EYE of ODIN

Real Name: None, but it called itself "Eye"

Identity/Class: Disembodied extradimensional (Asgard) magical god orb

Occupation: Unrevealed; it seemed to live to torment the Dwarflings

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Unidentified tentacled creature;
    formerly Odin Borson;
    as Odin's eye, it would have some connection to all of Odin's allies, but it's such a weak link that I'll refer you to profiles on Odin for those;
    on some level, it was Thor Odinson's ally, as it provided him with useful information;
    it gained its sentience and power after initially passing through Mimir's well of wisdom

Enemies: Unidentified Dwarflings in its unidentified extradimensional realm;
    as Odin's eye, it may have some enmity to all of Odin's enemies, but it's such a weak link that I'll refer you to profiles on Odin for those;
    it was apparently destroyed by Mimir;
    it only helped Thor under duress, fought him otherwise, and lost its power, sentience, and existence because of him

Known Relatives: While it was derived from Odin, it was not Odin, and so it is not a true relative of Odin's relatives. For more information on Odin's relatives, see Odin's profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#8 (2009)

Aliases: "Orb"

Base of Operations: Unrevealed; 
    last seen consumed by Mimir;
    formerly an unidentified realm
    formerly the orbit of Odin

First Appearance: Thor I#292 (February, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Otherwise, an inert, disembodied eye, the Eye of Odin gained intelligence and power within an unidentified alien world/dimension; departing that realm, it reverted to its original size and a lifeless state.

    The Eye was in the form of an immense eye, including a length of optic nerve hanging from its optic disc and serving to some degree as a tail.

    The Eye possessed memories of everything Odin had done while possessing it. It also had knowledge of previous Odin incarnations, or could access hidden memories buried within another.

    The Eye could project fiery blasts from its pupil sufficient to shatter ground and masonry, or to pain the highly durable Asgardian god Thor.

    The Eye could project blinding light as well as projecting convincing three-dimensional illusions.

    The Eye had some association with an unidentified green, tentacled monster, and it at least once placed this creature alongside a number of illusory creatures, with the creature attacking a foe once it had learned the others were only illusions; the creature would thus catch a foe off-guard.

    When it spoke, it consistently said "Eye" in place of the first-person "I."

Height: Roughly 6' in diameter
Weight: Unrevealed; at that size, a human eye would weigh like 5600 lbs. (2.8 tons); if Asgardian flesh is three-times human density as some sources indicate, it would be 16,800 lbs. (8.4 tons)
Eyes: None, but it is an eye, and its iris is blue
Hair: None

History:
See comments.

(Thor I#297 (fb)) <Approximately 1000 years ago> - While still part of Odin, the eye that he would later sacrifice was the one from which tears most freely flowed after he had been forced to slay Siegmund.

(Thor I#274 (fb)) - Receiving word from his ravens Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) of events which might foretell the coming of Ragnarok, Odin sought the advice of Mimir, asking what he could do to prevent the gods' doom. Mimir agreed to share his knowledge, but only for a price--the sacrifice of one of Odin's eyes. Odin thus tore out his own right eye and cast it into Mimir's fires.

    Pleased to have gained revenge on Odin for his treatment with the Vanir, and doubly pleased because the knowledge he had to share was so limited, Mimir told Odin he must go to Hel to consult with the prophetess/goddess Volla's spirit. Odin was angered at the deceit, but as Mimir was beyond his power to harm, Odin departed for Hel.

(Thor I#292 (fb) - BTS / Thor I#300 (fb)) - Passing through the fiery well of wisdom into an unidentified realm, the Eye of Odin grew to monstrous proportions and took on a life of its own.

(Thor I#292 (fb) - BTS) - The Eye began plaguing a village of Dwarflings, projecting fiery blasts at them and making their lives a living torture.

