Misplaced Pages

#984015

119-540: The concept of the character is that he is a hero from the sword-and-sorcery genre, in a world of modern superheroes. During an interview with co-creator John Buscema , Roy Thomas recalled, "We introduced another one of our more popular creations, Arkon the Magnificent. He had the feel of Edgar Rice Burroughs ' John Carter of Mars crossed with Conan ." Arkon debuted in The Avengers #75 (April 1970), and

238-470: A Howard-inspired gladiator adventurer, whose exploits took place in Central Asia in the first century CE. With the diminution of pulp magazine sales in the late 1940s, the focus of sword and sorcery shifted to small-press books. Arkham House published collections by Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and Fritz Leiber that included some of their sword and sorcery work. Writer Jack Vance published

357-530: A bae with a dark side. As one of mainstream comics' few female characters fully in control of her own sexual agency, and one of the Thor series' most sympathetic villains, Amora hasn’t always been written perfectly, but she’s definitely always been an object of our affections. Being bae is quite literally her superpower." Jesse Schedeen and Joshua Yehl of IGN said, "Thor is happy to battle Frost Giants, Fire Demons, and dragons all day long -- if it can be smashed with

476-562: A chance example from 1953, Fritz Leiber re-coined the term "sword and sorcery" in the 6 April 1961 issue of the fantasy fanzine Ancalagon , to describe Howard and the stories that were influenced by his works. In parallel with "sword and sorcery", the term "heroic fantasy" is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre. Sword and sorcery tales eschew overarching themes of "good vs evil" in favor of situational conflicts that often pit morally gray characters against one another to enrich themselves, or to defy tyranny . Sword and sorcery

595-682: A change of ownership in 1940, Weird Tales ceased to publish sword and sorcery stories. However, the pulp magazine Unknown Worlds continued to publish sword and sorcery fiction by Fritz Leiber and Norvell W. Page . Leiber's stories revolved around a duo of heroes called Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser , and dealt with their adventures in the world of Nehwon ("No-When" backwards). Leiber's stories featured more emphasis on characterisation and humour than previous sword and sorcery fiction, and his characters became popular with Unknown's readers. Page's sword and sorcery tales centred on Prester John ,

714-527: A goddess from Norse mythology. In the limited series Thor: Ages of Thunder the Enchantress is said to have been referred to by many names throughout history including; Freyja , Gefn and Iduna , and is linked to many of the myths associated with these goddesses (e.g. as keeper of the golden apples ). However, these stories were set during previous cycles of Ragnarok and characters based on some of these goddesses (Freya and Idunn ) exist separately in

833-454: A good popular catchphrase for the field". He expanded on this in the July 1961 issue of Amra , commenting: I feel more certain than ever that this field should be called the sword-and-sorcery story. This accurately describes the points of culture-level and supernatural element and also immediately distinguishes it from the cloak-and-sword (historical adventure) story—and (quite incidentally) from

952-418: A hammer, it's right up his alley. That's why The Enchantress is one of his greatest villains; her schemes can't be overcome simply by swinging at it with Mjolnir. A skilled trickster and sorceress, the Enchantress won’t rest until she possesses everything she desires. And it just so happens that she desires the god of thunder." Adjanni Ramos of CBR.com wrote, "Amora the Enchantress working alongside Loki in

1071-476: A heroic romance written in a mock-archaic style, was an inspiration to later writers of sword and sorcery such as Fritz Leiber. The "Poictesme" novels of James Branch Cabell (such as Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice (1919)) have been cited as a stimulus to early sword and sorcery writing. Cabell's novels depict picaresque exploits in imaginary lands, and were an influence on Leiber and Jack Vance. A. Merritt 's novels The Ship of Ishtar (1924) and Dwellers in

1190-454: A kiss, but agreed that circumstances were not right for them to pursue a relationship. Arkon was later prodded via a dream-suggestion to return to Earth because a Hollywood movie had been made about him. This subliminal coaxing was from Amora the Enchantress . She had been given the task of killing Doctor Strange during the " Acts of Vengeance " campaign (where all the major villains teamed up and tried to see if "swapping" foes would result in

1309-694: A largely young readership. The commercial success of the Conan books encouraged other publishers to put out new and reprinted books in the style of Howard's work. From the 1960s until the 1980s, under the guiding force of Carter, a select group of writers formed the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA) to promote and enlarge the sword and sorcery genre. From 1973 to 1981, five anthologies featuring short works by SAGA members were published. Edited by Carter, these were collectively known as Flashing Swords! . Because of these and other anthologies, such as

SECTION 10

#1732790328985

1428-476: A line to fish the dragon out of the sky to the bottom of the sea. Imprisoned alone in a cell with his hands bound, Arkon resorts to brute force running headfirst into the walls to escape his captivity in Apelantis. While it does not result in his escape, Arkon's actions attract the attention of a crystalline being named Warbow. Warbow explains to Arkon that while he has been able to escape the prison on his own, he

1547-709: A member of the Shadow Council 's Masters of Evil when the Young Masters make their headquarters in Constrictor 's Snakepit. In the " All-New, All-Different Marvel ," Enchantress joins the Hood 's incarnation of the Illuminati . It is later revealed that the current Enchantress of the new Illuminati is actually Sylvie with the original "Enchantress" being an assumed name. She is eventually confronted by

1666-607: A monumental struggle, the conflict was settled amicably. Storm through Cyclops ' optic blasts helped re-energize the Energy Ring, and Arkon returned Storm and her allies to Earth. Another time, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four helped Arkon drive off an extra-dimensional invasion of Polemachus by the alien race of Badoon . After this adventure, Arkon and Storm confessed their mutual attraction for each other, and even shared

1785-426: A more or less imaginary world, where magic works and where modern science and technology have not yet been discovered. The setting may (as in the Conan stories) be this Earth as it is conceived to have been long ago, or as it will be in the remote future, or it may be another planet or another dimension. Such a story combines the color and dash of the historical costume romance with the atavistic supernatural thrills of

