ANGRBODA
Legal
Status: Citizen of Jotunheim
Identity:
The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Angrboda except as
a figure from Norse mythology.
Other
Aliases: Angerboda, Aurboda, Orboda
(name variations), “Bringer of Grief” (translation of name)
Place
of Birth: Unknown
Known
Relatives: Ymir (ancestor, deceased),
Utgard-Loki (possible father), Gymir (husband, deceased), Gerda (daughter), Frey
(son-in-law), Hela (daughter by Loki), Fenris Wolf, Midgard Serpent (sons by
Loki), Hati, Skoll, (grandsons),
Group
Affiliation: None
Base
of Operations: Ironwood (located in
modern Germany or Romania)
First
Appearance: Thor I #360
History:
Angrboda is a member of a race of beings known as the Jotuns, a race of beings
who were once worshipped as gods by the Ancient German and Teutonic tribes of
Western Europe descended by the ancient Frost Giant known as Ymir. There were
two tribes of Jotuns in Jotunheim, the Hrimthursar (“Frost-Giants”) often at
war with the Asgardians and the Berg-Risar (“Rime-Giants”), who were allies
with the Asgardians.
Not
much is known about Angrboda’s origins or early life. It has been speculated
she might be the daughter of Utgard-Loki, who was the god of the dead to the
ancient Germans, but this is unconfirmed. She was taken as a wife by Gymir, a
Jotun chief with considerable fortune who either was or related to Aegir, the
German sea-god. They had one daughter, Gerda, who became the wife of Frey, the
Norse god of grain.
At
some point, Angrboda became a vala (“witch”) and moved east of Midgard
(modern Germany) to the forests of Ironwood (possibly modern Romania) where she
lived with wolves and trolls, possibly sent after the Jotuns lost control of
their lands. At this point, Gymir had possibly been killed in the wars with the
Aesir and Vanir, who had since united into becoming the Asgardians. Odin,
the chieftain of the Asgardians, came to her seeking information on the
nightmares of his son, Balder,
and she predicted that Balder would later be slain in battle. To protect him,
Balder’s mother, Frigga,
cast several spells to protect him from all substances.
Sometime
later, Loki,
the god of mischief, and a Jotun by birth, became exiled from Asgard and
traveled to Ironwood to meet Angrboda and acquire mastery of the mystical arts,
particularly the art of shapeshifting. In doing so, she shared her bed with him,
and according to Norse myth, she allowed herself to be seduced by him while they
both were undertaking several animal forms. In time, Angrboda gave birth to Hela,
the goddess of death, Fenrir, the wolf-god, and Jormungand, the serpent-god, who
grew to great size and became known as the Midgard Serpent. Hela later acquired
the realm of Niffleheim (possibly the modern Netherlands) with Fenrir chained at
the front gates of her castle.
Not
Angrboda’s later activities are known, but it is possible she and Loki had
conspired to bring about the end of the Asgardians gods on behalf of the Jotun
race. All three of her children by Loki had a part in Ragnarok, the “Twilight
of the Gods,” described as Gotterdammerung by the Germans. Fenrir’s sons,
Hati and Skoll, devoured Mani and Solveig, the Norse gods of the moon and the
sun. However, the Norse gods survived trapped in recurring cycles of Ragnarok
for several centuries, their earthly domains now occurring in extra-dimensional
space. While many of the Asgardians were restored in a repeating cycles of death
and rebirth, such as Odin, Thor, Frey and Loki, Angrboda seemed to have remained
trapped in Niffleheim, the Norse land of the dead. Several years went by, and
eventually Thor traveled to Hildskjaff on Asgard inquiring on how to get to
Hela's realm because she had been taking mortals to Niffleheim. Summoning
Angerboda from the underworld, he forced her to tell him how to get there, and
she revealed to Thor the path he had to follow, but not before attempting to
take him with her to the underworld.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 360 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: White (red in her youth)
Strength Level: Angrboda
possibly has superhuman strength on par with Thor who has Class 100 level
strength, enabling him to lift (press) over 100 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Angrboda possesses the superhuman physical attributes of the Jotuns, the previous generation of the Norse-Germanic gods, who ruled as gods in Western Europe before the Asgardians. She possesses vast superhuman strength and is resistant to conventional injury. Her flesh and bone are far denser than similar human tissue; contributing to her superhuman strength and weight. She is also remarkably long-lived, but she in not immortal like the Olympian gods. She is vulnerable to death, but she employs various other spells to keep her youthful appearance.
Angrboda is also a master of the arts of Jotun magic, possibly more so than any other female Jotun. The full extent of her powers are unknown. Employing potions, mystical relics and substances to perform some of her magical feats, she can induce prophetic visions, cast spells and illusions and command animals to do her bidding. Her foremost power is the ability to shapeshift and turn herself into various animals, such as a wolf, bear, bull or serpent. It is unrevealed if she can transform herself into other individuals.
Comments: This bio incorporates details and speculation about the Angrboda of the Marvel Universe. Although unconfirmed, it can be guessed that Angrboda is similar to the MU-Loki rather than a MU-Jotun vulnerable to heat, which results in the MU-Jotuns to shrink in size.
Angrboda has yet to appear in DC Comics.
Last updated: 12/02/23