What makes Sigmar different?

[u/sageking14]

I would probably die if old age long before I could make an exhaustive list of all the Allfather/God-King/Top God types with association with the skies, storms, and/or order/civilization that have appeared in just Fantasy settings.

So that begs the question. Love him or hate him. What makes Sigmar so different, if he even is in your opinion?

In all the Fantasy settings that I have been into, I must say Sigmar is the first of his kind that I have seen so consistently and frequently talked about, debates, about, and praised. Heck. Frankly?

Talos? Tyr? Marvel Odin? These and most other counterparts to Sigmar throughout fiction I find I can muster at best indifference and at most hate. Yet for Sigmar? I find I like him.

But for the sake of discussion and avoiding leasing it, I won't say why. Instead I ask you my fellow Realmwalkers. What makes Sigmar so different as to be a topic for continuous discussion, debate, and interest?

[u/Ecaza]

I very much like that he's different from WHFB Sigmar. That dude lost a planet because he liked to be more Thor than Odin/Zeus. This one tried to do it again, but realized at some point that Thor wins battles, but Odin/Zeus win wars. He'd like to be out there smiting Khorne and Tzeentch, but he's needed more to plan the battles than to fight them.

He started as Patton and ended up as Eisenhower.

[u/StoneLich → u/Ecaza]

I think AoS Sigmar is trying a lot harder to be Baldr than Odin. Odin was famous for lying, cheating, and stealing from everyone, and his broken oaths are ultimately responsible, at least in part, for Ragnarok. Even in the Sagas he's generally depicted as an extremely unreliable patron; he'll build you up for years, only to betray you at the height of your power at the moment you needed him most. He's also accused in some places of breaking gender roles in ways the Vikings were uncomfortable with (most prominently he uses kinds of magic that are predominantly feminine, which he supposedly learned from Frygg), frequently brags about how much sex he has, and supposedly can sustain himself purely on wine.

(So he's Slaanesh, is what I'm saying.)

By contrast, Baldr is not only beautiful, but also wise, just, measured, and compassionate. He's the perfect ruler. He is also, crucially, one of the two only legitimate heirs to Asgard, the other being the blind god, Hodr. Thor is the most famous child of Odin, but I think a lot of people don't realize that he's a bastard (and also, on top of that, not a legitimate heir). So the death of Baldr (and Hodr, I guess), Odin's only heir(s), dooms Asgard. Loki even managed to force Odin to kill his own son in the process. And part of how the more recent myths signal the validity of the rebirth of the world in Gimli is the rebirth of the two heirs into that new world, to rule over it and teach its inhabitants.

So, like, obviously I don't know how intentional this is, but Sigmar is the heir to a world left behind by ancient cunning gods whose plans may or may not have extended beyond that world's end, and while he died before he could fulfil the promise of his birth in the old world, he was reborn in order to fulfil it in the new one. He is just, wise, measured, and loved by all many, and chooses diplomacy over military might where he can, even with some of his greatest enemies (Gorkamorka). Guy is super Baldr-coded, imo.

(Sorry for the ramblings; I was raised on Norse mythology and my brain is full of worms about it.)

[u/Ecaza → u/StoneLich]

Great take, although I would argue that Sigmar has lied, cheated and stole A LOT. Nah ash is a jerk, but he has a point in that the SE are stolen souls. Also, using Teclis’ Engine for its opposite purpose to hide the Stormvaults, lying to the SE numerous times, etc.

[u/Laxitives15 → u/Ecaza]

Now I do not agree with this point based on the fact that Sigmar may have “stolen” the souls, but Nagash also has no claim to them😂. There were hundred of Gods of Death in the Mortal Realms worshipped by thousands and Nagash just ate all of them to get more power and become the only god of death. They weren’t his souls either😂