1904-635: A plot against Thor is as classic as the Sinister Six fighting Spider-Man. Ever since early Thor comics, Amora and Loki have worked together because of a common goal to defeat the God of Thunder; although, in Amora's case, it's usually to make him fall for her. Some iterations of the duo have even depicted Amora as having feelings for Loki, but the two have always served as classic Thor-Villains Duo." Noah Bell of Collider stated, "The Enchantress, known as Amora,

2023-687: A pocket dimension created by Franklin Richards appears in Heroes Reborn . An alternate universe variant of the Enchantress from Earth-2099 appears in Marvel 2099 reality. This version is a member of the Masters of Evil . A zombified alternate universe variant of the Enchantress from Earth-1249 appears in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness . An alternate universe variant of

2142-543: A repetition of the perils of high fantasy . So too does the nature of the heroes; most sword and sorcery protagonists, travellers by nature, find peace after adventure deathly dull. Sword and sorcery resembles high fantasy, but is darker and more jagged, at times overlapping with dark fantasy . The scale of the struggles depicted is smaller, and the main character usually pursues personal gain, such as wealth or love. The opposition between good and evil characteristic of fantasy also exists in sword and sorcery literature, but it

2261-424: A review of an L. Sprague de Camp novel. American author Fritz Leiber re-coined the term in 1961 in response to a letter from British author Michael Moorcock in the fanzine Amra , demanding a name for the sort of fantasy-adventure story written by Robert E. Howard . Moorcock had initially proposed the term "epic fantasy". Leiber replied in the journal Ancalagon (6 April 1961), suggesting "sword-and-sorcery as

2380-510: A shield. Arkon has been known to ride dinosaur-like reptilian mounts, some of which walk on two legs and others on four. Other reptilian mounts he uses have wings enabling them to carry him through the air. Journalists of Comic Book Resources expressed interest in seeing a movie after Arkon exploring his relationship with Thundra in the Weirdworld . Arkon, Thundra, and all of Polemachus were last seen being wiped out by Krona during

2499-417: A specific castle, they find it inhabited by a revived Doctor Druid . Arkon possesses a range of superhuman abilities, including superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and durability. He also has an accelerated healing factor, enabling him to rapidly heal damaged tissue should he sustain injury. While all of his people possess these same physical attributes, Arkon's are much more developed than

SECTION 20

#1732790328985

2618-466: A stalemate until interrupted. However, Amora's sister Lorelei was later also enhanced beyond her own abilities. The Enchantress has a gifted intellect, and possesses extensive knowledge of Asgardian mystic and amatory arts. On occasion, the Enchantress employs various mystical artifacts, potions, and power objects, such as the crystalline gem in which she entrapped Brunnhilde the Valkyrie 's soul, and

2737-493: A strange society were influenced by adventures set in foreign lands by Sir H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs . Haggard's works, such as King Solomon's Mines (1885) and She: A History of Adventure (1887) included many fantastic elements. Some of Haggard's characters, such as Umslopogaas, an axe-wielding Zulu warrior who encountered supernatural phenomena and loved to fight, bore similarities to sword and sorcery heroes. Haggard also wrote Eric Brighteyes (1891),

2856-561: A strong mutual attraction. Later, with Thundra as his consort, Arkon sought Avengers' aid in repairing Polemachus' energy ring and protecting the maiden Astra from becoming a human sacrifice to Polemachus' religious zealots led by the high priest Anskar. During the Secret Wars storyline, Arkon finds himself on the Battleworld domain of Weirdworld . After many failed attempts to find his kingdom Polemachus, Arkon finally arrived at

2975-525: A subgenre that would be called "sword & sorcery". Examples of these films would include The Beastmaster (film) (1982), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), two Italian Hercules films starring Lou Ferrigno , Krull (film) (1983), a Conan sequel, Conan the Destroyer (1984) and Red Sonja , which, like the Conan films, also starred Arnold Schwarzenegger . One could potentially include

3094-502: A superhero team that Thor had joined. The Enchantress hypnotizes Thor into attacking the other Avengers with her own spells and a special brew, making him believe they are enemies of humanity, but Iron Man wakes Thor from his trance by reflecting sunlight into his eyes. Thor sends the Masters to another dimension through a space warp, but two issues later, the Enchantress uses a spell to send them back to Earth. She recruits Wonder Man into

3213-528: A tree (for returning Foster) Skurge releases Thor from the pact in exchange for his help. Amora then tries to change Thor's hammer into a hissing serpent, but it is immune to her magic. Thor then transports the two back to Asgard. The Enchantress and the Executioner are exiled to Earth by Odin. They become members of Baron Heinrich Zemo 's original Masters of Evil , the opposite number to the Avengers ,

3332-781: A violent historical novel based on the Icelandic Sagas ; some writers, (such as David Pringle ) have stated that Eric Brighteyes resembles a modern sword and sorcery novel. Sword and sorcery's immediate progenitors are the swashbuckling tales of Alexandre Dumas, père ( The Three Musketeers (1844), etc.), Rafael Sabatini ( Scaramouche (1921), etc.) and their pulp magazine imitators, such as Talbot Mundy , Harold Lamb , and H. Bedford-Jones , who all influenced Howard. Mundy in particular, proved influential: early sword and sorcery writers such as Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore and Fritz Leiber were admirers of Mundy's fiction. However, these historical "swashbucklers" lack

3451-551: A week, unless she renews the treatment. She can also use her magic to heal any of her injuries rapidly, and possesses limited mystical senses. She can also absorb an opponent's life force to temporarily increase her own powers. A prolonged absence from Asgard tends to diminish her powers although they never fade completely. The Enchantress has been described as one of the most powerful sorceresses in Asgard, second only to Karnilla , although their every direct confrontation has ended in

