The Norse gods
Thor and his hammer, cunning Loki, wise Odin: the gods of the Edda are strong, moody and know that Ragnarök awaits in the end. Here are eight figures from the North, with their myths and how they fight on the chessboard in the game.
Thor
In Norse mythology Thor is the god of thunder, a son of Odin and the earth goddess Jord. He defends Asgard and Midgard, the world of humans, against the giants. His weapon is the hammer Mjolnir, forged by dwarves, which returns to his hand after every throw. He crosses the sky in a chariot pulled by the goats Tanngnjost and Tanngrisnir. A famous tale tells how he went fishing with the giant Hymir and hooked the Midgard Serpent. At Ragnarok he kills the serpent, takes nine more steps and dies of its venom. Thursday is still named after him. In the game he becomes a straightforward attacker who strikes with thunder and hammer.
In the game: Rolling Thunder, Hammer Blow, Wrath of Thunder. All about Thor in the game
Freyja
Freyja belongs to the Vanir, one of the two families of gods in Norse mythology. Daughter of Njord and sister of Freyr, she stands for love, beauty and fertility, and also for magic. Her greatest treasure is the necklace Brisingamen. Her chariot is drawn by two cats, and with her feather cloak she can fly as a falcon. According to the Edda she receives half of the warriors who fall in battle, who come to her hall in the field of Folkvangr, while the other half goes to Odin. For her lost husband Od she weeps tears of red gold. In the game this becomes a wealth of favor and the power to bring fallen pieces back.
In the game: Brisingamen, Call of the Valkyries, Folkvangr. All about Freyja in the game
Loki
Loki is the son of the giant Farbauti and of Laufey, yet he lives among the Aesir. He is clever, changeable and unpredictable, often landing the gods in trouble and then getting them out again. In the shape of a mare he gave birth to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir, and a wager he made with dwarves led to the forging of Thor's hammer. With the giantess Angrboda he fathered the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent and Hel. Because he caused the death of Baldr, the gods bound him in a cave where venom drips onto him. At Ragnarok he fights against the gods. In the game he becomes a trickster who transforms pieces and makes them switch sides.
In the game: Shapeshift, Illusion, Betrayal. All about Loki in the game
Odin
Odin is the All-Father, chief of the Aesir and god of wisdom, poetry, war and death. He gave up one eye for a drink from Mimir's well, and to win the runes he hung for nine nights on the world tree Yggdrasil. Every day his ravens Huginn and Muninn, thought and memory, fly across the world and report everything back to him. He carries the spear Gungnir and rides the eight-legged horse Sleipnir. In Valhalla he gathers fallen warriors for Ragnarok, where he is finally swallowed by the wolf Fenrir. In the game this turns into powers that reward knowledge, foresight and quick moves.
In the game: Huginn and Muninn, Gungnir, Sleipnir. All about Odin in the game
Heimdall
Heimdall is the watchman of the gods. He lives in Himinbjorg at the end of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge that links Asgard with the world of humans, and keeps watch there against the giants. He needs less sleep than a bird, sees a hundred leagues by day and by night, and can hear grass growing in the earth and wool growing on sheep. The Edda calls him the son of nine mothers. When Ragnarok begins, he blows the Gjallarhorn so that all the gods will hear it. In the final battle Heimdall and Loki kill each other. In the game he becomes a protector who warns, moves pieces to safety and seals borders.
In the game: Gjallarhorn, Bifrost, Watch of the Sky. All about Heimdall in the game
Hel
Hel is the daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and the sister of the wolf Fenrir and the Midgard Serpent. Odin cast her into Niflheim and gave her power over the realm of the dead, which is also called Hel. All who die of sickness or old age come to her. The Edda describes her as half bluish black and half flesh-colored. When the god Baldr died, Hel promised to release him if everything in the world wept for him. A single giantess refused, and so Baldr stayed in her realm. In the game she becomes a cold ruler who banishes, freezes and calls the fallen back as ghosts.
In the game: Icy Grip, Army of the Dead, Fimbulwinter. All about Hel in the game
Sindri
In Norse mythology Sindri is not a god but a dwarf and a famous smith. In the Prose Edda the smith of this story is called Eitri, while many retellings name him Sindri. Loki bet his head with Sindri's brother Brokk that the dwarves could not forge treasures as fine as those made by the sons of Ivaldi. Sindri created the golden boar Gullinbursti, the ring Draupnir and the hammer Mjolnir, while Brokk worked the bellows. Loki stung Brokk in the shape of a fly, so the hammer's handle came out a little short. The gods still named Mjolnir the best treasure, and Loki lost the bet. In the game he becomes a smith who reforges and upgrades pieces.
In the game: Bellows, Gullinbursti, Forge Mjolnir. All about Sindri in the game
Surtr
In Norse mythology Surtr is not a god but a fire giant. According to the Edda he guards the border of Muspelheim, the blazing world of fire in the south, and carries a flaming sword. Muspelheim existed before the world was made, and the gods took its sparks to set the stars in the sky. At Ragnarok Surtr comes from the south with the sons of Muspell, and the bridge Bifrost breaks beneath them. He kills the god Freyr, who had once given his sword away, and then flings fire over the whole world. In the game he becomes a giant who burns pawns and sets the center of the board on fire.
In the game: Flying Sparks, Wall of Fire, World Fire. All about Surtr in the game
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