The Tenth World

By Jason Jackson

A Thor/Lord of the Rings crossover

Thor and all involved characters are the property of Marvel Comics. The Lord of the Rings is the property of both J.R.R Tolkein and New Line Cinema.

This takes place in both movieverses. Centuries before the Thor movie. Also, I'm using elements from the God of Thunder video game.

A/N: This is a new version, after I'd seen the Thor movie. I figured the story fit better that way.

Prelude:

In the beginning of all things, there were nine worlds. Nine worlds with its people, always warring with one another.

Alfheim was home to the Light Elves, fair and beautiful creatures to grace the light of the sun.

Nidavellir, where dwelt the dwarves, ever forging, ever toiling in the furnaces, creating whatever they pleased, and most of the creations they forged were gifts to the gods.

In Jotunheim resided races of giants. In a mountain range lived storm giants and frost giants, who thrived on the cold of winter.

Hela, the goddess all called death, gathers the dead and takes them to her kingdom of Hel.

Stroking the fire pits of Muspelheim are the demons, born of fire and heat, and their lord was Surtur, who ever waited for Ragnarok, when he would go forward and light all of the Nine Worlds in never-ending fire.

The Vanir ruled over the land of Vanaheim, whose people are gods of fertility, wisdom and prophecy until their extinction at the hands of the creature known as Mangog, and where trolls are forced to live there.

In Midgard lived the race of Men. Fallible, with short lives.

All these realms are connected and ruled by one world. One world above all worlds.

Asgard.

Home to the gods and goddesses.

Home to the throne of the king of gods.

Odin Allfather.

With his ravens, Hugin, who is thought, and Munin, who is memory, and his spear, Gungnir, Odin the Allfather ruled over Asgard beside his wife, Queen Frigga.

Two sons had Odin.

One is Thor, God of Thunder, master of the lightning and storms. With his enchanted war hammer, Mjolnir, the golden-haired prince of Asgard, protected his homeland from forces of darkness. His name was feared by the giants of Jotunheim, for was Thor not the giant-killer?

The other son of Odin was not a true bloodson at all. Loki, once the son of Laufey, king of giants, was taken in by the All-Father, who found him in a temple after the war with Jotunheim. Loki and Thor became brothers to one another. Where Thor had brawn strength, Loki had cunning and a skill with words.

The tale began with events well known to Midgard.

In the beginning, a strange meteoroid crashed in Midgard, its impact creating a river, and it would come to be known as the Rhine.

In the middle of the river now stood upon an unreachable peak was the very object that would be known to all as the Rhinegold, guarded by three water nymphs, called the Rhinemaidens.

One day, a dwarf named Alberich, came across the Rhinemaidens, who told him the Rhinegold is prophesied to be forged into a magic ring that would enable its wearer to rule the world. But it can only be wore by one who must renounce love in all its myriad forms. Alberich, consumed by his evil and avarice, renounced love and stole the Rhinegold and left three weeping Rhinemaidens, unable to leave the river.

In Asgard, Odin presided over the building of Vahalla, his workers were two Jotuns, Fafnir and Fasolt. But their price for such work was a villainous one: Idunn, goddess of youth, escorted by Loki, the trickster, who reluctantly gave her to the giants.

Thor and Frey, god of spring, sped to Idunn's cry, and nearly bashed their heads, but held back by Odin's spear. Odin, held helpless by his own vow, ordered them to stand down. Loki the lie-smith told Odin and the giants of the Rhinegold, and the ring it has now become. Fafnir made an offer; the giants would accept the Rhinegold ring in exchange for the return of Idunn. Odin did not have the ring. The giants took Idunn with them, and Thor was held back, forced to watch helplessly.

Odin, knowing that without Idunn to tend to the golden apples of immortality, hied him and his two sons to the land of Nibelheim, where Alberich had became monarch, with a magic helmet, called the Tarnhelm, forged by his own brother. It was used to turn him invisible, all the better to torment his subjects, and to change him into beasts of various shapes, such as the form of a giant snake, with the intent to swallow Loki whole, but for the strong arm of Thor to hold it back.

Loki, using his skilled tongue, tricked Alberich into a challenge… that he showed his ability to become small. Alberich used his helmet to become a toad… and he was held fast by Odin's foot. Defeated, he was forced to surrender the Tarnhelm to Odin for his life. But for his freedom, Alberich gave them his hoard of gold… and the ring. But before he gave it to the gods, he placed upon it a curse… that no rejoicing would come out of the possession of the ring, though all in heaven would lust for it. The curse would be in place until it was returned to Alberich.

Odin, Thor and Loki returned with the hoard to Asgard where awaited the giants, having sensed their triumph, with Idunn in their possession. Odin presented the hoard to the giants. Momentarily possessed by the ring's curse, Odin refused to requinish it to the giants, who began to take Idunn back to Jotunheim. Erda, sister to Volla the prophetess appeared with a warning that a dark day would come to Asgard if Odin did not give the ring up.

Odin reluctantly threw it onto the hoard. The giants returned Idunn, and Fafnir put on the ring, attracted to its evil beauty.

Fasolt was also greedy for its power, and he fought Fafnir for its possession, but he was slew. Fafnir departed with the ring and hoard.

Odin entered the castle with his wife and bloodson, while Loki refused to enter, out of guilt for his actions.

But much of the Rhinegold still existed within the realm of Nibelheim, so Odin swiftly went there, and banished the evil gold out of the Nine Worlds… where none would ever be tempted to take possession of it ever again.

He hastened to Heimdall's observatory at the Bifrost, and sent it through a black void, where all things ceased to be. But even Odin or Heimdall could not foresee that there was a tenth world within that void.

It arrived on the realm called… the Middle-earth. Its impact shook the world to its core, and created a crater. It also has attracted the attention of one whose shadow of evil will threaten to drown the world of Middle-earth in never-ending darkness.

And that is where the true tale has only begun…