3570-604: A willing liaison with Amora, with the two of them living out of a loft in New York City as lovers. This status quo would remain until Thor goes missing during Heroes Reborn and is presumed dead. During Ragnarök, Amora is present with the other Asgardian deities and dwarves when Eitri and his brothers are sealed into a tomb they had carved due to the Mjolnir mold destroying them, albeit accidentally. When Surtur's forging of new Mjolnirs creates chaos, Thor attempts to fly to

3689-401: Is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance , magic , and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy , the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. The genre originated from the early-1930s works of Robert E. Howard . While there is

Arkon - Misplaced Pages Continue

3808-454: Is a skilled sorceress and master manipulator. One of Thor's most iconic villains, a live-action depiction of the character seems long overdue at this point. With her focus on manipulation and mind games, Amora could be an interesting change of pace for villains in the Thor franchise. While Thor has gotten out of most situations with his strength, an encounter with the Enchantress could show more of

3927-599: Is a violent, self-respecting and emotional barbarian who values freedom. The main character often has the characteristics of an antihero. Although the main character mostly behaves heroically, he may ally with an enemy or sacrifice an ally in order to survive. A hero's main weapons are cunning and physical strength. Magic, on the other hand, is usually only used by the villains of the story, who are usually wizards , witches , or supernatural monsters . Most sword and sorcery heroes are masculine male characters, while female characters are usually underdeveloped. A recurring theme in

4046-413: Is always recaptured by the underwater apes before he could reach the surface of the lagoon. Warbow offers to assist Arkon in escaping in the hopes that they both can manage it together and save his captive prince Crystar where they find his pieces in a bag. As Arkon fights off the underwater apes, he dreams of the home he seeks to return to. As he describes the world, he comes to the sad realization that he

4165-580: Is behind the rebellion against Morgan le Fay. After a brief conversation with the two warriors, the Swamp Queen forced them to face their fears in order to survive it and become her allies against le Fay. However, only Skull accepted the offer to become her ally. Arkon fled from the Forest of the Man-Things having remembered the path which led to Polemachus. Upon reaching the rock that was supposed to be

4284-518: Is dishonoring his memory with her actions. During the " Dark Reign " storyline, Quasimodo researched Enchantress for Norman Osborn . While giving a word of caution that Enchantress is a seductress, Quasimodo states that she can be a valuable ally in the area of sorcery and advises Osborn to find a way to make her fear him as it is the only way to avoid being crossed. She has returned after Thor's resurrection, with Donald Blake - bitter about his separation from Thor and his non-existent past - offering

4403-409: Is grounded in real-world social and societal hierarchies, and is grittier, darker, and more violent, with elements of cosmic, often Lovecraftian creatures that aren't a staple of mainstream fantasy. The main character is often a barbarian with antihero traits. The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction records a chance example of "sword and sorcery" from 1953, where it appears in a headline of

4522-420: Is less absolute and the events often take place in a morally gray area. These features are especially emphasized in newer works of the genre. The stories are fast-paced and action-oriented, with lots of violent fight scenes. Sword and sorcery is by nature a light and escapist genre whose main purpose is to entertain the reader. There is usually no deep message or social statements in the works of this genre. It

4641-487: Is losing his memory of his home. After reaching a safe place, Warbow gave Arkon his map as he had promised. But to Arkon's surprise, it had many places he had not ever seen in his journey through Weirdworld. Enraged, Arkon left Warbow behind and continued his quest for Polemachus. Lost, Arkon ended up in the "Swayin' Saloon" where Skull the Slayer was waiting for him. While drinking, Skull the Slayer revealed to Arkon that he

4760-544: Is occasionally genuinely challenged by the Scarlet Witch's mutant gifts. With the Executioner, she menaces Jane Foster again at Loki's behest. The Enchantress is also notable in that she has given other superhumans their powers. For example, she used the deceased Zemo's equipment to make a henchman of his, Erik Josten , into the original Power Man, who aids her in battling the Avengers. Her illusions and traps turn

4879-602: Is often regarded as the first true "sword and sorcery" tale, because it pits a heroic warrior ( Kull of Atlantis ) against supernatural evil, in an imaginary world of the writer's devising. Howard published only three stories featuring Kull in Weird Tales . He revised an unsold Kull story, " By This Axe I Rule! " into " The Phoenix on the Sword ", which introduced a new character, Conan the Barbarian . When "The Phoenix on

Arkon - Misplaced Pages Continue

4998-486: Is still searching for Polemachus and comes across the survivors of the airplane that crash-landed onto Weirdworld upon going through the Bermuda Triangle. He saves them and tells them that they need to get away from the plane wreck. When Arkon was sighted on Earth, Thundra and Tyndall arrived to look for help in finding him. Their search for Arkon was interrupted by the arrival of Warbow and his Crystal Warriors,

5117-454: Is the common primary alias of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The first of these is a powerful sorceress with the real name of Amora , one of Thor 's greatest enemies. The second Enchantress is the young Sylvie Lushton , who was given great mystic powers by Loki when he created her as a tool for chaos. She models herself after

5236-580: Is then recruited by the Mandarin , along with the Executioner, Swordsman, Power Man, and Living Laser for his plan for world domination. With the Executioner, she attacked the Asian sub-continent with an army of trolls, but they were defeated by Hercules and the Scarlet Witch. Amora poses as the Valkyrie and forms the Lady Liberators , which battle the male Avengers. She dupes Arkon into fighting

5355-465: Is typical for the topics that sword and sorcery deals with to be relatively limited. The genre has sometimes been criticized for excessive violence, misogyny and even fascist attitudes. In his introduction to the reference Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers by L. Sprague de Camp , Lin Carter notes that the heritage of sword and sorcery is illustrious, and can be traced back to mythology, including

