Back when this was a project under a different title, there was some occasional confusion expressed about what the hell is going on in it. Particularly with the characters. Because this fic is a mix of MCU, comic, and myth canon, there are names that you might not recognise, and a few that are used twice.
I started doing this because the MCU doesn’t make a lot of sense with the dating. In fact, the entire series was originally rooted in the fact that it was impossible for Loki to be the figure from myth.
If you’re here from the MCU, or you don’t know the myths, or you’re just plain turned around, hopefully this helps.
Note: Patronymics and matronymics canonically used by characters will be spelled as Marvel spells them. Characters who have been given patronymics or matronymics will be spelled in the genitive case.
🗡 indicates the character is dead in the main continuity. Highlighted characters are recent additions.
Asgardians & Vanir
- 🗡 Buri⁵ | Former king of Asgard. Mythology
- 🗡 Bor Burason⁵ | Former king of Asgard. Comics
- Cul Borson⁵ | Bor’s eldest son. Comics
- Odin Borson | King of Asgard. Trying his best. MCU
- Thor Odinson | Future king of Asgard. Comics
- Loki Odinson/Laufeyson | Natural son of Laufey, adopted by Odin. Jötunn, likely halfbreed. Comics
- Baldur Odinson | Comics
- Viðar Odinson | Comics/Mythology
- Vili Borson⁵ | Younger brother of Odin, gifted with Jötnar magic. Mythology
- Hodur Vilason | Mythology
- Vé Borson⁵ | Mythology
- 🗡 Bor Burason⁵ | Former king of Asgard. Comics
- Frigga¹ | Queen of Asgard. MCU
- Sigrid⁴ | Vanir inn keeper. Somewhat original character
- Týr | One of Odin’s generals; not one of his sons. Comics
- Heimdall Týsson | Týr’s son from an early marriage. MCU
- Sif Týsdóttir | Friends with Thor, but not Loki. Comics/MCU
- Volstagg | Notable warrior. MCU/Comics
- Flosi Volstaggsdóttir | Volstagg’s eldest daughter. Comics
- Einar Volstaggsson | One of Volstagg’s many sons. Comics
- Hilde Volstaggsdóttir | One of Volstagg’s many daughters. Comics
- 🗡 Kvasir³ | Irritating know-it-all. Mythology
- Áslaug | Original character
- Inga | Original character
- Ragnar | One of Thor’s teachers. Original character
- Kelda | Friendly with Thor and Loki. Comics
- Freyr | Friends with Thor. Mythology
- Freyja¹ | Freyr’s twin sister; not the Queen of Asgard. Mythology
- Bror | Palace guard. Comics
- Thein | Loki’s history instructor. Original character
- Iri | King of Vanaheimr, and Frigga’s cousin. Original character
- Amora Iradóttir⁷ | Iri’s eldest daughter. Comics
- Lorelei Iradóttir⁷ | Iri’s second daughter. Comics
- Geiri | Palace guard. Original character
- Dísa | Kitchen servant. Original Character
- Theoric | Friends with Thor. Comics
- Bragi | Skald in Odin’s court. Comics/Mythology
- Hogun | Adopted son of Bragi. Friends with Loki and Thor. Comics
- Fandral | Friends with Loki and Thor. Comics
- Eldred | Smuggler. One of Loki’s unofficial teachers. Comics
- Olar | Palace guard. Original character
Álfar
- Eir | Álfar healer on Asgard. Mythology
- Kárni | Loki’s magic instructor. Original Character
- Ósk | Loki’s magic instructor. Original Character
- Herða | Palace librarian. Original Character
- Aelsa Featherwine | Queen of Álfheimr. Comics
Jötnar
- 🗡 Bestla | Former queen of Asgard; Bor’s wife. Likely a war bride, or to satisfy a treaty. Mythology
- 🗡 Loki Nálarson² | Blood-brother of Odin. Jötunn halfbreed and professional shit-stirrer. Mythology
- Jörmungandr Lokason | Shapeshifter, professional shit-stirrer after his father. Mythology
- Fenris Lokason | Shapeshifter, professional shit-stirrer after his father. Mythology
- Agmundr | Nálarson’s pony
- Laufey | King of Jötunheimr. MCU
- Helblindi Laufeyson | Mythology
- Býleistr Laufeyson | Mythology
- Fárbauti | Queen of Jötunheimr. Mythology
- Aldís and Arndís | Jötunheimr’s moons; perceived as guardians by the Jötnar. Original concepts
- Skaði | Freyr and Freyja’s step mother. Mythology
Dwarves
- Jari Grettisson/Silverblade | A dwarf with an unfortunate taste for adventure. Original character
- 🗡 Fjalar Grettisson³ | Murderous dwarf. Mythology
- 🗡 Galar Grettisson³ | Murderous dwarf. Mythology
- Andvari | A shape-shifting dwarf. Mythology
- Ivaldi | A dwarven blacksmith. Mythology
Assorted Others
- Niðhöggr | Dragon at the roots of Yggdrasil; eats corpses. Mythology
- Ymir | The first Jötunn. God of the gods. Mythology.
