The Comitatus and Thor

The comitatus in the movie Thor, consisting of (R to L): Thor, Volstagg, Fandral, Sif, Hogun, and Loki.

The concept of the Comitatus is an aspect of martial life that spread across the steppe from China all the way to Europe. Warlike societies, from various Eurasian nomadic groups to the Rus (Vikings), were attested to having their own versions of the comitatus. But what is this comitatus, you ask?  Allow me to elaborate.

The comitatus is discussed at length in Christopher Beckwith's book Empires of the Silk Road. It is a personal guard corps loyal to the leader above all else, including family, government ministers, etc. Beckwith describes the comitatus as "a war band of [the lord's] friends sworn to defend him to the death."(1)  This death not only meant potential death in battle, but also ritual suicide upon the death of the lord. A comitatus could number in the hundreds or thousands, however the core of the comitatus consisted of a small number of the lord's closest personal friends and allies.(2) The comitatus could also include the lord's male relatives or even sons, as Chinggis Khan's sons were among his trusted generals.

There was good incentive for joining a comitatus. The lord was bound to his guardsmen to reward them richly for their service. Gifts of war booty, silks, jewels gold, titles and honors were granted to the comitatus members. Khubilai Khan's twelve thousand bodyguards were gifted robes of silk and gold, adorned with precious gems. This gifting of robes was attested by Marco Polo and said to have happened thirteen times a year, incurring immense cost to Khubilai Khan. "The cost of these robes, to the number of 156,000 in all, amounts to a quantity of treasure that is almost past computation".(3)  However, the cost of disloyalty for members of the comitatus was also steep. Punishment was death, with all property gained in life forfeited.

"According to a story in the Secret History, a comitatus warrior abandoned his defeated Kereit lord, who could no longer provide him with good food, gilt clothing, and high status, and he went to serve the victor - Chinggis Khan - instead. Chinggis rightly declared that the man had abandoned his liege lord and could not be trusted to become a companion; he ordered him to be executed." (4)

Now, what does all of this have to do with the movie Thor? Quite a bit, actually. Upon viewing the movie, I was struck by how aspects of the interactions among Thor, Loki, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun resembled the operations of the comitatus system. There is an argument that could be made that this is the comitatus of Thor, or this could be the comitatus of Odin, in which case Thor and Loki would be a part of their father's comitatus. If the former interpretation is taken, there is eviden to support it. It was not uncommon for princes to start their own comitatus while their lord was alive. This is the case for al-Ma'mun and al-Mu'tasim, two Abbasid Caliphs who maintained a comitatus. Al-Mu'tasim formed his comitatus well before the death of his predecessor, al-Ma'mun.(5)

Looking at the movie, there is much evidence when following the theory that Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun are Thor's personal comitatus. They wear fine armor, wield incredible weapons, dine with the royal family and live in the palace. They accompany Thor on his journeys, even when they know their actions will be met with disapproval by Odin. When Thor is cast out of Asgard, they seek to intercede on his behalf with Odin, and later, Loki. When these paths fail, they go to Earth themselves to rescue Thor. When fighting the Destroyer in New Mexico, Sif declares she will die a warrior's death when Thor asks her to flee to safety. She only defers to Thor's will when he informs her he has a plan to defeat the Destroyer. Upon their return to Asgard, they are treated as heroes with a grand celebratory feast hosted by Odin and his wife, Frigga.

There is also some evidence that Thor and Loki, along with the others, could constitute the comitatus of Odin. The King and Queen are the patrons of all of them, granting them all of their weapons, wealth, status, and power. Perhaps the most interesting evidence is when Odin cast Thor from Asgard for disobedience. This is an action not unlike executing or banishing a disloyal comitatus member. Stripped of his land, powers, and titles, Thor is exiled to Earth while Loki becomes the king of Asgard. Also interesting is how Loki chose to die (or later, it is revealed he has been transported to another part of the universe) rather than live in his brother's shadow and live as a disloyal outcast of the royal family.

Of course, this is not a perfect example of a comitatus. Thor was not executed for his disobedience, nor were his comitatus companions punished for following Thor into the Jotunheim.  However, the elements are there, and it makes complete sense to incorporate the comitatus, which was an attested aspect of Viking life, to the world of Asgard and its inhabitants.




1. Beckwith, Christopher I. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. (Princeton University Press: 2009) pg.12.

2. Ibid, 13

3. Latham Richard trans. Marco Polo: The Travels ( Penguin: 1958) pg. 138, 140-141, quoted in Christopher I. Beckwith. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. (Princeton University Press: 2009) pg.22.

4. Allsen, Thomas T. Commodity and Exchange in the Mongol Empire: A Cultural History of Islamic Textiles. (Cambridge: 1997) pg. 53 quoted in Christopher I. Beckwith. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. (Princeton University Press: 2009) pg.17.

5. Beckwith, Christopher I. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. (Princeton University Press: 2009) pg. 25.