5474-602: The JLA/Avengers crossover miniseries. However, since this took place in an intercompany crossover story, Arkon, Thundra, and Polemachus itself were all restored to normal when the miniseries ended. This is further evidenced by Thundra's subsequent appearances in the Marvel Universe since the miniseries ended. In this universe, Arkon is a character in a tabletop roleplaying game . Sword-and-sorcery Sword and sorcery ( S&S ), or heroic fantasy,

5593-574: The Avengers battled Arkon. Iron Man and Thor managed to rekindle Polemachus' energy-rings via a super device devised by Stark, and Arkon ceased hostilities with Earth. The Avengers had cause to revisit Arkon's world when their comrade, the Black Knight , was taken captive by Arkon while searching for the Well at the Center of Time. Arkon ceased hostilities with the Avengers when he learned that he

5712-522: The Ballantine Adult Fantasy series, his own fiction, and his criticism, Carter is considered one of the most important popularizers of genre fantasy in general, and S&S in particular. Despite such authors' efforts, some critics use sword and sorcery as a dismissive or pejorative term. During the 1980s, influenced by the success of the 1982 feature film Conan the Barbarian , many fantasy films, some cheaply made, were released in

5831-498: The Black Knight and Melter out of jail. She manages to escape in the end with the Executioner when the other two are transported to another dimension where their weapons rebound due to different scientific laws. As a member of the Masters of Evil, the Enchantress (and Executioner) repeatedly face the Avengers. She is especially affronted by the attempts of the Scarlet Witch , a mortal, to subvert her divine spells, though she

5950-486: The Executioner . The Executioner loved the Enchantress, and she strings him along with her feminine wiles, using him as her muscle. She aids Loki by attempting to seduce Thor in his Don Blake identity and by sending the Executioner to kill Jane Foster . Although the Executioner traps Foster in another dimension, Thor is able to bring her back by giving Skurge his hammer. When the Enchantress begins to turn Skurge into

6069-652: The World Fantasy Award -winning Amazons (1979) and Amazons II (1982) anthologies; both drew on real and folkloric female warriors, often from areas outside of Europe. Early sword and sorcery writer Robert E. Howard had espoused feminist views in his personal and professional life. He wrote to his friends and associates defending the achievements and capabilities of women. Strong female characters in Howard's works of fiction include Dark Agnes de Chastillon (first appearing in "Sword Woman", circa 1932–34),

SECTION 50

#1732790328985

6188-413: The cloak-and-dagger (international espionage) story too! The term "heroic fantasy" has been used to avoid the garish overtones of "sword and sorcery". This name was coined by L. Sprague de Camp . However, it has also been used to describe a broader range of fantasy, including High fantasy . Sword and sorcery stories take place in a fictional world where magic exists. The setting can be an Earth in

6307-518: The pulp fantasy magazines, where it emerged from " weird fiction ". The magazine Weird Tales , which published Howard's Conan stories and C. L. Moore 's Jirel of Joiry tales, as well as key influences like H. P. Lovecraft and Smith, was especially important. Lovecraft's fiction (especially his "Dream Cycle" of Dunsany-inspired fantasy stories) was a source of inspiration for the first generation of sword and sorcery writers. The 1929 Weird Tales story " The Shadow Kingdom " by Robert E. Howard

6426-515: The " AXIS " storyline, Enchantress appears as a member of Magneto's unnamed supervillain group during the fight against Red Skull 's Red Onslaught form. After the heroes and villains present at the battle experience a moral inversion due to the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom's attempt to bring out the Xavier in Onslaught backfiring, Magneto recruits Enchantress as one of his new 'Avengers' to stop

6545-457: The Asgardian's brains in action." Marc Buxton of Den of Geek asserted, "Amora was a founding member of the Masters of Evil and it is about time Marvel focus their energies on a worthy female adversary for their heroes. It can be argued that she is the greatest villainess in the Marvel Universe and it is time the world came under Amora’s spell." An alternate variant of the Enchantress from

6664-571: The Avengers. Amora also uses her magics to make Samantha Parrington and later Barbara Norris into the Valkyrie . With the Executioner, she battles the Defenders and the Thing . With the Executioner, Amora attempts to conquer Asgard with a troll army. She also served as Loki's lieutenant in his brief rule of Asgard. During the " Secret Wars ," she is placed on the villains's side, but she spurns

6783-538: The Earth, their world's energy-rings would be restored to power. Toward this goal, Arkon manipulated the Scarlet Witch into reciting a magical spell found in a Polemachian book to enable Arkon to transport himself to Earth. Attracted to the Scarlet Witch and intending to marry her, Arkon kidnapped her as well as a group of atomic scientists. The scientists were forced to construct an atomic device. Before Arkon could detonate it on Earth, however, Scarlet Witch's super team,

6902-433: The Enchantress his soul if she can make him a god again. The resulting god is a twisted abomination, with Thor defeating the Enchantress and her new god before banishing them from Asgard, leaving Blake - reduced to a living head after his body was consumed to create the god - connected to a series of dream-weaving creatures to make him dream that he is living a full life. After this Amora was defeated by Thor and banished to

7021-547: The Enchantress raises the dead, but Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, and Balder ward her off. A member of the Young Masters surfaces having modeled herself on Amora the Enchantress and takes on her teammate Melter as her lover. The new Enchantress is revealed to be an adolescent who had been given powers by Loki so that he could use her in his schemes. However, she truly believes that she is an Asgardian that had been exiled from Asgard and sent to live in New York where she joined

7140-670: The Enchantress, and Amora goes on to empower the Earthman Brute Benhurst into a short-lived new Executioner to serve as her minion in Skurge's stead. Amora becomes vexed with the Avenger Wonder Man and assists Thor and the Warriors Three in their quest to return Odin to the throne of Asgard. During this time, an attraction between Amora and Asgard's guardian Heimdall is explored. Amora even battles