Other Pantheons
- Ogma⁶ | Celtic god, residing on Earth. Mythology/Comics
- Cairbre⁶ | Celtic god, residing on Earth. Mythology/Comics
- Taranis | Celtic god, residing on Earth. Mythology/Comics
- Jupiter | Roman⁶ god. Mythology/Comics
- Ra⁶ | Egyptian god. Mythology/Comics
Place Names
- Asgard | Home of the Æsir/Asgardians; the remains of a shattered planet that is held together entirely by magic
- Vanaheimr | Home of the Vanir
- Jötunheimr | Home of the Jötnar/Giants; known for its harsh, frigid climate in the northern and southern regions, and temperate cimate in the equatorial regions
- Utgard | Defacto capital of Jötunheimr
- Hvararharm | Village in Jötunheimr’s equatorial region
- Muspelheimr | Home of the Eldjötnar/Giants; known for its harsh, arid climate through much of the planet, and tropics near the poles
- Álfheimr | Home of the Ljósálfar/Light Elves
- Svartálfheimr | Home of the Dökkálfar/Dark Elves, an extinct race
- Niðavellir | Home of the Dwarves; said to be cursed. Its climate is cold and wet, and its skies are constantly darkened by clouds. Little grows here.
- Four Rivers | A gate town, accessible via Dragon Lines to several other realms. Mostly inhabited by men and Vanir
- Rötgart | An underground Dwarven city; its entrance is a large cave open to the sea
- Niflheimr | A frozen world, too harsh for even the Jötnar to survive
- Hel | Realm of the dead
- Náströnd | Home of Niðhöggr, the corpse eater
- Hel | Realm of the dead
- Midgard | Home of the Men; sits at the convergence of Dragon Lines
Family Tree
Someone asked to see the family tree, specifically relating to Loki claiming to be at least tenuously in line for four different thrones. I drew a very basic version of this on paper, but I wanted to expand it and make it look nice. I’ll try to keep this as updated as possible, expanding it as relevant information comes to light.
Odin’s current plan is to put him first in line for Vanaheimr’s throne, even though he already has a weak claim to it through Frigga (there’s a lot of cousin marrying going on here, but come on. It’s a royal family tree). At one point, it was referenced that Odin and Frigga were arranged to end a war, which also installed Iri on the throne. Iri only has daughters, effectively eliminating his line with him, unless he can marry them off to someone important. Just, not Loki apparently. There’s also the complication of Amora getting knocked up, but that’s a surprise tool that will help us later.
A similar situation has developed on Álfheimr with Vé. He and his unnamed wife have no children, and Aelsa is unwed without heirs. Since Aelsa has no family whatsoever mentioned in the comics, it seemed like a good opportunity to just fuck with the Álfar throne as well, and put it in danger of Asgardian colonialism along with Vanaheimr.
Jötunheimr is one that’s lived rent-free in my brain for a while. Bestla is a frost giant, married to an Asgardian king. Asgard has plenty of war brides, but why would a king take a war bride? This shit was arranged, and a king wouldn’t be arranged to any old pleb. Like with Odin and Frigga, Bestla was a previous king’s daughter (making her Laufey’s aunt), married off to end a war. As for how secure Laufey’s line is, and whether Jötunheimr too is truly in danger of Asgardian colonialism depends on whether Laufey’s sons have survived this cycle so far.
End notes
¹ The comics are very inconsistent about whether Frigga and Freyja are the same person, and the myths are just as confusing. For my purposes, Frigga and Freyja are two different people from two different families, as Freyr and Freyja do not appear to exist within the MCU.
² Splitting Loki into two characters was a choice made to fix the wonky-ass continuity of the MCU. If Odinson was born in 965, he could not possibly be the figure from myth. This Loki’s name, Nálarson, comes from another name attested to Laufey, who in the myths was Loki’s mother. I thought Laufeyson and Laufeyjarson would be entirely too confusing, so I went with her other name for this character.
³ The story with Kvasir was one entirely of myth, until about three days after I originally posted the fic he appears in. Kvasir has become an important character in Valkyries, with Fjalar and Galar’s part being mentioned. Prior to this, none of these characters had appeared in Marvel.
⁴ Because I wanted to use Sigyn in the main continuity with Odinson, but also keep Nálarson’s family tree as in-tact as possible, Sigyn became Sigrid in the flashback interludes. Originally, the series did have two women named Sigyn, but it was becoming a bit too cyclical to have so many characters share names. I blame Marvel and that stupid 965 date for all this confusion, honestly.
⁵ Odin’s family tree is a mess, so I’ve somewhat simplified it. Odin being the literal father of all the gods doesn’t work on a few levels within a narrative that’s trying to make cohesive sense. Allfather is used instead as a figurative title. Odin’s father was Bor, and Bor’s father was Buri. As in the comics, Bor had four sons: Cul, Odin, Vili, and Vé. And unlike the comics, Odin himself only has four sons: Thor, Loki, Baldur, and Viðar. The decision to make Týr not one of Odin’s sons was done primarily to make sure Thor does not wind up betrothed to his own niece, and also to allow Týr to be in a position where being the God of War means something.
⁶ Other pantheons have all been kind of retconned to death over the decades. I went with Jupiter over Zeus, because he was Jupiter the first time he appeared in the comics, and I really want to use Venus later on, and wanted the names to stay the same. Even though the Venus title was an unrelenting mess (hey, it was the 40s), a lot of the stuff that was retconned for both the Greek/Roman and the Egyptian pantheons only served to muddle and confuse things. Having them all have the same mother as Thor doesn’t work at all, especially when the MCU completely broke the Norse timeline from the very beginning. As for Ra, he’s got about a dozen names, but I feel like Ra is the most recognisable in its simplicity. Most people are likely to recognise it, even though I don’t think he’s ever actually gone by Ra alone in the comics. The Celtic names have changed from the original version of this fic to match the names used in the comics.
⁷ Amora and her sister Lorelei have been given additional roles not present in the comics. I wanted them to play a role beyond random antagonists, while still keeping the sordid affair aspects somewhat intact. It does make them distant cousins to Thor and Loki, but show me a monarchy that isn’t at least a little inbred