SIGYN

Real Name: Sigyn

Identity/Class: Asgardian god

Occupation: Goddess of fidelity

Group Membership: Gods of Asgard

Affiliations: Gaea, Hoder, Loki, Odin, Thor, Young Gods

Enemies: the Celestials, Cerberus, the Flame, Hela

Known Relatives: Iwaldi (father), Freya (mother), Frey (uncle), Gerda (aunt), Njord (grandfather), Gaea (grandmother, alias Nertha), Nertha (great-aunt), Nanna, Syn, Lofn, Var, Snotra (sisters), Hnossa (half-sister), Loki (husband), Narvi, Vali (sons, SEE COMMENTS), Helbindi, Byleist (brothers-in-law, SEE COMMENTS), Odin (father-in-law, deceased), Frigga (mother-in-law), Laufey (father-in-law, deceased), Farbauti (mother-in-law)

Aliases: Sigunn, Sigryn, Siguna

Base of Operations: Asgard

First Appearance: Thor I#275 (September, 1978)

Powers/Abilities: Sigyn possesses the conventional attributes of the Asgardian gods such as superhuman strength (Class 25), vitality, a long-life enchantment, resistance to injury and immunity to earthly diseases. She also possesses mystical abilities, which have included the bonding of Loki's spirit to a suit of mystical armor, and the creation of a duplicate of Dr. Donald Blake which was virtually undistinguishable from the original.

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 340 lbs.

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

History: (Thor Annual#14/4)- Ages ago, a young Loki came to desire a wife, and beheld Sigyn from afar. When he went to woo her, she revealed that she was betrothed to Theoric, one of Odin's Crimson Hawks. Loki arranged for Geirrodur and his trolls to have Theoric murdered, and Loki then disguised himself as Theoric and returned to Asgard and Sigyn. Sigyn and "Theoric" were eventually wed by Odin, but at the end of the ceremony, "Theoric" revealed himself to be Loki. Odin was furious, but Sigyn noted that as his wife, she was duty-bound to Loki for life. Odin made her the goddess of fidelity for her endurance, and banished Loki from Asgard.

(Thor I#301 (fb))- Sigyn was among the goddesses of Asgard who were recruited by Gaea in her attempt to save earth from the Celestials by offering them the Young Gods. Sigyn spent 20 years beneath the earth, guarding the Young Gods with her fellow goddesses.

(Thor I#480 (fb, BTS)/Thor I#484 (fb))- During a time when Loki had been imprisoned within a tree by Odin, Sigyn beheld Odin APPARENTLY placing the mortal Dr. Donald Blake into suspended animation in Mount Wundagore, while his son Thor was given a new mortal identity in which he became exactly like Blake. Sigyn hoped to use Blake as a bargaining tool for Loki's release, but as she cast a spell to capture him, it backfired and Blake was destroyed. Horrified, Sigyn created a duplicate of Blake with her magic, and left him in place of the Odin's Blake in Wundagore. Unknown to her at the time, she left her wedding band by the Blake duplicate's body (see comments).

(Thor I#275-277)- After Loki manipulated Hoder into killing Balder, the prophecies involving Ragnarok among the gods once again threatened Asgard. Sigyn returned to Asgard at that point out of loyalty to Loki. After Odin succeeded in restoring Balder to life, Loki was held over by trial for atrocities against the gods. Sigyn wept as Loki stood before the gods for his crimes. Loki was chained to a rock, and a serpent dripped venom into his face. Sigyn caught the venom in a bowl to save him, but every time she emptied the bowl, the venom would again strike him in the face.

(Thor I#278)- As the Asgardians prepared for combat against Hela and her allies, Sigyn offered to stand by Hoder and guide his hand against Hela's armies. Ultimately, their forces were driven off by Red Norvell and Thor.

(Thor I#300-302)- Sigyn was among the Asgardians to donate life energies into the Destroyer for war against the Celestials. After the Destroyer was lost, Thor gathered enough life energies from the sky-fathers of the other pantheons to restore Sigyn and the other gods to life.

(Thor Annual#9)- While Odin played a chess game with Dormammu which left all of reality at stake, Thor confronted Loki, believing him to be responsible, but found him manacled to Sigyn in bed, and Sigyn vouched for Loki's innocence.