7259-664: The Magma Men, and the Savage Elves of Klarn as Thundra tells Tyndall to find the Squadron Supreme . When the Squadron Supreme, Tyndall, and Thundra end up on Weirdworld, they are ambushed by Arkon. It was discovered that Arkon has been possessed by an evil madness as he assists Modred and Warrior Woman into taking down Nighthawk, Blur, and Tyndall. When the three of them bring Nighthawk, Blur, and Tyndall to

SECTION 60

#1732790328985

7378-414: The Masters of Evil after paying his bail. She also meets Immortus , who helps Zemo attack the Avengers. When this attempt fails, she turns back time to prevent it from happening, though the Masters retain their memories of this event. When Immortus begins to contact the Masters, the Enchantress prevents this from happening. She then joins in the Masters of Evil's final assault against the Avengers and breaks

7497-687: The Middle Eastern tales of the Arabian Nights , whose stories of magical monsters and evil sorcerers were an influence on the genre-to-be. Sword and sorcery's frequent depictions of smoky taverns and fetid back alleys draw upon the picaresque genre; for example, Rachel Bingham notes that Fritz Leiber 's city of Lankhmar bears considerable similarity to 16th century Seville as depicted in Miguel de Cervantes ' tale " Rinconete y Cortadillo ". Sword and sorcery proper only truly began in

7616-456: The Mirage (1932) have also been cited as influences on sword and sorcery, as they feature men from the then-contemporary world being drawn into dangerous adventures involving swordplay and magic. All these authors influenced sword and sorcery for the plots, characters, and landscapes used. Also, many early sword and sorcery writers, such as Howard and Clark Ashton Smith , were influenced by

7735-675: The Odinforce spell and restored Amora's full powers. In exchange for this, Amora restored the physical form of the immortal mutant witch, Selene, and helped Arkea resurrect Madelyne Pryor. Before the Sisterhood could add more members, the X-Men attacked and killed Arkea. Amora was ambushed by the X-Man M, who defeated her in a surprise attack. However, Madelyne Pryor swore to continue the Sisterhood, which presently has Madelyne, Selene, Lady Deathstrike, Amora, and Typhoid Mary as members. During

7854-493: The Sword" was published in 1932, it proved popular with the Weird Tales readers, and Howard wrote more tales of Conan, of which 17 were published in the magazine. The success of Howard's work encouraged other Weird Tales writers to create similar tales of adventure in imagined lands. Clark Ashton Smith wrote his tales of the Hyperborean cycle and Zothique for Weird Tales in the 1930s. These stories revolved around

7973-473: The Young Avengers' hideout. A distraught and confused Sylvie then asks her teammates to avenge her, eventually resulting in a confrontation between the two teams and Norman Osborn 's team of Dark Avengers . During the conflict, Wiccan reveals to her that she was given magical powers by Loki. However, he states that the team still wants her, but that her hasty banning was only to quickly remove her from

8092-482: The Young Masters away. Enchantress eventually returns, this time in the employ of Jeremy Briggs. She attempts to assist Jeremy in his goal of stripping Earth's superhumans of their powers, but abandons him after being injured by White Tiger . She later battles the Fearless Defenders as a hired enforcer of Caroline le Fey, but is defeated. In the " Avengers Undercover " series, Enchantress appears as

8211-449: The Young Masters. She admits to the first team of Young Avengers that she is Sylvie Lushton from Broxton, Oklahoma , who suddenly gained magic powers. Sylvie seems to have powers and abilities similar to those of the original Enchantress, despite looking far younger, and speaking with a noticeable lisp . Sylvie has a strong desire to become a Young Avenger and even used her magic to change her teammates' minds so that they would want her on

8330-425: The book The Dying Earth in 1950. The Dying Earth described the adventures of rogues and wizards on a decadent far-future Earth, where magic had replaced science. In the 1960s, American paperback publisher Lancer Books began to reissue Robert E. Howard's Conan stories in paperback, with cover illustrations by artist Frank Frazetta . These editions became surprise bestsellers, selling millions of copies to

8449-576: The bridge Gjallerbru. The Executioner, knowing there was no more Amora for him, chooses to be that man, giving his life so the others might flee. When Amora hears the news, to everyone's surprise, she is truly grief-stricken. After Skurge's death, Amora continues her regular tricks, both helping Asgard and opposing it on occasion. She aids Asgard against the evil Egyptian God Seth 's legions. Lorelei later perishes as Amora refused to give her life for her sister's. The deceased Skurge (in Valhalla) rejects

8568-472: The city against the Avengers, forcing them to disband and making Power Man seem like a hero. Captain America, in disguise, corrects this by obtaining a taped confession from the Enchantress and Power Man. Power Man is able to defeat him, but the Enchantress is knocked out by gas from Hawkeye's arrow. Realizing the tape is on its way to the police, the Enchantress used her spells to teleport away. The Enchantress

8687-517: The comic book series Conan the Barbarian written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith . Red Sonja got her own comic book title and eventually a series of novels by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney , as well as Richard Fleischer 's film adaptation in 1985. The genre has been defined by Robert E. Howard's work, especially his tales of Conan the Barbarian and Kull of Atlantis , mostly in Weird Tales from 1932 and 1929 respectively. Other books and series that define

8806-427: The current Marvel Universe . Drew Atchison of Screen Rant referred to the Enchantress as one of the "best Thor villains from the comics," writing, "Magic is used a lot in comics. Many use it for good but some like Amora the Enchantress, use it for far more villainous and vile reasons. A powerful Asgardian witch, Amora has cast powerful spells over Thor, Asgard, and other characters, making herself an iconic foe that

8925-572: The defeat of their heroic enemies). Arkon fought Wonder Man to punish him for appearing in the "Arkon" movies, and told him to warn the studio not to make any more. The Enchantress tricks Arkon into battling Dr Strange, but with the help of Clea , they are able to defeat her. Some time later, Arkon traveled to Earth to employ the Avengers West Coast and Fantastic Four as pawns in his war with rival otherworldly monarch Thundra , until he made peace with Thundra after realizing they shared