(Thor I#292 - BTS) - Having defeated Thor after a battle involving the Asgardians and Olympians united against the Eternals (with whom Thor had sided), Odin considered slaying Thor with his three-pointed spear, Gungnir; regaining his senses, Odin hurled away Gungnir, vowing not to slay his own bloodson again.

    When Thor questioned what Odin meant, Odin refused to tell, but instead gave Thor the following riddle, "If an eye offend thee, pluck it out! It shall ne'ermore be part of thee--yet it shall e'er be a part of thee! For it hath known what thou knowest--seen what thou hast turned to see!" (see comments)
    Odin subsequently departed without yielding any further information.

(Thor I#292 - BTS) - Thor figured out that Odin was referring to his own eye that he had previously torn out to give to Mimir in exchange for knowledge.

    Thor then directed his mystic hammer, Mjolnir, to show him where the eye went after being cast into Mimir's fires, and Mjolnir opened a portal to an extradimensional realm, where Thor found the immense Eye assaulting Dwarflings, who fled in fear.

    Transporting himself to that realm via Mjolnir, Thor encountered the Dwarflings, who told them how the Eye had been attacking them.

    Just then, the Eye arrived, and the Dwarflings feared it--not content this time with having merely lain waste to their village--had come after them this time.

(Thor I#292 - BTS) - Thor vowed to protect them from the evil eye, but it mocked him, asking what he knew of evil or the forces it faced. Thor asked if it was his father's eye, but the Eye refused to tell; and when Thor threatened it, the Eye struck him with a firebolt, asking what it had to fear from him. Thor put out the fires by summoning rain and asked further questions of its origins, but it instead released a blinding light and then plagued him with the illusion of a group of monstrous creatures, along with one solid creature.

   Thor guessed the others were illusions and dispelled them, but was then surprised by the final creature. Nonetheless, Thor unleashed a blast that destroyed the creature, and the Eye noted Thor was more powerful than it had imagined. Unleashing another firebolt at Thor, the Eye admitted it had come from Odin, but was no longer just that, and it wanted to get Thor off of this world.

    When it turned and fled, Thor pursued the Eye, despite its insistence that it knew nothing that could help him. Thor refused to accept this and then unleashed a vortex that contained the Eye; the cyclone also destroyed more of the Dwarflings' dwellings, which he vowed to restore after the Eye had surrendered its secret.

    The Eye agreed to answer a question, but only one. Though Thor had questions a-many, including a vision of his father bowing down before the Celestials, but he finally resolved to ask about Odin's comment about not slaying him again. The Eye told Thor he was wise, as the one question may, in the end, tell him all...but it warned Thor that when it was finished, he would never be the same again.

(Thor I#293) - The Eye noted that, since it was no longer part of Odin, it was also no more bound by certain unbreakable oaths he had sworn to both himself and to the higher powers of the universe. Assuring that it did not act treacherously, the Eye then convinced Thor to surrender his will to the Eye so that it might fully share the information.

    It started by reviewing some of Thor's past known to him, before finally forcing Thor to break open the vault in his mind containing secrets he had inherited from his father.

    The Eye then related the tale of a previous Aesir's Ragnarok, which occurred nearly 2000 BC.

(Thor I#294) - When Thor argued that the Aesir shown by the Eye were imposters and questioned whether it was lying, the Eye told Thor of the celestial axis and its 2160 year progression, and of the connection between Earth and Asgard.

    Anxious to have his question answered, Thor threatened the Eye with a thunderstorm, but the Eye promised it would tell all, and it completed the tale of the survivors of the old Asgard, the formation of the Rhinegold, and how the Aesir had united their four strongest to form a new Odin, who then made a new Asgard and Asgardians, who mirrored the current incarnation of Asgardians.
    The Eye assured Thor that this Odin was indeed his father. 

    As it had not been part of their bargain, the Eye refused to divulge the identity of Thor's mother, but instead jumped forward to tell Thor of how the gnome Alberich stole the Rhinegold from the Rhinemaidens.

