Eye of Odin

The Eye of Odin

The Eye of Odin was the eye that Odin sacrificed to Mimir in order to gain greater wisdom. [1]

It was one of the original Three Keys to Power.

History

The jewel at the center of the Eye of Odin.

Odin willingly gave up his right eye to Mimir for the gift of wisdom. Presumably Mimir's later decapitation allowed an unknown party to claim the Eye (as salvage) and begin its path that would eventually bring it into modern times. [2] As Greg Weisman once remarked, it's, "Hard to hold onto something after you've been beheaded". [3]

The eye was already transformed into a jewel on Avalon by 975, which (linking to Odin's own power) increased the powers of whoever wore it; however, it would also corrupt them, in a manner reflecting the strengths and weaknesses of its wearer. [4][5]

The Eye of Odin in 1109.

By winter of 1108, the jewel had been cast into a setting carved to resemble a pair of ravens and was worn by Sigurd Magnusson, who considered it his "lucky charm" and dominated his opponents in battle. In October of 1110, while doing battle in Sidon, the setting for the jewel was smashed by a mace in battle and shattered but the jewel survived. The jewel was recovered by the gargoyle Skade two months later, but Sigurd showed little interest in it. Nevertheless, Skade sought to reset the stone, thanks in part to the skills of a captured Egyptian Smith. In January of 1111, the charm had been reset into a more Egyptian-styled setting and Skade returned it to Sigurd. Shortly therafter, Sigurd presented it as a gift to Alexios Komnenos of Constantinople. ("Fortune Favors the Brave...")

The Eye of Odin remained in Constantinople for the next 84 years in the possession of the Emperors of the city. By 1195, it was prominently displayed in a repository among various other treasures under the watch of the Emperor Isaac Angelos's archivist, Abu Jafar Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Ibn Al-Kammad. Demona, now more aware of the Eye's true nature and abilities, returned with Angelika to Constantinople to steal the artifact. When the archivist was distracted Demona switched out the Eye for a fake that she had made with the help of a smith in Antioch. Not long after Demona's heist, the archivist was murdered and the fake was stolen. Demona kept the real Eye of Odin and eventually offered it to her daughter Angelika in the hopes that it would grant her immortality. After briefly considering it, Angelika chose to reject the gift (or curse) and threw the Eye of Odin into the ocean. ("Fallen From the Ranks...")

The Eye of Odin on display at the Museum of Modern Art.

By 1994, it had somehow come into Xanatos's possession. Xanatos donated it to the Museum of Modern Art, but afterwards had a Steel Clan robot steal it from there, partly to frame Goliath for the theft and thereby make the citizens of New York City aware enough of the gargoyles' existence that he could manipulate the clan into giving itself up to him for its own safety, partly so that he could gain the leverage of having donated the Eye of Odin to the MOMA and still keep it for himself. ("The Edge")

The following year, Xanatos gave the Eye to Fox as an engagement gift. When she wore it, however, it turned her into a rampaging "werefox". Xanatos had to make a temporary alliance with Goliath in order to remove the Eye from Fox and save her life. Once Goliath removed the Eye from Fox, he took it into his custody at the Clock Tower, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. ("Eye of the Beholder")

Not long afterwards, Macbeth and Demona stole the Eye from the Clock Tower, alongside the Grimorum Arcanorum and the Phoenix Gate, under the Weird Sisters' influence. They then proceeded to give all three objects to the Archmage, allowing him to become a nearly all-powerful sorcerer. The Eye of Odin in particular transformed the Archmage into an enhanced version of himself (and would compensate his dangerous mixing of magics), giving him the ability to consume the Grimorum Arcanorum so that it could safely be taken into Avalon. [6] In battle, Goliath finally stripped the Eye from the Archmage, bringing about his destruction from an unstable Grimorum. ("High Noon", "Avalon" Part Two, "Avalon" Part Three)

Odin reclaims his eye.

Goliath kept the Eye afterwards, hoping to keep it out of the wrong hands once again, until he and his companions came to Norway during the Avalon World Tour and encountered Odin, who now wanted the Eye back. In final desperation to keep the Eye out of Odin's hands, Goliath donned it and was transformed into a quasi-avatar of the Norse god, possessing near-divine powers; however, the Eye slowly corrupted him even as it had done to Fox and the Archmage, so that, under the guise of protecting his friends, he became increasingly obsessed with destroying Odin as his one rival to ownership of the Eye. [7] Angela finally brought him to his senses, and Goliath quickly discarded the Eye, reverting to normal. Odin claimed it, and made it part of himself once again, presumably permanently. ("Eye of the Storm")

Known Wearers and Effects

The Eye is known for granting power and insight. As such, here are the known effects it had on those who donned it.