9044-645: The earlier releases of Hawk the Slayer (1980) and Clash of the Titans (1981) which whetted the public's appetites for such films and the live action adaptation of the Conan-inspired toy range (and subsequent cartoon series) Masters of the Universe , which essentially ended the subgenre's 80s run. After the cinema and literary boom of the early-to-mid 1980s, sword and sorcery once again dropped out of favor, with epic fantasy largely taking its place in

9163-634: The early modern pirate Helen Tavrel ("The Isle of Pirates' Doom", 1928), as well as two pirates and Conan the Barbarian supporting characters, Bêlit (" Queen of the Black Coast ", 1934), and Valeria of the Red Brotherhood (" Red Nails ", 1936). Introduced as the co-star in a non-fantasy historical story by Howard entitled " The Shadow of the Vulture ", Red Sonya of Rogatino later inspired a fantasy heroine named Red Sonja , who first appeared in

9282-467: The efforts of the Fantastic Four . Arkon was forced to return to Earth yet again when the machine that Iron Man had once built to rekindle Polemachus' rings failed due to Arkon's tinkering with it. Arkon traveled to Earth to recruit Thor to recharge the machine, but since Thor had left the Avengers at that time, he settled for the mutant X-Man known as Storm , who also had the ability to summon lightning, forcing her teammates to go after them. After

9401-467: The end of the Weirdworld and discovered it was a floating island . He was ready to step off the cliff to meet his fate on the ground below when an uncontrolled dragon appeared from nowhere. Seeing this as his opportunity to finally find his kingdom, Arkon stole the beast from the ogres that tried to control it and rode it through Weirdworld's sky only to be caught by apes who used a strange fish and

9520-488: The entrance to his kingdom, Arkon found himself yet again in front of a cliff at the end of Weirdworld. Filled with sadness and rage, Arkon pointed one of his Battle-Bolts towards his own belly ready to kill himself, unknowing that Polemachus was in fact in Weirdworld, suspended upside down as the underside of the floating island. At the last minute, Arkon gave up on killing himself preferring to use his rage to conquer Weirdworld in order to turn it into his new kingdom instead. He

9639-484: The exploits of warriors and sorcerers in lands of the remote past or remote future, and often had downbeat endings. C. L. Moore , inspired by Howard, Smith and H. P. Lovecraft, created the Jirel of Joiry stories for Weird Tales , which brought in the first sword and sorcery heroine. Moore's future husband Henry Kuttner created Elak of Atlantis , a Howard-inspired warrior hero, for Weird Tales in 1938. Following

9758-432: The fantasy genre. There was, though, another resurgence in sword and sorcery at the end of the 20th century. Sometimes called the "new" or "literary" sword and sorcery, this development places emphasis on literary technique, and draws from epic fantasy and other genres to broaden the genre's typical scope. Stories may feature the wide-ranging struggles of national or world-spanning concerns common to high fantasy, but told from

9877-457: The forest in Norway. She was trapped in an Odinforce barrier and stripped of her powers. Lady Deathstrike and Typhoid Mary were on a quest to find Arkea, a gestalt microorganism capable of controlling machines and people. They found Amora and offered to help her regain her powers. In exchange they founded a new sisterhood to battle the X-Men, who were hunting Arkea and Lady Deathstrike. Arkea hacked

9996-407: The genre is a damsel in distress . However, some sword and sorcery stories have a female protagonist, and the genre's traditional emphasis on male protagonists has declined since the last decades of the 20th century. In his introduction to the 1967 Ace edition of Conan The Barbarian , L. Sprague de Camp described the typical sword and sorcery story as: [A] story of action and adventure laid in

10115-461: The genre of sword-and-sorcery include: Other pulp fantasy fiction, such as Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series and Leigh Brackett 's Sea Kings of Mars , have a similar feel to sword and sorcery. But, because alien science replaces the supernatural, these books are usually described as planetary romance or sword and planet . They fall more in the area of science fiction. Despite this, planetary romance closely aligns with sword and sorcery, and

10234-517: The hero stays forever young and every day is like the first for him. The main character's victory over his enemies is not final, but in the next short story a new threat arises, against which the hero has to fight once again. The world has a wide variety of exciting and exotic locations designed to act as a stage for the main character's exploits. Many sword and sorcery tales have turned into lengthy series of adventures. Their lower stakes and less-than world-threatening dangers make this more plausible than

10353-407: The idea of fighting a gladiatorial game for the amusement of a higher being. She instead proposes to Thor that the two of them simply join forces, leave both heroes and villains behind, and go back home to Asgard. On the appearance of Amora's sister Lorelei, it is established that the two sisters have something of a strained relationship, rooted in rivalry. More than a little friction is seen between

10472-465: The labors of Hercules , as well as to classical epics such as Homer 's Odyssey , the Norse sagas , and Arthurian legend . It also has been influenced by historical fiction . For instance, the work of Sir Walter Scott was influenced by Scottish folklore and ballads. But few of Scott's stories contain fantastic elements; in most, the appearance of such is explained away. Its themes of adventure in

10591-588: The literary critic Higashi Masao regarding Japanese works Guin Saga and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen , they were initially planned by their authors as novels that could be classified as belonging to the European sword and sorcery subgenre but had various major elements that distanced themselves from the typical novels in the genre. In the 1990s, sword and sorcery boomed in popularity in Britain and other parts of

10710-641: The majority of his race. He is a cunning military strategist. He is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant and swordsman, and is highly skilled in the usage of his throwing weapons, which were designed by the scientists and craftsmen of Polemachus. Arkon wields a collection of three energy weapons shaped like stylized lightning bolts that he carries in a quiver. Each of these bolts has a specific function and color. The golden bolts are used to open gateways to different dimensional planes. The scarlet and black bolts are used as offensive weapons and generate powerful explosive blasts when they hit their target. He also carries

