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Was just reading one of Marvel Comics' umpty-hundred different publications tying into its linewide mega-crossover story of the past year, Civil War, and saw a drawing of the hammer that normally turns Dr. Donald Blake, MD into the mythical Norse god of thunder, The Mighty Thor. Inscribed on its head are the words, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall posess the power of THOR"—in English!
Now, maybe I'm wrong, but Thor's a Norse god, which means he and his pantheon come from Norway or one of them other Scandahoovian countries in Europe, right? So why would a hammer, or any possession of a Nordic god, contain an inscription in a language that was at best only in its formative stages when the object in question was created, and wasn't even the language of the god's nation of origin? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to show the inscription in archaic Norwegian, or some sort of ancient runes or like that, with a "Translated from ancient Norwegian" caption box off to the right to give readers the English meaning? If not, what alphabet would it be in if it were culturally and historically authentic? Just wondering...
Now, maybe I'm wrong, but Thor's a Norse god, which means he and his pantheon come from Norway or one of them other Scandahoovian countries in Europe, right? So why would a hammer, or any possession of a Nordic god, contain an inscription in a language that was at best only in its formative stages when the object in question was created, and wasn't even the language of the god's nation of origin? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to show the inscription in archaic Norwegian, or some sort of ancient runes or like that, with a "Translated from ancient Norwegian" caption box off to the right to give readers the English meaning? If not, what alphabet would it be in if it were culturally and historically authentic? Just wondering...
