Thor Losers

I'm geeking out since Thor, the movie has been released. I'll slip away and see it when the prices are low and the popcorn is hot. But until then, I'm reading all about it!

This particular piece from Comics Alliance (yes, it is a real website) reports on religious outrage against Thor, the movie. Neo-pagan worshippers of Norse gods are offended at the portrayal of the, as the article states, not-real-and-never-were-real" gods in the movie.

Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of False Gods in Vain!

One such pagan waxes poetic as he handles a toy Thor hammer in a Wal-Mart.

"I held that foam hammer in my hand for a long time, which I'm sure only confirmed my weirdness to the nightgaunts of the third shift. With my other hand, I rubbed the Mjolnir necklace I have worn every day since my initiation into my family's coven. I did not know what to think of it.

The truth is, I looked at the toys in my hands and I saw the result of millions of dollars of development and thousands of hours of manpower, put into something bearing the name of a god, my god, and it had nothing to do with me. Their Thor was a god forgotten by all except the few quiet geeks who read his adventures in Journey into Mystery and The Mighty Thor for forty years. It wasn't that they meant to upset or unsettle me; they simply realized that people like me were too few to matter. It's impossible to think of a story about Jesus like this, not written to pander to or irritate Christians, but simply not considering them at all.

But not Thor. The Aesir were dead gods, their stories ready to be stirred and stolen and sold, without any remorse or complaint.

I drove back home along a wet highway glistening with streetlights, one hand on the wheel, one on the sigil around my neck."
Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/05/09/thor-pagans-norse-gods/#ixzz1Lt4ygKwP

Mjolnir: If you can't pronounce it, kids, don't do it!

The article also sites another (maybe-kinda-not) religious group, The Council of Conservative Citizens, earlier being offended that the Norseman and companion of Thor, Heimdall, was being played by Idris Ebla, a black man.
They wrote about Marvel:
"Marvel is headed by radical left-wingers who insert their ideologies and agendas into their comic books and movies."
Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/16/racists-thor-idris-ebla-racism/#ixzz1Lt66m14O
Again, they were offended that a black man was portraying a fake mythic character.

 Heimdall comic book character as done by Jack Kirby

Heimdall is a Norse of a different color

And just to add a bit more perspective:

Traditional Icelandic drawing of Heimdall @15th century

 The depiction of Heimdall in the illustration above tends to favor neither Ebla or the Marvel comics version. I find a better Heimdall in the visage of one hit-wonder smooth jazz performer and "King of the Hill" in-joke Chuck Mangione. Behold!

Chuck Mangione

And so folks, the lesson is that if you want to get something fake right, then you have to know how that unreal thing really is before you portray it in a way that would portray it as unrealistic or people who also know the thing is not real will defend the truth of it's unreality really really hard.
Ow.
Brain. I just think I made Heidegger roll around in his grave.