    The Eye also shared how Loki had duped Odin into promising the goddess Idunn to the storm giants Fafnir and Fasolt in exchange for building Valhalla, with a promise that he would be able to get Odin out of this vow.

(Thor I#295) - As the Eye detailed the encounter with Fafnir and Fasolt, Thor asked why he remembered naught of this, and the Eye told him it was because Odin had willed it thus.

    The Eye continued, detailing how Thor, Odin, and Loki claimed the Ring of Power/Ring of the Nibelung (and the Tarnhelm and the gold the Nibelung had mined) from Alberich, only to turn it all over to Fafnir and Fasolt to secure Idunn's return. The Eye then showed how Fafnir slew Fasolt to claim the prizes for himself, and how Thor joined Valhalla to Asgard.

(Thor I#296) - After Thor threatened to smite the Eye anew if it failed to answer his questions, the Eye told him the story of Siegmund, a previous mortal incarnation of Thor, whom Odin was ultimately forced to slay at the demand of Frigga (for his having transgressed marriage vows).

(Thor I#297) - Noting it had revealed how Odin had slain Thor in the past, Eye attempted to depart, but at Thor's insistence that there was more to the story, the Eye continued on, noting Odin's lament at slaying Siegmund and his location and punishment of Brunnhilda.

    The Eye assured Thor this all related to him, and it showed Thor Siegmund's son, Siegfried, explaining that both Siegmund and Siegfried were the essence of Thor distilled into mortal forms.

  The Eye detailed the death of Sieglinda, Mime's adopting and raising Siegfried, and the life of Siegfried up to Mime leading him to the dragon Fafnir.

(Thor I#298) - Eye related Siegfried's slaying Fafnir; claiming the Ring of the Nibelung and the Tarnhelm; slaying the treacherous Mime; and encountering Wulf, overcoming the challenges, and winning the love of Brunhilda.

    However, Eye advised Thor that there were machinations within machinations, and that the Ring of Rhinegold would shatter their happiness and presage Ragnarok and the life of Thor himself.

(Thor I#299) - When Thor asked why Odin had cast him into mortal form, Eye assured him it would reveal all in due time. It then went on to relate how Siegfried was entranced by Hagen's love potion to forget Brunnhilda and fall in love with Gutruna, and delivered Brunnhilda to be married to Gunther; and when his past relationship with Brunnhilda was revealed, he was banished from the castle.

    As Thor considered that his mortal self was doomed, Eye told him that Siegfried's death marked the beginning of Odin's greatest failure, which would both diminish the might of Asgard itself and force Odin to bend a knee to the Celestials.

(Thor I#300) - Eye told Thor that the end of the tale was near, after which it related Hagen's murdering of Siegfried, Brunnhilda leaping into the funeral pyre with him, and Odin restoring them both in their godly forms in Asgard.

   Eye continued, noting how Odin had crucified himself on Yggdrasil with split halves of the Ring of Power until Gaea granted him a vision of the coming of the Celestials, after which he arranged a meeting of the Council of Godheads.

    Faced with the Celestials' power, Odin and the other gods were forced to kneel and vow non-interference for a millennium. In preparation for a future battle with the Celestials, Odin had the Destroyer constructed and then transformed the Rhinegold into the Oversword.

    When Eye noted the tale to be concluded, Thor resolved to make amends with Odin, and he grasped Eye by the nerve/tail and pulled it through a dimensional vortex, and as the Eye was distanced from its own life-giving domain, it shrank down to its original proportions. By the time Thor was back in Asgard, Eye was shrunken and lifeless.

   Finding the Asgardians lying lifeless and the Oversword absent, Thor sought out the fiery oracle Mimir and cast the inert eye into the flames to gain information on the gods' fates: Odin had absorbed the Asgardians' life forces into the Destroyer, which grew to Celestial size and wielded the Oversword; backed by the Eternals' Uni-Mind, the Destroyer went to battle the Celestials.

