Einherjar

The Einherjar are a group of Asgardian warriors that serve as the army of Asgard and are the warrior-class of its society. They are tasked with protecting Asgard and quelling conflicts within the Nine Realms.
==History==
===Origins===
The Einherjar have been the standing army of Asgard at least since the time of Bor, Asgard's second king. As the kingdom of Asgard grew in influence, it became the peacekeeper of the Nine Realms, with the Einherjar expected to police conflicts not only in their own realm, but in the others as well, preventing any one realm from threatening another's natural order.
====First Dark Elf Conflict====
Over 5,000 years ago, during a cosmic event known as the Convergence, the Dark Elves, led by Malekith, attempted to use an ancient weapon known as the Aether to revert the universe to its original state of darkness. They were opposed by the Einjerjar army, under Bor's command.
The two sides engaged in a prolonged conflict with the Einherjar fighting the armies of the Dark Elves, including their empowered "Kursed" warriors. The Asgardian army eventually stopped Malekith, using the Bifrost to take the Aether from Malekith before he could make use of its destructive power. The victory was a hard one, however, with a majority of the Einherjar force perishing when Malekith dropped the Dark Elf airship fleet down onto the battlefield, crushing swaths of both armies.
Over time, Asgard rebuilt the Einherjar, who served in many more conflicts in other realms over the millennia as leadership passed from Bor to his son, Odin.
====Asgard-Jotunheim War====
In 965 A.D. an army of Frost Giants from the realm Jotunheim invaded Tønsberg, Norway, in an attempt to subjugate Midgard (Earth) and plunge it into a new ice age using the Casket of Ancient Winters. However, they were opposed by Odin, an amassed army of Einherjar warriors and Odin's allies, the Eternals. After a pitched war by Odin's army, they drove the Frost Giants back into the heart of Jotunheim and took the Casket, forcing the Frost Giants into a peace agreement.
Frigga, who carried a baby Thor, also led the Einherjar into battle.
===Modern History===
====War of the Nine Realms====
After several schemes set forth by Loki that resulted in the destruction of the Rainbow Bridge, the realm of Asgard was isolated from the rest of the Nine Realms. Without Asgard and the Einherjar to maintain peace within the Nine Realms, the balance of power began to shift and many conflicts began to arise between various realms. Taking advantage of War of the Nine Realms, a group known as the Marauders arose, attacking and looting various settlements in each realm, one by one.
Later, after Thor traveled to Midgard to stop Loki and bring him back to Asgard, Thor also returned with the Tesseract, which Heimdall was able to use to restore the Bifrost. With the Bifrost repaired, Odin dispersed the armies of the Einherjar to the different realms in order to restore peace to the Nine Realms. The Einherjar subsequently fought alongside Sif, the Warriors Three, and Thor to quell the conflicts in various realms, most notably engaging in a prolonged conflict with the Marauders in the realm of Vanaheim.
====Second Dark Elf Conflict====
When Algrim led a prison break from the Asgardian Dungeons, the Einherjar responded and were assisted by Fandral and Volstagg in battling the escapees who would not comply with Thor's order to surrender.
After Frigga's funeral, Thor led the Aether-carrying Jane Foster away from Asgard to Svartalfheim in order to protect his home from Malekith's destructive search. This was in defiance of Odin's isolation decree. Odin had Tyr lead the Einherjar in a search for Foster and the Einherjar fought Volstagg, Sif, and Fandral who were protecting her until Thor and Loki could affect her escape. 
An Einherjar Guard was sent to check the outcome of the Second Battle of Svartalfheim, but Loki murdered him in surprise, impersonate the guard and returned to Asgard to inform Odin that Loki had been killed.
====Ragnarök====
In 2017, when Hela returned to Asgard after her imprisonment, the Einherjar gathered in an attempt to stop her, including hundreds of warriors and multiple airships, all led by Hogun of the Warriors Three. However, despite heroic efforts, including landing numerous blows on Hela and even giving her what would have been a lethal wound on anyone else, the Einherjar were slaughtered. 
However, the Einherjar who survived went into hiding with Heimdall and the other Asgardians. Later, they watched as Hela was killed by Surtur and as the subsequent Destruction of Asgard took place. They, along with Heimdall, the surviving Asgardians, Thor, Loki, Hulk, Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek, boarded onto the Statesman. They served under Thor, who became the new King, and Valkyrie, who became their new leader.
