A culture that is respected across the cosmos, one that myths are based off and ballads sung.
The Asgardians of Marvel have established quite a reputation for themselves as some
of the galaxies fiercest warriors and most advanced civilizations.
So just a quick aside here, this cultural index will focus on the Asgardians as portrayed
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as opposed to the original comic materials as there are
a few significant differences in how close they resemble the real world mythology with
the MCU depictions having a more science fiction orientated approach.
Based off the Nordic Gods, or should I say it’s the other way around, they have a lot
of stories and history to draw from.
Also I’ll be looking at Asgard as it was before the events of Thor: Raganarok.
So the Asgardians, despite all their advanced technologies and powerful near-magics, shared
a deep connection with humanity, or at least they did at one point in their history.
It’s from them that we got our tales of Nordic lore as well as the very characters
themselves.
It’s unclear how Asgard came to exist but it is clearly of artificial design, either
forged by magic or science beyond current understanding.
But then again, isn’t magic simply science we cannot explain?
The Asgardians seem to think the two are intertwined and indistinguishable.
They are a space faring race, capable of travel across the cosmos in the same manner as any
other species of interstellar capacity, through the use of faster than light travel or the
cosmic highway of gates that we see in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, but what makes
them stand out is their access to the Bifrost, an guidable energy that forms bridges to other
areas along Yggdrasil.
Yggdrasil, or the World Tree is the name the Asgardians gave to this cosmic network of
energies and along its branches are the Nine Realms; areas of space separated by millions
of lightyears but part of this expansive web of thinner space.
Asgard sits atop the nine realms and has the easiest access to them all being home to a
natural mineral that conducts the energy of the Bifrost with ease.
The rainbow bridge is constructed of this material and there are still deposits of it
all over the highlands and caves of Asgard.
At the end of the bridge lies Himinbjorg, the outpost of Heimdall, the guardian of the
Bifrost.
Travel between the realms without the use of the Bifrost is possible, but requires either
a great deal of power to force an individual across, or utilising the remaining crystals,
the latter a risky method favoured by Loki.
The Asgardians see themselves as a strong but benevolent society founded on ideals of
peace and owe much of that image to their long time ruler, Odin Allfather.
Odin is the undisputed king of Asgard, which enforces a hereditary monarchy.
The King before Odin was his father Bor, and before that his father Buri and one day, Thor,
Odin’s son is to inherit the throne.
The Monarch has ultimate authority in Asgard and dictates the political and military state
of the realm.
The Einherjar is the Royal army of Odin and lead by a captain, Tyr who answers to the
Allfather.
With such long lifespans, seemingly immortal, though they’re not, it’s important for
a leader to be a good one.
Buri and Bor fought to maintain order over the nine realms, weather asked to or not is
now a moot point.
But Odin did not follow quite suit.
As Allfather, he led a campaign of conquest across the realms with his first born by his
side, Hela.
They subjugated many species that resisted and plundered wealth to supply Asgard, taking
note of powerful relics and confiscating them.
However, when the battles were spent and the realms bought to heel, Odin relented his assaults
and began to re-establish the Asgardians as the peacekeeping force they had been before.
To this end he banished Hela, who would not cease her killing, as befitting her role as
Goddess of Death.
This area of history is considered by Odin to a dark time and not talked about nor recorded
in any official record, which could be seen as a form of historical censorship or a necessary
step in preserving the integrity of society.
Either way it shows the unlimited power of which the monarchy of Asgard holds.
Odin’s reign is considered the Golden age of Asgard, literally with much of their architecture,
and their technology and development grew leaps and bounds, probably thanks to their
vast hoard of pilfered goods, but by the time of his second born, their roles as protectors
had been restored as can be seen when they fought off the frost-giants of Jotunheim to
protect the realm of Midgard, Earth in 965 AD.
Their near exclusive use of Yggdrasil means that Asgardians outside of the nine realms
are…
well, a rarity and many other species consider them to be almost as mythological as the humans
do.
Although there are chronicles and volumes detailing Asgard’s history and past, by
far the favoured method of passing along knowledge is by oration, storytelling.
One time battles become tales of deadly duels, wars become epic clashes between good and
evil and add to Asgard’s own sense of importance and grand splendour.
This creates a culture that can be obsessed with fulfilling the legacy left before them,
not realising that the legacy they are trying to recreate or fulfil is hyperbole.
Many Asgardians for this reason seek adventure and to test themselves, especially in their
youth before growing into their role.
Ah, so this is a strange one.
It seems for the most part, that an Asgardian is bound to a certain role, by notions of
honour, duty and fate.
With their long lifespans and strong belief in destiny, many Asgardians, such as Heimdall
have been occupying the same position for years, becoming established even in their
own culture as legendary characters.
