![[The Eye Of Odin]](eyeodin.jpg)
Other Appearances: "Eye Of The Beholder," "High Noon," "Avalon" Parts II and III, "Eye Of The Storm"
The Eye of Odin was a mystical object created on Avalon, apparently from the actual left eye of Odin, the fay. According to the legends that became centered around it, the Eye granted "power and insight." The exact circumstances of its origin are unknown, but the artifact was apparently off Avalon by 975 AD, as the Archmage was hunting for it in his quest for ultimate power.
It eventually fell into the hands of David Xanatos, who added it to his personal art collection. Soon after his release from prison, he donated the Eye to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so that the city would owe him a favor, and then stole it back in his Steel Clan armor. This was so that he would have it back in his possession without losing that favor, and so that he could frame the gargoyles for it, thus alerting the city of their existence and forcing the gargoyles back to being under his control. The plan failed, but Xanatos still had the Eye.
Hearing of the legend, Xanatos gave it to Fox as an engagement present, hoping to see if the legend was true. However, it transformed Fox into a exaggerated personification of her innermost self, a vicious werefox, under the light of the moon. As a side effect, though, it accelerated her metabolism, threatening her life. Eventually, on Halloween night, 1995, Xanatos enlisted the help of the gargoyles to defeat the transformed Fox before her accelerated metabolism killed her. They succeeded, and as 'payment,' Xanatos gave Goliath the Eye.
The Eye remained in the possession of the Manhattan Clan until it was stolen by an ensorcelled Demona and MacBeth for the Weird Sisters. The Sisters, in turn, gave it to the Archmage, who donned it, transforming him into a vastly more powerful sorcerer. With the power of the Eye, along with the Grimorum Arcanorum's knowledge and the Phoenix Gate's transportation abilities, the Archmage attempted a takeover of Avalon, which, despite the assistance of the Weird Sisters and the enslaved Demona and MacBeth, was foiled by Goliath and his allies. Goliath forcibly removed the Eye from the Archmage's brow. Without the Eye's power, the Grimorum Arcanorum's energies consumed him and it with mystical flame, destroying both the Archmage and the Grimorum. Goliath took both the Eye and the Phoenix Gate with him as he left Avalon, and vowed that they would never be used again.
Unfortunately, an incident during the Avalon journey forced him to break that vow. In Norway, Goliath and company were confronted by Odin himself, who tried "barter and fair combat" to get the Eye back. When Odin held Elisa hostage to force the issue, Goliath was forced to put on the Eye himself to battle him. The Eye transformed him into a towering, god-like being, but it slowly corrupted Goliath's protecting instinct until he became a controlling, sadistic villain. Only when he was about to kill Angela did he realize that the Eye was corrupting him, and he pulled it forcefully off of himself. Odin, whom Goliath had been battling at that point and winning against, took the opportunity to place the Eye back in his left eye socket, restoring his long-lost left eye. The Eye of Odin was no more.
The Eye of Odin revealed the innermost self of its wearer, transforming the wearer physically (and usually mentally) into an exaggerated version of that innermost self. It also granted appropriate mystical abilities to its wearer. In the case of Fox, it granted her Eye-created form superhuman strength, speed and agility. The Archmage gained vast mystical power. In Goliath's case, it granted all those granted to the Archmage and Fox, making him into a god-like being. It only had two drawbacks. One, it was difficult to remove, giving painful shocks of energy to any who try to do so. And second, it corrupted the personality of its wearer, turning them cruel and evil.