(Thor I#300 - BTS) - The Celestials easily overpowered their attackers, but Gaea convinced them to spare humanity by revealing the Young Gods she and the other goddesses had gathered.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Keith Pollard, and Chic Stone.

   The Eye of Odin was technically present in every appearance of Odin prior to its being plucked out in Thor I#274, but I'm only going to include appearances of the disembodied eye and/or any times it specifically referenced its existence within Odin.

    The quote about an eye offending and being plucked out comes from the Bible's Matthew 18:9 (or so a Google search assures me)...but the subsequent two sentences are not related to that Bible passage as far as I know.

Eye of Odin

    These stories were among those told to Thor by the Eye of Odin, and the events therein, particularly the origins of the current Odin incarnation, have been called into question (notably by Odin's grandfather, Buri, in his aspect as Tiwaz). 

• Nonetheless, Fafnir the Jotun appeared in Thor I#486-488, wherein Thor recognized him from their previous encounters. 
• An earlier issue (#288 per my notes) described how Fafnir of Nastrond was named after Fafnir the Storm Giant, and both Fafnir and Fasolt appeared in a Giants of Jotunheim Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry. 
• Fafnir and Fasolt are consistently credited for building Valhalla.
• Further, the Oversword, formed from the Rhinegold, exists in the modern era, and it was formed from the Rhinegold from which the Ring of Power had been composed.
• Around Marvel Team-Up I#116, Thor and Brunnhilde the Valkyrie recalled their past lives when her mortal incarnation loved Siegfried (another of Thor's mortal incarnations).
• I think the simplest explanation is that the events happened, but they may have been distorted somewhat by Eye of Odin. Perhaps some of it represents events from an even earlier cycle of Asgardians.

Image update by Ron Fredricks.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Eye of Odin should be distinguished from:

• Cult of the Harvester of Eyes - associated with Belathauzer, Devil Slayer, and Vera Gemini, but largely an homage to the Blue Oyster Cult--Marvel Spotlight I#33
• Eyeclops - Eggsmen--Howard the Duck II#4/2
• Eye Cups - Persian torture device, used by Inanna's bailiff--Hellstorm: Prince of Lies#15
• Eye Flower - saved from Skrulls by Fantastic Four--Fantastic Four III#60
• Eye Glare of Earth-1136 (   ) - leader of the Mutations--Dead Clown#3
• Eye Killers - demons of Native American legend, appear as winged snakes with heads of owls and legs of mountain lions, drain life force of humans, project mystic bolts--Dr. Strange II#38
• Eye Patch ( ) of Earth-57780 - had cursed eye, could command others to his will, beaten by Spider-Man--Spidey Super Stories#18/2
• Eye of Agamotto - one of three power items created by Agamotto--Strange Tales I#127
• Eye of Ages - power item brought into past by Rama-Tut, stolen by Baal--Rise of Apocalypse#1
• Eye of Ahriman - magic item used by Ennis Tremellyn, high priest of Ahriman--Marvel Two-In-One I#49
• Eye of Asmodel - see AUREL EYE of ASMODEL magic item/spell used by Shadu the Shady--Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death#1
• Eye of Avalon - see Evil Eye--Fantastic Four I#54
• Eye of Bast - gem, allowed the Children of Bast to take and maintain human form, stolen by Conan for --Conan the Barbarian I#226
• Eye of Bast - fragment of the Claw of Bast used by Khafre. unknown connection to the above--Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards#2
• Eye of Capistan - see Star of Capistan. created Red Rajah--Defenders I#42
• Eye of Dagon of the Hyborian era - silver eye from bird-riders' statue--Conan the Barbarian I#59
• Eye of Erlik of the Hyborian era - magic item--Conan and the Sorcerer; Savage Sword of Conan I#53
• Eye of Force - Associated with the Darkdoors used by Thule's society in an effort to access the Vril--Cloak and Dagger III#14
• Eye of Horus - stolen Egyptian artifact, sought by Scarlet Scarab, recovered by he and Thor--Thor I#326
• Eye of Ibis - Hyborian era magic item, held by Rammon in Temple of Ibis, stolen by Conan, used by Natarito recover the Horn of Azoth from the Crypt of Shadows--Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan: Horn of Azoth
• Eye of Kierrok - magic item of Pilgrim, actually an eye taken from the demon Kierrok--X-Men II#75
• Eye of Necros - amulet of Necromon, enabled him to observe distant events, even across interplanetary or interdimensional distances, also allowed him to see hearts and minds of men--Hulk comic#45/2
• Eye of Ra - magic item, used by Horus to spy on Akhenaten--Marvel Universe: The End#2
• Eye of Ra - alias of the Lion King (Hathor/Sekmeht)--Avengers I#112
• Eye of Tai-Shan of the Hyborian era - crystal ball of Shing Luu--Conan the Barbarian I#251
• Eye of Truth North - magic item wielded by Nina the Conjuror--Dr. Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme#6
• Eye of Watoomb of "Earth-6084" - melted down Wand of Watoomb, stolen by Warren Traveler of Earth-58163, replaced his own eye--Ms. Marvel II#4
• Eye of Yin - magic item, sought by Mandarin to increase power of his rings, stopped by Black Bolt--Amazing Adventures II#2
• Eye of Zartra - Magic item, formerly held in the orbit of the pre-Cataclysmic Zartra, placed in the hilt of the Sword of Kamuu, removed by the Sword and given to Dr. Strange by Namor. Granted it immunity to magic, invoked curse that would destroy its wielder if Atlantean blood were drawn--Sub-Mariner I#63/2
• Eyes - giant, bloodshot eye-balls with tentacles--Astonishing#30/1
• Eyes of G'bharr Rjinn - Gemstone that were once the eyes of a pre-Hyborian era god who was destroyed by the Elder Gods of the Hyborian era after trying to dethrone them; they were stolen by the corsair Bor'aqh Sharaq. One fired searing bolts of eldritch flame (this one was returned to its sultan former owner by Conan), the other fired weirdling beams of mystic ice (this one was kept by the Snow Raven, who may have sold it for profit)--Savage Sword of Conan I#107
• Eyes of Kristall Starrer - magic eyes given to Clara Menninger--Blaze II#1
• Eyes of Set - twin jewels traded between Attalus and Harakht--Conan the Barbarian I#79
• Eyes of Valka - invoked in spell--Marvel Zombies 4#2 (2009)
• Eye-Scream - mutant, sought revenge on X-Men for making his power seem goofy. Turn into any flavor ice cream--Obnoxio vs X-Men#1
• Floating Eyes from Venus--Mystic#6
• Helleyes - an eye-covered demon--(Adventure into) Fear#28
• I the Great - giant eye that ran Dynamo City but had no will of its own--Silver Surfer III#42
• Lord I - former potentate of the mutants of Arcturus IV--(Adventure into) Fear#23
• Occult (Peter Quinn) - see PEEPER. mutant, Resistants; --Captain America I#343
• Occultist ( ) - inexperienced spellcaster and thief, stopped by Spider-Man & Black Cat--Spider-Man: The Root of All Annoyance#1
• Occulus - tyrant of Inniverse, former ward of the Gem Guild, brother of Wildblood--Fantastic Four I#363
• Orb (Drake Shannon) - criminal, former stunt motorcyclist, former business partner of "Crash" Simpson, badly disfigured in motorcycle accident, wore eyeball helmet, originally supported by They Who Wield Power--Marvel Team-Up I#15
• Orb (    ) - successor to Shannon, has actual giant eye for head--Ghost Rider VI#26
• Orb (   ) - Neo, generate energy spheres--X-Men Giant-Size#1
• Orb of Earth-88194 - Shadowline, Shadow, agent of Dirk Ravenscore, suggested alliance with Henry Clerk. Project images on face--Critical Mass#1
• Orb of Agamotto - mystic item, large crystal globe, utilized by Dr. Strange to observe distant or other dimensional events, detect and locate magic, can be used to access realm of Agamotto--Strange Tales I#118/2
• Orb of Eternity - utilized by Adam Warlock--Warlock & the Infinity Watch#15
• Orb of Metallum - used against Wolverine in Otherworld--Uncanny X-Force I#21
• Orb of Ommennon - power item of Xhoohx--Defenders I#73
• Orb of Ra - magic item, used by Rakses, taken by N'Kantu--Bloodstone#3
• Orb of Snnnr - used by Dr. Strange to communicate with the Pitiful One--Dead Girl#1
• Shuma-Gorath - one of the Great Old Ones, another eye-type demon--Marvel Premiere I#10
• Mind Master Magna-Volt - an eye-headed creature with a glowing brain and a lighting-like tail made as part of my own "creature creations," back when I was 12 or so...and likely inspired by the Eye of Odin...not yet appearing in comics (and probably not ever)
• other disembodied or never-having-had-bodied eyes, or other "Eye," "Orb," "Occult," etc. deals