Sigurd Magnusson

As one of its earliest known wearers, the effect on Sigurd was subtle; he did not physically change like the wearers to follow. Nevertheless Sigurd believed the Eye of Odin was his "lucky charm" and the basis of his confidence during battle. When the talisman was broken during the Siege of Sidon in 1110, Sigurd's demeanor significantly changed for the remainder of his journeys, and he ultimately relinquished the restored Eye to Emperor Alexios Komnenos. ("Fortune Favors the Brave...")

Fox

The Eye of Odin's effects on Fox

As Fox once led the Pack, a group of mercenaries masquerading as heroes but with more in common with beasts... Fox's inner beastial nature and her self-loathing emerged when the Eye transformed her into a feral werefox. Driven by animal instinct and rage, Fox went on a rampage from attempting to assault her then fiance, David Xanatos, in their bedroom to attempting to wipe out the human side of herself upon seeing Elisa Maza. ("Eye of the Beholder")

Archmage

The Eye of Odin's effects on the Archmage

Upon donning the Eye, the Archmage was transformed into a more powerful sorcerer. He then consumed the Grimorum Arcanorum which gave him the knowledge to use his new-found power while the Eye allowed him to control the magicks of the book. But the effects of the Eye made the Archmage more maniacal, more power hungry, more arrogant, and more prone to making mistakes such as giving his enemies the opportunity to defeat him when he had the power to easily finish them off any time he wanted. ("Avalon" Part Two, "Avalon" Part Three)

Goliath

The Eye of Odin's effects on Goliath

The Eye changed Goliath's appearance by increasing his size and stature at least twofold, as well as dressing him in armor that resembled Odin's. Goliath's protective instincts were also amplified to the point of obsession which in turn made him a tyrant and fascist who desired to protect his friends from everything – even themselves. It also amplified his nature as a leader to the point where he would brook no disobedience.

In addition to this, Goliath was absorbing more and more of the god's powers through the Eye. ("Eye of the Storm")

Apocrypha

Video game

The Eye of Odin as it appears in the video game.

In the Gargoyles video game, the Eye of Odin had radically different origins and powers. The Eye was created by the sorcerers of a power-hungry Viking chieftain as the ultimate magical weapon. Using it, this Viking's particular band managed to conquer most of Northern Europe and the British Isles by 994. When they attacked Castle Wyvern, they were stopped by the gargoyle defender of the castle, Goliath. After this defeat, the Eye became dormant.

The Eye of Odin eventually found its way to the Museum of Ancient Artifacts in Manhattan. When Goliath awoke atop Castle Wyvern in 1994, the Eye became active once more, and fell into the hands of the evil gargoyle Demona. She used the Eye to create an army of magically-powered robot soldiers, which she sent against Goliath, attempting to destroy him and remove him from her path. However, unfortunately for her, Goliath managed to defeat her robotic legions, and her as well, by destroying the Eye.

Young Justice

The Eye of Odin

In the Young Justice: Phantoms episode, “Nomed Esir!”, the Eye (along with the Phoenix Gate and the Grimorum) makes an appearance in Jason Blood's collection of magical artifacts. He insists that Mary Marvel not touch it.

Production Background

The Eye of Odin was created for the Gargoyles video game by Patrick Gilmore of Disney Interactive. [8] It was incorporated into the television series (initially as a generic macguffin in "The Edge") to help create synergy between the two versions of the property.

Greg Weisman has stated that he prefers the video game's design of the Eye, which has a more Norse feel (complete with ravens), over the television show's version, which always looked somewhat Egyptian to him. [9][10] In 2025, Weisman was able to use the video game's design in the comic as part of the talisman's origins.

Real World Background

The Eye of Odin stems from Norse mythology, of course; in it, Odin gave up one of his eyes in exchange for a drink from Mimir's well, which bestowed great wisdom upon the drinker. Mimir kept the eye in his well afterwards, but was later on beheaded by the Vanir, a band of Norse gods who were rivals to the Aesir, Odin’s people.