All Asgardians are durable and many times stronger than a human, but some are born with
innate traits to channel certain powers or with certain abilities.
Perhaps a side effect of living alongside such cosmological powers as the World-Tree
or due to biological or technological feats.
Heimdall possesses a near-omnipresence of sight for example, or Thor and innate ability
to discharge massive electrical bursts.
A possible source for these powers could be the energies left to them by their forebears.
Odin’s strength comes from the odinforce, a recuperating energy said to be made from
the spirits of his ancestors, which he too will join upon death.
This spirituality clouds much of the science of their technology, giving rise to naming
conventions such as a “soulforge” for a device that can manipulate a body for medicinal
purposes.
Add this to the love of tales and you’ll end up hearing statements that sound implausible
but contain many elements of truth.
Such as, Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer being forged from the heart of a dying star.
Sounds majestic, and almost mystical but when analysed, reveals that it was made in Nidavellir,
a dwarf run Dyson ring-forge with the heat of a neutron star.
Boom, incredibly advanced science as magic.
As mentioned earlier, fate and destiny play a strong part in their culture with prophecy
being a central theme to their lives.
Many Asgardians believe that their life is mapped out for them and while the details
are up to them an inevitable outcome is fated.
Such a prophecy is that of Raganrok, the fall of Asgard at the hands of Surtur.
Such undesirable prophecies often prompt people, Odin included, to take actions to try to avert
them, such as locking away powerful relics that could threated Asgsard, imprisoning key
players or perhaps even, justification to start a bloody campaign across the realms.
When an Asgardian dies, they are given a burial on the water in what became known as nowadays
as a Viking burial.
However, their body eventually disintegrates into energy which then disperses, perhaps
to Yggdrasil or the Odinforce.
The release of spheres of light symbolises this ascent to Valhalla, the afterlife where
all noble heroes reside.
Asgard has a long history of storytelling through different mediums.
Tapestry, mosaic, sculpture, theatre, painting, the list goes on and one.
If it can be used to record, it is.
However, this heavy preference for artistic recording of events often leads to a skewed
interpretation, where as simple facts would record an event as is, a performance dramatizes
it.
This compounds the mythology of Asgard, even among its own people, but this is not really
considered to be a problem.
Many simply believe that the way a story is told, a wise parable, a raucous comedy is
more important than the tale itself, leading to an inaccurate blended history, but a damn
colourful one.
The clothing and craftwork that they employ is often as equally majestic as their architecture
described as “ancient modernism”.
The silhouette seems simple enough and some designs even minimalist at times but their
level of technology often means that they incorporate construction methods and materials
that are foreign to current understanding.
As seen by their dealings with Nidavellir, they too enjoy trade and commerce with other
cultures probably for practicality.
The Dwarves forge the best weapons, so we go to them.
Duh.
Due to this Asgardian technology is incredibly diverse and often tales of their creations
rival the deeds of the people, so it’s only natural that some creations receive grand
names of their own.
This storied history of Mjolnir for example, or Gungnir, Odin’s spear or …even the
mighty Des and Troy.
The Asgardians lust for adventure and love of a fight means that many of these tools
will be weapons, or at least the ones you hear about mostly anyway.
The Asgardians interaction with humanity, especially humanity’s view of them as godlike
seems to appeal to their sense of... well… vanity.
Many have adopted a moniker in addition to their name or role.
This naming convention seems to mirror their place in society and further cement their
permanent position, making an examination of their society near to that of a pantheon.
Odin, for his pursuit and hoarding of knowledge, the God of Wisdom.
His Daughter, Hela, Goddess of Death and executioner for his army.
Thor, the boisterous warrior with the ability to generate lightning, the God of Thunder.
His Brother, Loki a master illusionist, the Trickster God.
The captain of the Einherjar, Tyr, has taken the title of God of War, but this title in
particular seems to be assigned as both Odin and Lady Sif has served under this name.
Some however, do not flaunt their appointed, or self-appointed title, such as Frigga, who
the humans have labelled the Goddess of Foreknowledge and even named a day of the week after her.
So perhaps it’s less about Vanity and more closely tied to the notion that they are there
to fulfil a certain role, a promise and reminder to be more than just Asgardian.
Thanks for listening.
The magic inspired technology of Asgard is one of my favourite science fiction creations
as I’m a sucker for ancient lore and science fiction and here we have a blend of both.
I’d love to go into more specifics about various other topics so I’ll probably to
an index addendum at some point outside of the normal voting process.
Speaking of which, next videos choices are from the Gears of War Locust, or Star Trek’s
the Gorn because let’s get some bad guys up in here.
Leave a like on the appropriate comment to vote and thanks again for watching.
I’ll see you next time, goodbye!