The creature had a round, central body and possessed 10-11 tentacles, as well as a single eye on a stalk.

    It had a mouth run vertically down its central body in relation to its eye.

    It may have been able to speak, but it was only shown to say, "Gnarrr!"

    As the Eye was surprised with Thor's power when he destroyed it, it presumably had superhuman strength and durability, but was nonetheless easily destroyed by a blast from Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.

    (Thor I#292) - Confronted by Thor, the disembodied Eye of Odin released a blinding light and then plagued him with the illusion of a group of monstrous creatures, along with one solid creature.

    Thor guessed the others were illusions and dispelled them, but was then caught off guard and assaulted by the final creature.

    Grabbing Thor's right arm (which held Mjolnir) and his left leg, the creature pulled Thor back towards its "obscene lair."

    Nonetheless, Thor unleashed a blast that destroyed the creature, and the Eye noted Thor was more powerful than it had imagined.

--Thor I#292

Note: Was the creature native to the realm of the Dwarflings and either allied with or enslaved by the Eye? Was it a creation of the Eye? Does it have some awesome, mysterious origin the likes of which we've never heard?
The world may never know.

    I would call this creature Verpodias...

images: (without ads)
Thor I#292, p12, pan1 (straight-on, Eye over Thor)
Thor I#292, p11, pan1 (slightly oblique, full Eye over Dwarfling village)
Thor I#292, p12, pan7 (Eye blasting firebolt)
Thor I#292, p13, pan5 (illusions)
Thor I#292, p11, pan2 (Eye blasting Dwarling village)
Thor I#292, p16, pan3 (Eye trapped in cyclone)
Thor I#292, p16, pan4 (Eye confronted by Thor within cyclone; close-up)
Thor I#292, p17, pan3 (Eye; rear oblique)
Thor I#300, p19, pan3 (Eye shrinking after departing its realm)
Thor I#300, p19, pan5 (Eye shrunken and lifeless in Thor's hand)
Thor I#300, p19, pan9 (Thor casts Eye into Mimir)
Thor I#292, p14, pan6 (green tentacled creature attacks Thor)
Thor I#292, p15, pan2 (Thor destroys green tentacled creature)

Appearances:
Thor I#274 (August, 1978) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker)
Thor I#292-293 (February-March, 1980) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Keith Pollard (penciler), Chic Stone (inker)
Thor I#294-296 (April-June, 1980) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Keith Pollard (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Jim Shooter (consulting editor)
Thor I#297 (July, 1980) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Keith Pollard (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Mark Gruenwald (assistant editor)
Thor I#298 (August, 1980) - Ralph Macchio (writer), Keith Pollard (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Thor I#299 (September, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Keith Pollard (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Thor I#300 (October, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald & Ralph Macchio (writers), Keith Pollard (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Jim Salicrup (editor)

First posted: 11/07/2019
Last updated: 04/10/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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