10829-411: The more powerful magic-wielders in Asgard, with her magical arsenal focused on (but not limited to) charming and mind-controlling people. Her by-then well-renowned beauty did not hinder in this. In her first appearance, Odin sends the Enchantress to eliminate Jane Foster , whom Odin sees as a distraction. She also hopes to have the thunder god for herself. She is assisted by a powerful minion — Skurge,

10948-456: The mythical past or distant future, an imaginary other world or an alien planet. Sometimes sword and sorcery stories are influenced by horror , dark fantasy or science fiction . Sword and sorcery, however, does not seek to give a scientific explanation for miraculous events, unlike actual science fiction. The main character in sword and sorcery stories is usually a powerful warrior who fights against supernatural evil. The typical protagonist

11067-687: The now-villainous Avengers and X-Men. Following the " Secret Wars " storyline, she has become a member of Malekith 's Dark Council. Through a spell, she takes control of the queen of the Light Elves, allowing her marriage to Malekith to happen and the conquest of their realm. During the " War of the Realms " storyline, Enchantress accompanies Malekith the Accursed in his invasion on Midgard. She and Kurse fight Ghost Rider and She-Hulk until Jane Foster slams Skidbladnir into Enchantress. In Uruguay,

11186-795: The original Enchantress, Amora. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe / Disney+ series Loki , Sophia Di Martino portrays Sylvie , a variant of Loki inspired by the Sylvie Lushton incarnation of the Enchantress and Lady Loki . Amora's first appearance in the Marvel Universe took place in Journey into Mystery #103 (April 1964), where she tried and failed to seduce Thor away from Jane Foster . The second Enchantress, Sylvie, first appeared in Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 (July 2009), where she

11305-821: The original Enchantress, who banishes her to a hostile realm. The Enchantress is a member of the race of superhumans known as Asgardians, and as such possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability but prefers to avoid physical conflicts. She possesses an innate capacity to manipulate ambient magical energy, honed through practice for a variety of effects, including projecting energy bolts, interdimensional teleportation of multiple Asgardians and non-Asgardians, protective energy barriers, illusion casting, levitation, conjuration, transmutation (even of Asgardians), telekinesis, time-disruption, mind switching, and mind control. She has used her sorcery to enhance her natural beauty and allure, and to enchant her lips so that by kissing virtually any man she can make him her slave for about

11424-414: The original Enchantress. She is able to teleport many people instantly, maintain a secret fortress with her magic, and transform objects and people into whatever she desires, such as turning several henchmen into frogs. She also demonstrated power enough to stop both the Young Avengers and Young Masters during their battle and separate them. Unlike many of Marvel's Asgardians, Amora is not actually based on

11543-462: The other Asgardians return, Thor is manipulated by Loki into inadvertently awakening some of Thor's enemies, among them Amora, though when she was last seen, she is the victim, falling by Loki's hands and mourned by Thor and the other Asgardians. She does not return to Asgard but instead goes to attack the world tree Yggdrasil to resurrect Skurge and release him from Valhalla. Amora is ultimately thwarted after Thor, Loki, and Balder convince her that she

11662-532: The pair, not the least due to competition over which one of them would manage to seduce Thor. The Enchantress joined the Asgardian gods and heroes in final battle against the world-ender Surtur . She establishes that she is motivated by enlightened self-interest : Surtur seeks to end the world, in which case Amora would perish. Soon after the Surtur War, Thor leads a number of Asgardian heroes to Hel ,

11781-465: The point of view of characters more common to S&S, and with the sense of adventure common to the latter. Writers associated with this include Steven Erikson , Joe Abercrombie , and Scott Lynch , magazines such as Black Gate and the ezines Flashing Swords (not to be confused with the Lin Carter anthologies), and Beneath Ceaseless Skies publish short fiction in the style. According to

11900-468: The potion she used to increase her hypnotic power over Thor in The Avengers #7. It has been shown that Enchantress is unable to access her spells when her hands are bound and her mouth is gagged. Initially unbeknownst to her, Enchantress II's powers are given to her by Loki. Wiccan states that she may not fully understand how powerful she truly is. Her powers and abilities appear similar to those of

12019-484: The powerful entity Nightmare on behalf of both of them as Heimdall was unable to protect himself at the time. She ultimately rejects Heimdall when she realizes that he wishes to be married and she does not. In Acts of Vengeance , Amora and Skurge join forces and attack Doctor Strange , only to be bested by Clea when she flies to his aid. Later, Thor has been spurned by his father Odin, exiled to Earth and disempowered. In this vulnerable state, Thor ends up forming

12138-644: The premises so that he could alter the magical defenses to compensate for Loki's traps. Convinced by Wiccan that being an Avenger is about who one chooses to be despite one's origins, she, Coat of Arms, and Wiccan manage to magically remove the Sentry from the battlefield and turn the tide of the fight against the Young Masters and the Dark Avengers. Melter requests a quick escape so that they can have more time to decide what they will choose to do as either superheroes or supervillains, and Sylvie complies, teleporting

12257-406: The realm of the death goddess Hela . The Executioner asks Thor to let him join the expedition for reasons he does not immediately reveal. In truth, he had seen the Enchantress dallying with Heimdall, and, heartbroken, Skurge wishes to lose himself in a noble cause — such as rescuing lost souls from Hela. Thor's forces accomplish their mission but need one man to guard their retreat from Hel by holding

12376-620: The resurrected Crystar. A fierce battle ensued between the Swamp Queen's forces and le Fay's forces for the fate of Weirdworld. However, none of them emerged victorious as Battleworld collapsed after God Emperor Doom was defeated during the Secret War. With Weirdworld now a part of Earth-616 and located in the Bermuda Triangle , Arkon resumed his journey to find Polemachus. As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Arkon