====Attack on the Statesman====
In 2018, the Einherjar witnessed the Sanctuary II intercept the Statesman and Thanos and the Black Order's subsequent attack. The Einherjar were spared and fled in escape pods with Valkyrie.
====New Asgard====
=====Settling on Earth=====
Three weeks afterwards, the Einherjar, led by Valkyrie, arrived on Earth and were reunited with Thor, who led them to Tønsberg, Norway. Once there, they renamed the town as New Asgard and the Einherjar removed all their available equipment and stored it away. The Einherjar then forsook their previous occupation and followed the simple lifestyle of their fellow surviving Asgardians.
====Battle of Earth====
In 2023, following the Blip, the Einherjar, alongside Valkyrie, Warsong, Korg, and Miek, were transported via Inter-Dimensional Portal to the destroyed Avengers Compound by the Masters of the Mystic Arts to participate in the battle against an alternate Thanos and his army. They fought alongside the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Masters of the Mystic Arts, Wakandans, and the Ravagers.
====Living Under Valkyrie's Reign====
In 2024, the Einherjar lived peaceful lives under Valkyrie, tending to relaxed jobs around New Asgard. A few soldiers were tasked to stand guard around the glass encased area containing the broken pieces of Mjølnir.
====Attack on New Asgard====
When Jane Foster arrived, they witnessed as she was transformed into the Mighty Thor. That night, the Einherjar were caught off guard when Gorr the God Butcher unleashed the Shadow Monsters upon New Asgard. They sprang into action as best as possible to fight the monsters off. When Thor arrived via the Bifrost Bridge, he commanded some Einherjar to escort Sif safely to the New Asgard Infirmary.
==Equipment==
Einherjar soldiers are prestigious warriors whose uniforms consist of ornate protective armor, including a chest plate with a high neck guard or collar, shoulder guards, gauntlets, boots, and a distinctive, ornate helmet. Their armor is also complemented by a fabric cape.
The Einherjar carry a variety of weapons. Most commonly, they use spears, some of which are double-tipped, for fighting enemies and keeping them at a distance, and a short sword for close-range combat. Additionally, the Einherjar carry ornate, gold-colored shields to provide protection against enemy attacks. These shields provide a small amount of protection against energy-based weapons.
==Relationships==
===Allies===
*Asgardian Royal Family
**Odin † - Former King
**Frigga †
**Thor - Former King
**Loki † - Former King
*Asgardians
**Heimdall †
**Sif
**Warriors Three
***Fandral †
***Volstagg †
***Hogun †
**Brunnhilde/Valkyrie - Leader and King
**Grace
**Axl Heimdallson
*Jane Foster/Mighty Thor †
*Korg
*Miek
*Avengers
**Steve Rogers/Captain America
**Tony Stark/Iron Man †
**Bruce Banner/Hulk
**James Rhodes/War Machine
**Clint Barton/Hawkeye
**Wanda Maximoff †
**Peter Parker/Spider-Man
**Sam Wilson/Falcon
**Scott Lang/Ant-Man
**Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel
*Guardians of the Galaxy
**Peter Quill/Star-Lord
**Rocket
**Groot
**Drax the Destroyer
**Mantis
**Nebula
**Kraglin Obfonteri
*Ravagers
*Howard the Duck
*Hope van Dyne/Wasp
*Pepper Potts/Rescue
===Enemies===
*Frost Giants
**Laufey †
*Marauders
*Dark Elves
**Malekith † 
**Algrim/Kurse † 
*Hela †
*Fenris †
*Berserkers †
*Surtur †
*Thanos †
*Black Order
**Ebony Maw †
**Cull Obsidian †
**Proxima Midnight †
**Corvus Glaive †
*Thanos †
*Black Order
**Ebony Maw †
**Cull Obsidian †
**Proxima Midnight †
**Corvus Glaive †
*Chitauri
**Leviathans
**Chitauri Gorillas
*Outriders
*Sakaarans
*Gorr the God Butcher † 
*Shadow Monsters
==Appearances==
Appearances for the Einherjar
==Trivia==
*In Norse mythology, the Einherjar are warriors that have died in battle and are brought to Valhalla by Valkyries to prepare for the events of Ragnarök.
==References==
==External Links==
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Category:Asgardians
Category:Organizations
Category:Einherjar
Category:Armed Forces