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Gungnir is the spear of Odin. Like Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, it returns to his hand after he has thrown it. Its composition is enchanted Uru metal.

History

According to one story, dwarves forged it from sunlight as a gift to Odin. Another story states it was among several objects forged by the Sons of Ivalid as part of a contest arranged by Loki. According to another story, Gungnir is from a previous Asgard that was destroyed by Ragnarok. The spear unified the nine surviving gods to create a new Odin who claimed Gungnir as his own. How true any of these stories are is unknown.[citation needed]

Odin has used the spear as one of his weapons and a symbol of power throughout his reign. Among its most prominent uses was when he wielded it in battle against Thor and the Eternals[3] right before the Fourth Host of the Celestials came to Earth.[4]

During the assault on Asgard, Gungnir was stolen by the Thunderbolts, ordered by Norman Osborn to bring it to him to turn the tide of his siege of Asgard. However, due to interference from the Mighty Avengers and the desertion of Ant-Man and Paladin, Gungnir was kept out of his hands. Paladin then took the spear far from Asgard, where no one can use it.[5][6]

At an unknown point, the spear was returned to Asgard, and wielded by Odin after his resurrection. After the death of Odin,[7] an arrow was fashioned from Gungnir, with the head made in the eternal flame of Muspelheim and affixed to the spear with sap of Yggdrasill. It was used to ignite Odin's body along with the rest of Gungnir during his funeral.[1]

Properties

At first the spear was stated to have no power on its own. Being made from uru, it served as a natural channel for Odin's own power in the form of energy blasts and other effects. It would obey Odin's command to mentally return to him and could only be wielded by Odin.[citation needed]

Later stories stated the spear was equal to Mjolnir in power. If thrown it would fly after its target and its tip would be surrounded with electricity. It could destroy towers with ease and would return to its owner when thrown. Unlike Mjonlir, Gungnir has no worthiness enchantment since the Asgardians cannot conceive of anyone but Odin wielding it.[citation needed]

Alternate Reality Versions

Image Description Issue
Thor Concept Art - Gungnir On Earth-199999, Gungnir is used by the kings of Asgard and is a symbol of its kingship. Gungnir can be used to open an close the Bifrost.[8] It was used by Bor during a war with the Dark Elves,[9] and was later passed to Odin who used it in a war with the Frost Giants.[8]


A millennium later, Odin used Gungnir to save Thor and his friends when they traveled to Jotunheim, and after falling on the Odinsleep, Loki took Gungnir as Asgard's regent, until he was defeated by Thor.[8] With the Bifrost's destruction, Odin used Gungnir to channel dark energies to send Thor to Earth and retrieve the Tesseract.[10] After the Dark Elves' invasion, Loki usurped the throne of Asgard, taking Gungnir with it.[9] After the death of Odin and the return of Hela, Thor used Gungnir to fight her. Gungnir was ultimately destroyed by Surtur along with the rest of Asgard during Ragnarok.[11]

Thor (film)

Trivia

  • Unlike Mjolnir, Gungnir doesn't have a magical safeguard, meaning anyone can wield it.

See Also

Links and References

References

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