12495-463: The skies to discern the source, but is at once struck down by a blast from a Mjolnir duplicate of Loki's; Amora is slain by the same blast, one of the first victims of Loki during this event. Neither her magic nor her inherent durability is capable of shielding her. Heimdall falls soon afterward; Amora is not seen again except, seemingly, in one of the realms of death, unable to use her magic to assist her once-lover. After Ragnarök, when Thor, Asgard and

12614-573: The supernatural element (even though Dumas' fiction contained many fantasy tropes ) which defines the genre. Another influence was early fantasy fiction. This type of fiction includes the short stories of Lord Dunsany 's such as " The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth " (1910) and "The Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweller" (1911). These works of Dunsany's feature warriors who clash with monsters and wizards in realms of Dunsany's creation. The Worm Ouroboros (1922) by E. R. Eddison ,

12733-531: The team as well. After a series of try-outs, Sylvie is initially accepted as a new addition to the Young Avengers. However, as a plan to end Sylvie's future with the Young Avengers, her teammates Big Zero and Egghead download the results of an analysis they had run on her into the Vision 's cybernetic mind. The analysis verifies that Sylvie is an unwitting trap for the Young Avengers' magical defense systems created by Loki and Wiccan immediately has her banned from

12852-463: The threat of rape or to gain revenge for same. Marion Zimmer Bradley 's Sword and Sorceress anthology series (1984 onwards) tried the reverse, encouraging female writers and protagonists. The stories feature skillful swordswomen and powerful sorceresses working from a variety of motives. Jessica Amanda Salmonson similarly sought to broaden the range of roles for female characters in sword and sorcery through her own stories and through editing

12971-491: The thunderer always seems to face at some point." Sara Century of Syfy called the Enchantress a "feminist dreambae," saying, "Amora the Enchantress first showed up way back in Journey Into Mystery #103 (1964), and she’s been punking most of the Marvel Universe ever since. Amora arrived on the scene to assist Loki in taking Thor down, and their inevitable failure kicked off a long and storied career for her as

13090-404: The vines by attacking him fiercely. Arkon managed to get one of his Battle-Bolts and overcame his enemy. Before he could kill him, he was immobilized by the burning touch of one of the Man-Things. This time, Arkon hallucinated about his worst fear....Polemachus burning in front of his eyes. The hallucination ended with the arrival of the Swamp Queen of the Man-Things, a version of Jennifer Kale who

13209-429: The weird, occult, or ghost story . When well done, it provides the purest fun of fiction of any kind. It is escape fiction wherein one escapes clear out of the real world into one where all men are strong, all women beautiful, all life adventurous, and all problems simple, and nobody even mentions the income tax or the dropout problem or socialized medicine. The circular structure is common in sword and sorcery series:

13328-618: The work of Burroughs, Brackett, and others in the former field have been significant in creating and spreading S&S proper. Sword and sorcery often blurs the lines between fantasy and science fiction, drawing elements from both like the "weird fiction" it sprang from. Another notable sword and sorcery anthology series from 1977 through 1979 called Swords Against Darkness , edited by Andrew J. Offutt , ran five volumes and featured stories by such authors as Poul Anderson , David Drake , Ramsey Campbell , Andre Norton , and Manly Wade Wellman . Enchantress (Marvel Comics) Enchantress

13447-419: The world. Despite the importance of C. L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, Andre Norton , and other female authors, as well as Moore's early heroine, sword and sorcery has been characterized as having a masculine bias. Female characters were generally distressed damsels to be rescued or protected, or otherwise served as a reward for a male hero's adventures. Women who had adventures of their own often did so to counter

13566-458: The world. His dreams were forgotten when Polemachus was faced with a worldwide catastrophe in that the light-and heat-providing planetary rings were disintegrating. Arkon's scientists determined that atomic explosions occurring on Earth somehow were extra-dimensionally translated to rekindle the energy rings for about a year. Although Polemachus had not developed nuclear weaponry , the scientists predicted that if they were to atomically annihilate

13685-564: Was being duped by the Asgardian Amora the Enchantress , and later reconciled with the Avengers. Although his world now possessed the capacity for atomic weapons , Arkon was dissatisfied with the length of time it took to build a nuclear arsenal. Thus, he devised a plan to pit three extra-dimensional worlds, one of which was Earth, against one another, in hopes that the energy from the resultant nuclear conflagration could be absorbed by his world. His elaborate machinations failed, due to

13804-589: Was confronted by the Young Avengers . The Enchantress' parentage is unknown, though it is known she was born in Asgard and has a sister by the name of Lorelei . Amora began learning magic as an apprentice of Karnilla , Queen of the Norns, but was eventually banished. She continued learning magic on her own, notably by seducing others well versed in magic and learning their secrets. In time, Amora became one of

13923-498: Was confronted by the Witch Queen le Fay and her army of ogres. Having been hit by a missile launched by the ogres, Arkon fell from Weirdworld and finally saw his kingdom under it before being saved from certain death by the Swamp Queen and her Man-Things who were accompanied by an army composed of the other inhabitants of Weirdworld including Skull the Slayer, Warbow, an army of Elves, an army of Eyemazons, an army of Man-Wolves, and

14042-482: Was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema . Arkon was born of noble lineage on the extra-dimensional world Polemachus. The people of the Realm of Polemachus developed a culture that glorifies warfare , and Arkon succeeded in becoming the greatest warrior of his people. Appointed Imperion (ruler) of the largest country on Polemachus, Arkon mounted military campaigns against neighboring countries in an effort to conquer

14161-481: Was sent by Morgan le Fay to kill him and both started to fight. In a failed attempt of killing himself as well as his enemy, Arkon cut the ropes that kept the saloon suspended and they fell into the swamp below. When Arkon regained consciousness after the fall, he found himself trapped in vines and surrounded by the Man-Things . Arkon began to hallucinate about seeing Polemachus upside down when Skull freed him from

#984015