was created by the gods and has many of their virtues: “Beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, swifter than Hermes, and stronger than Hercules.”
-> Hercules (multiple): Hercules was originally a character out of Greek legend, where he was known as Heracles. Then he was incorporated into the Roman pantheon, where he went by the name most people are familiar with today. He has appeared in a range of comic books produced by different publishers, such as Charlton, Marvel, DC, Image and more.
-> Olympian gods (both Marvel and DC): This represents a hodgepodge of gods and heroes, most of them with Greco-Roman origins. Marvel has a group known as Olympians, while DC has assorted Greek and Roman gods incorporated into a variety of story lines, often in Wonder Woman narratives but finding their into other books such as Batwoman as well.
There are assorted superhero characters from other myths as well, especially Egyptian mythology.
So, it’s not exactly a revelation that superhero stories have plundered mythology. In fact, those mythologies probably live on in comic books and graphic novels more than in any part of today’s popular culture. (Though there are plenty of examples in video games, television, cinema and fiction. In fact, The Tollkeeper is in a long line of novels often referred to as mythic fiction).
The direct references in comic books are, of course, just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. If we look at the “inspired by” references, the list grows much longer. We’ll cover that topic in Part II of this three-part series.
Image from By Mårten Eskil Winge - at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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