Marvel Entertainment will be starting a brand new publication initiative next month entitled Legends of Asgard. The new series won’t actually be comics based, but a series of prose novels exploring the heroes of Asgard and their adventures among the Nine Realms. The first novel, The Head of Mimir, will follow the adventures of Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost, revealing one of Heimdall’s adventures from his youth before he took his noble post.
Legends of Asgard: The Head of Mimir will be written by fantasy and horror author Richard Lee Byers. Some of Byers’ other notable works in recent years have been The Haunted Lands trilogy and the Brotherhood of the Griffon series. While The Head of Mimir will be releasing in October, another installment in the series will be coming in December entitled The Sword of Surtur from author C L Werner. That novel will follow Tyr, the God of War and older brother of Thor, which seems to indicate that these novels might exist in their own space adjacent from the Marvel Universe at large as seen in the comics. This series may be choosing to instead take more cues from the original source material of the actual Norse mythology. For example, The Head of Mimir will explore Heimdall’s early adventures as a warrior of Vanaheim, along with his sister Sif, something that hasn’t been explored so much in the comics.
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Thanks to a preview from Marvel and Aconyte Books, fans get to take a look at the first few chapters of the upcoming book ahead of its release, featuring the voluminous Volstagg telling his son a tale of the young Heimdall. The cover art was also revealed in the announcement from Marvel Entertainment.
The synopsis for the book shares that Heimdall will be going on a quest to save Odin the All-Father, as well as all of Asgard. The All-Father is in the midst of the Odinsleep, so the Frost Giants decide to take advantage of the temporary weakness to wage an all-out war against the warriors of Asgard. Young Heimdall is one of those warriors with his sister, the Lady Sif. However, the first few chapters reveal that Heimdall is quite perceptive, noticing that the tactics of the Frost Giants seem smarter, more thought-out, almost as if they have a wealth of information they’ve never had before in prior conflicts.
Those who are familiar with Norse mythology know that the Frost Giants are more than likely to have acquired the Head of Mimir from Odin’s vaults. The Head of Mimir is a magical severed head that revels secret knowledge and information, and it will be up to Heimdall and his sister to reclaim the head from the grip of the Frost Giants, for the good of all in the Nine Realms. Could this be the quest that makes Heimdall worthy of guarding the Bifrost and wielding the legendary sword Hofund? Regardless, The Head of Mimir promises to be a really interesting read that will dive into the history and tales of the Asgard that exists in the Marvel Universe. Legends of Asgard: The Head of Mimir will release October 6th.
Source: Marvel and Aconyte Books
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