The God of Thunder is the most popular (and badass) of the Norse gods, which is why comic books and feature films starring Thor have such a huge fan base. In addition to Thor, Norse lore has given us Beowulf and the Vikings, plus dwarves, giants, shape-shifters and a mysterious god born of nine mothers. No one can accuse the Nordic culture of lacking imagination. Norse mythology is circular in structure, starting with the creation of the cosmos and ending with the downfall of the cosmos at Ragnarok before starting again with creation.
Norse mythology is in the public domain and not as over-saturated in the market as most. Marvel has done a tremendous job introducing Thor to today’s audiences, but there are many other gods, legends and characters who populate the mythology that are ripe for adaptation. Whether as a Marvel spin-off or as a new franchise at another studio, Norse mythology still has much more to offer. In honor of Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World, coming out this Friday, SSN considers a selection of characters from Norse mythology who we think deserve their turn in the spotlight.
Freja
She’s the goddess of love, fertility, battle and death. Her father was Njörd, the sea god. Pigs were sacred to her; she rode a boar with golden bristles. She also enjoyed riding a chariot drawn by cats. Freyja traveled the world looking for a lost husband and weeping tears of gold.
SSN Insight: Freja might sound a little sad but imagine her as a passionate warrior-queen on a quest to find her lost love. “Weeping tears of gold” sounds pretty cinematic, and since Angelina Jolie is now into the directing game, maybe she could take the helm and deliver a Freja who is tough, complex and fearless on the battlefield.
Idun
As the goddess associated with eternal youthful, Idun’s powers should go over well with most of us not-so-youthful. She’s the wife of Bragi, the god of poetry, and the possessor of magic apples that bestowed eternal youth on the gods. But through the cunning of Loki, she and her apples were taken by the giant Thiassi to the realm of the giants. Thus deprived of the magic apples, the gods quickly started to grow old. The gods forced Loki to rescue Idun, which he did by turning himself into a falcon and Idun into a nut (or, by some reports, a sparrow), and flying off with her in his claws.
SSN Insight: There’s a lot of conflict going on here, and you can imagine the tension in the audience when the gods start to rapidly age. Seriously, Idun could be spun as an all-powerful sorceress who must take heed not to abuse her power. The fact that Loki, who is usually thought of as evil, comes to her rescue is an interesting twist. Charlize Theron or Halle Berry could be commanding as the goddess of eternal youth, and you could even introduce a little chemistry between Idun and Loki to keep it interesting—and spawn a sequel.
Loki
Tom Hiddleston is great as Loki in the Thor flicks, turning him into a character deserving of his own spinoff. Loki is the time-traveling god of mischief, madness and evil who was adopted by Odin and grew up as Thor’s brother. In some tales he’s pure evil, and in others, he’s more of a trickster god. Loki caused the death of the god Balder, an act that led to his being bound to rock as punishment.
SSN Insight: If it’s not Hiddleston cast in the role, some time might need to pass before audiences are ready for a new Loki. Still, turn him into a complex anti-hero and you could even infuse his tale with a bit of dark humor. If you really want to go outside the box, get Tim Burton and Johnny Depp to team up yet again to create a creepy yet comical trickster god.
Odin
Odin is the one-eyed wisdom seeker, the Allfather of the gods and ruler of Asgard. He’s also the father of Thor (Anthony Hopkins is filling those shoes in the Marvel movies).
SSN Insight: Thor gets all the attention, but what about an origin story with a young Odin; he is the Allfather, after all. It could be a prequel to Thor, and a plum role for an up-and-coming actor. Odin’s quest to possess knowledge at any cost got him into some dicey situations (that led to his losing an eye), and audiences love a character who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
Skaoi/Skadi
She’s the giantess who took up arms to avenge the death of Thjazi, her father. Skadi is a huntress and dark magician, and after a short-lived union with a homely god that didn’t work out, she had several sons with Odin. She’s also the goddess of winter, and the one responsible for placing the serpent that drips venom onto Loki while he’s bound to a rock (see above).
SSN Insight: Audiences seek out female-driven action films, and they would flock to a big-screen version of Skadi’s saga. She’s a powerful figure, and the fact that she avenges her father’s death makes her instantly likeable—and badass. Her story could start with the quest for revenge; think of her as the ancient Nordic version of The Bride in Kill Bill. This one could go full-throttle action, making a director like Gareth Evans, who made such a visceral, bone-crunching action film with The Raid: Redemption, the perfect choice.
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