Fafnir (Marvel Comics) Odin, Fafnir uses the power of illusion and intends to devour the Asgardians. Odin's son Thor, however, defeats Fafnir by driving the dragon into a chasm using his lightning, after which he frees Volstagg. Fafnir reappears when Thor's stepbrother and perennial foe Loki sends the dragon to Earth to kill the Thunder God. Thor, however, uses his mystical hammer "Mjolnir" to hold Fafnir at bay until Odin intervenes and banishes the former king back to the ruins of Nastrond. Fafnir eventually returns to Earth, destroys several abandoned buildings in New York City and battles the National Guard. Thor and Elif,
Norse mythology in popular culture George Webbe Dasent brought the mythology of Scandinavia back to the popular notice of many people in Germany and England; in both cases, Norse mythology was recognized as the latest surviving form of Germanic paganism. Germany and England were Christianized far earlier than the Scandinavian countries and much of their own traditions were lost. In Britain, William Morris composed poetry such as "Sigurd the Volsung" on Norse legendary subjects as well as translating Icelandic sagas into English. In Germany, Richard Wagner borrowed characters and themes from Norse mythology to compose the four operas that make up "Der Ring des Nibelungen"