XORR the GOD-JEWEL
Classification: Sentient condensed biosphere
Creator: The Xorrians
Base of Operations: Gramos; formerly the Dark Nebula, formerly unknown
User/Possessors: Mercurio and the Gramosian race; formerly Kagg, Rothgar, and Qellor (pawns);
Enemies: Fandral, Silas Grant, Hildegard, Hogun, Mercurio the Fourth-Dimensional Man, Tana Nile, Odin, Thor
Aliases: Demon Jewell, Jewel-Demon, Living God-Jewel, Spawner of Worlds
First Appearance: Thor I#214 (August, 1973);
(full) Thor I#215 (September,
1973)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: Xorr possessed immense,
incalculable power, on par with a being such as Galactus. It could siphon
energy from other large sources of power, such as planets and stars. It
could not survive a nova explosion. Xorr's crystalline composition apparently
possessed inherent electromagnetic properties.
Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Eyes: (humanoid) Ruby
Hair: (humanoid) None
History: (Thor I#215 (fb) )-Six million years ago, the Xorri race faced extinction. Their sun was on the verge of going nova. When they discovered this fact, they had two centuries to prepare. After reviewing a number of alternatives, they decided they did not want to leave their culture and the planet Xorr behind. The advanced society crafted immense machinery, which at the moment of their sun's explosion covered their planet with an impenetrable shell of nuclear force. The shell proved capable of shielding the planet from the explosion, although the force of the explosion did send the entire planet, shell and all, careening through space. Over the eons, the shield contracted, and its nuclear energies caused the planet to contract with it. Ultimately, the shield crystallized, becoming an immense jewel, less than a thousandth of its former size.
One million years ago, the Jewel smashed into a barren
asteroid in the Dark Nebula. The Jewel took mental control of some of the
beings who traveled to the asteroid, forcing them to mine the asteroid,
to free the entrapped Jewel. These beings established Orion Base as their
home. In recent years, the miners were forced to defend Xorr against the
Gramosians, who tried to raid its resources. While fighting off the Gramosians,
the number of miners dwindled from sixty to three; Kagg, Rothgar,and Quellor
served as the last miners of Xorr.
(Thor I#216 (fb) )-The magnetic polarity of the planet Gramos was somehow altered, causing its atmosphere to only admit the extremes of the electro-magnetic wavelength. These energies caused mass insanity and death. One of the natives, Mercurio, was dispatched to obtain the Jewel, in order to use its electromagnetic properties to restore the normal polarity of his planet. Mercurio brought an army of Gramosians with him, but they were opposed by the miners of Xorr.
(Thor I#214)-Sif and Karnilla, two of the natives of Asgard, traveled to the Dark Nebula in search of Balder. They instead were pulled into the Jewel, which fed off their life forces.
After freeing Odin from the clutches of some extra-terrestrial slave-traders, Thor and several allies journeyed into the Dark Nebula to search for Sif. As they approached the asteroid, Kagg believed them to be more raiders, and sent Rothgar and Quellor to fend them off. Thor and company defeated them and, after explaining that they were not raiders, convinced them to take them to their base. They agreed to help the miners fight off the Gramosians, in exchange for assistance in locating Sif.
During the battle with the Gramosians, the miners feared the battle may turn against them, so all three submitted their own wills to the Jewel to allow it to defend itself. This caused the Jewel to erupt through the surface of the asteroid, revealing Sif and Karnilla as its prisoners/victims. Xorr then warned Thor and his allies that it would kill Sif, Karnilla, and then everyone on the asteroid if any approached it.
(Thor I#215)-Xorr incapacitated the Gramosians and Thor
and his allies by causing a series of powerful upheavals on the surface
of the asteroid. It then cast them deep within the mines of the asteroid,
while the miners activated the starship to fly Xorr away from its former
prison. The miners flew the God-Jewel out of the Dark Nebula towards more
populated space, where it could assimilate further life energy and restore
the planet Xorr and the Xorri to their former glory. Thor and company piloted
their Asgardian Viking ship, the Starjammer I, after the miners, and succeeded
in overtaking and overpowering them. Thor approached his captive allies
and sought to free them, but Xorr manifested a large humanoid form for itself
and claimed that its captives were tied to its life force such that if any
portion of Xorr were damaged, they would die.
(Thor I#216)-Fearing for the life of his lover, Sif, Thor
fought off the Gramosians who sought to possess the crystalline elements
of Xorr. As Xorr approached the fringes of the galaxy (Milky Way?), it began
to siphon and assimilate the power of uninhabited planets. However, Odin
manipulated the God-Jewel into heading for the largest star it could find,
which was a billion times larger than Earth's sun. Xorr greedily attempted
to absorb the power of that star, unaware that it, too, was on the verge
of going nova. While it was occupied, Mercurio used his thermal powers to
freeze and then suddenly heat a small portion of the God-Jewel, allowing
it to be easily shattered. Thor freed Sif and Karnilla, and they all returned
to the Starjammer, evacuating at maximum speed. They narrowly escaped as
Xorr's draining of the star pushed it to explode, shattering the mighty
Xorr. The Gramosians then returned and harvested the fragments of Xorr to
save their world.
(Man-Thing I#22) - Dakimh the Enchanter and Steve Gerber viewed
images of many characters throughout the universe, including Xorr.
Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, Sal Buscema, and Jim Mooney.
Xorr alleges that the Xorri race is the ancestor of all humanoid races throughout the Universe.
The ultimate connection would be to have the remnants of Xorr sent back through space and time when it exploded, to form the gems of the Lifestone Tree.
...what about a connection to the Monolith II? It looks pretty similar, and its origins were never given.
Thanks to Continental Op for the summary of Man-Thing I#22
Xorr the God-Jewel has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Xorr has no known connection to:
The God-Jewel is differentiated from:
Appearances:
Thor I#214 (August, 1973) - Gerry Conway (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#215-216 (September-October, 1973) - Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Man-Thing I#22 (October, 1975) - Steve Gerber (writer), Jim Mooney (artist), Len Wein (editor)
First Posted: 09/20/2001
Last Updated: 06/06/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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