(Thor I#307/2)- Tired of his being bound to Sigyn, Loki confronted Odin and demanded that he be released. By observing how Odin had always been distant to him because he was not his flesh-and-blood son, Odin was moved, and released Loki from bondage to Sigyn.

(Thor I#313)- When Loki learned from Sigyn that a vote was being held to determine if Thor would remain in Asgard permanently, Loki sent Sigyn to vote for Thor to remain in Asgard, while he devised the a way of getting Thor to abandon the trial, so that Odin would turn on him. Ultimately, it was voted that Thor return to Earth, and Loki's plan was thwarted. Sigyn did not perceive how her actions had aided Loki in his schemes.

(Thor I#321)- While Loki was bound to Sigyn, Thor arrived to accuse him of turning mortals into beasts, but Sigyn provided an alibi and rebuffed Thor’s accusations.

(Thor Annual#19)- While Loki was a disembodied spirit, held within Mephisto's realm, Sigyn agreed to serve as his agent in Asgard. At this time, Loki had schemed with Pluto to destroy Thor using Pluto's hell-hound Cerberus, and the hybrif Elven warrior Flame. However, Pluto manipulated events so that the Flame ran across Sigyn, and he attempted to kill her. Loki attempted to aid her, but was not powerful enough in his spirit form, so he revived Thor to assist him. Thor saved Sigyn from both Cerberus and the Flame, and won some small gratitude from Loki in the process.

(Thor I#479)- Sigyn was present in Asgard as Odin related to Thor, Red Norvell, the Warriors Three, Beta Ray Bill, Frigga, Sif and Balder the complete story of Thor's connection to Donald Blake. Sigyn refrained from comment at this time.

(Thor I#483)- After having revived the Blake duplicate and learning that he was a fake, Thor discovered Sigyn's wedding band and went to confront Loki, believing him to be behind the ruse. To provide Loki with a physical form, Sigyn had bound Loki's spirit to a suit of armor, and he battled Thor in this form. After Loki's armor was severely damaged by Thor, Sigyn admitted to having created the Blake duplicate all those years ago, and Thor realized that she had meant him no harm.

(Thor I#484)- While Sigyn slept, Loki made another attack on Thor, inhabiting the body of his fellow Avenger War Machine, but he was defeated by Thor yet again.

Comments: Adapted by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer.

The story of Loki sending Theoric to his death is reminscent of King David sending Uriah the Hittite to his doom so that he could marry his wife Bathsheba in the Bible.

In the original Norse myths, Sigyn was a member of the Vanir, married out of necessity to Loki. After Loki insulted the gods, he fled from the gods and even turned himself into a salmon to escape, but Thor caught him in a net created by Ran, the sea-goddess. Loki was finally caught and bound to a ledge where the venom of a serpent would drip on to him. Sigyn stayed by his side during this time to catch the venom in a bowl before it dripped on to him, but every time she turned away to empty the bowl, the venom dripped on Loki and scalded him like acid. As he writhed with pain, earthquakes reportedly occurred on earth from his screams. Sigyn stayed by his side until Ragnarok occurred.
    --This occurred in the Marvel Universe, too, in Thor I#275-277--Snood.

It is unknown as to whether Loki’s brothers, Helbindi or Byleist, or his sons, Vali or Narvi, exist in the Marvel Universe. It is possible though that they might have existed in the previous Asgard described to Thor by the Sentient Eye of Odin or that they exist in an alternate future. It is also worth mentioning that in Norse myth, Farbaut is the god of death (Norse equivalent to the Olympian Charon) and that Laufey is considered to be a goddess.

The entire saga of the return of Donald Blake is one of the most pointless exercises Roy Thomas ever embarked upon. Within the space of 4 issues, Thomas contrived a convoluted means of revealing how Blake could still be alive, then quickly wrote him back out with an even more convoluted explanation!
    According to Tom Brevoort and the Avengers Handbook, this account is false, though the details to explain it are uncertain. They just want it forgotten! I tend to agree. I like the idea that the Don Blake identity was based on Keith Kincaid--Snood.

Presumably Sigyn was taking a break from watching the Young Gods when she created the Blake duplicate.

by Will U and Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Sigyn is not to be confused with:

• Avram Siegel, deceased rabbi friend of Hellstorm, @ Hellstorm#1
• Sigmund, first mortal avatar of Thor, @ Thor I#295
• Sigurd, alias Siegfried, second mortal avatar of Thor, @ Thor I#295

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