GORM
GORM
Real Name: Gorm
Identity/Class: Normal human
(Pict);
Hyborian
Era;
Occupation: Hunter, warrior
Group Membership: His tribe of Picts
Affiliations: Niord
and his Aesir;
unidentified gods
Enemies: Satha,
the Wyrm;
formerly Niord
and his Aesir
Known Relatives: Unidentified ancestors
Aliases: Grom (presumably
a misspelling, but used at least a couple of times)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly Pictish Wilderness in some northeast
proximity to the Valley
of Broken Stones;
First Appearance: "The
Valley of the Worm" in Weird Tales (February, 1934);
(Marvel) Supernatural Thrillers#3 (April, 1973);
Powers/Abilities: Although relatively short, Gorm was
strong and muscular, described by Niord as "a solid knot of steel-spring
muscles."
He was a brave
and skilled hunter and warrior, with some experience with Pictish
medicine. He was fiercely loyal to Niord, although he was somewhat
superstitious.
He wielded and was experienced with a
short sword and shield, bow and arrow (carrying a quiver of arrows on
the back of his loincloth),
History:
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - The ancient demonic being known
as the Wyrm dwelled within a subterranean cavern beneath the ruins of an
ancient temple in what would at least eventually become the Pictish
Wilderness.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - A clan of hundreds of Picts, including the ancestors of Gorm, traveled into the "Place of Broken Stones," only to perish, suddenly, inexplicably, and terribly after finding a yawning shaft in the hidden temple: They heard a demoniac piping upon their invasion and then a slithering vision from Hell. The few who survived spoke little of what they had seen.
Thereafter, the Picts avoided that
valley, considering that something more than an animal dwelled down
there.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - When Niord led his
Aesir tribe southward into new lands, Gorm's tribe of Picts began
beating their drums. The Aesir made camp for the night, and the Picts
continued to beat their drums throughout the night and then waited with
swords drawn on the forest's edge at the light of day.
As the Aesir approached, both tribes sang their war songs, and the Picts unleashed their death-tipped arrows until the Aesir, mad with the joy of battle, ran out to meet them. As the Aesir gained the advantage and many Picts fled, the Aesir women rushed out with rocks to brain their wounded enemies or with copper knives to cut their throats, either way granting them a swift ending.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - Gorm fought fiercely
against Niord himself despite barely reaching his opponents chin in
height, and Niord found the fight sufficient to sate his battle-lusting
soul. Niord was bleeding from a score of flesh wounds when he saw a
momentary opening in Gorm's instinctual defense, which he used to strike
Gorm's head with his shield.
Niord was shocked to see Gorm having
survived the blow -- which he felt should have splattered his brains
like water but instead had merely opened his scalp -- and asked how hard
his head was; however, Gorm could only reply "Nadda
Kroton" repeatedly before falling unconscious. 
Impressed with Gorm's bravery and battle prowess, Niord prevented Helga from killing the fallen Pict, after which Niord returned to the fray and helped his tribesman to slay or force the remaining Picts to flee.
That evening, Niord bound Gorm's
wounds, and the two began to learn each other's language. Initially
boasting of his own battle and hunting prowess, after many days in the
Aesir camp, he acknowledged that Niord was a good fighter, too. He also
told Niord that if he was released, he would go back to the hills and
make peace between their people, and when Gorm was well enough to
depart, Niord allowed him to go.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - In the ensuing
days, Niord hunted a little more cautiously, expecting Gorm to be lying
in wait one day to put an arrow through his brain.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - Eventually Gorm returned
and led Niord and the Aesir to meet with the feather-bedecked chiefs of
his clan (and the rest of his clan) who had been awed by the Aesir's
ferocity and who had reasoned that the Aesir had spared Gorm because
they valued the Picts too little to bother killing one when he was in
their power. 
The Aesir and Picts made peace and with much pow-wow and many strange oaths and rituals, with the Picts invoking the elements, withered fetish idols and by another being, too terrible to name.
In the days that followed, Gorm hunted
with Niord, leading him into uninhabited valleys and up into
silence-haunted hills where no men had ever set before them.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - Gorm told Niord of
the great venomous serpent Satha, the only beast of which his people
were afraid, shunning the part of the jungle where Satha breathed his
poison.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - Gorm
eventually
showed Niord the valley containing the Place of the Broken Stones, into
which he refused to go, as his people feared the creature that had come
out of the earth and was not a beast. He told Niord how a whole clan of
his ancestors had perished terribly, suddenly and unexpectedly.
As they left, they were ambushed by a
saber-toothed tiger, which Niord ultimately slew but would have died
from his wounds had Gorm not been there to carry him back to camp.
For months afterward, Niord was
semi-delirious with ghastly wound but, nursed by Gorm, he survived, to
the wonder of all.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - During this time, there was a peaceful secession (led by Bragi) of 45 young men and their women from the Aesir, venturing southwest and taking up abode in the Valley of Broken Stones. Although the Picts tried to warn them from this, the Aesir mocked their superstition.
Gorm traveled nearby the Valley of
Broken Stones to hunt when he heard the screams of Bragi's people (as
they were slain by the Worm), and he hid.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - When the recovered Niord went to visit Bragi's camp two days later, he found Bragi's people hideously slaughtered, and Gorm stopped him from following the Worm's serpentine track and told him of the fates of his ancestors and Bragi's people.
Gorm helped Niord build a funeral pyre and burn the fallen Aesir, during which time Niord conceived of the means through which he might slay the demon that had slain his people. Despite Gorm's fear, Niord coerced him into leading him to the realm haunted by Satha. Refusing to enter the realm himself, Gorm warned Niord that he should not go there either, but Niord disregarded his warning.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - Gorm watched from a distance as Niord slew Satha.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - Gorm returned and watched as Niord coated his arrows in Satha's venom and then painted his face and sang his death-song.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - Gorm
refused to accompany Niord back into the Valley of Broken Stones and
watched as Niord slew the monstrous Worm with his Satha venom-coated
arrows but was mortally-wounded in the process.
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - As Gorm returned to
Niord's sword, Niord asked for his sword (so he could die with it in his
hand). Noting Niord's great wounds, Gorm offered to take him home, but
Niord told him it was too late. Niord then told Gorm to tell the tale of
his people from village to village, from tribe to tribe, so that men
would know that not man nor beast nor devil could prey in safety on the
Aesir. Gorm howled and beat his hairy chest as Niord perished.
Gorm
presumably shared Niord's tale as per his instructions...
Comments: Created by Created
by Robert E. Howard.
Adapted for Marvel by Roy Thomas &
Gerry Conway, Gil Kane, and Ernie Chua.
The
character was called the Worm in Robert E. Howard's story and in the
Supernatural Thrillers adaptation. I did not see it identified in
Serpent War#1, but it is called the Wyrm by an agent of Set and then the
name "Worm" is mentioned by the mentally-influenced James Allison in #2.
It is consistently called the Wyrm in #3-4, both in editorial commentary
and by the characters in the story.
It is worth noting that in the conflict with Niord,
neither the creature nor its herald ever speaks, and the Worm
is the name given by Niord. When the name Wyrm is first used in Serpent
War, Moon Knight hears it and speaks it as "Worm" (the two words are
homophones, sounding the same). Allison recognizes the name and says
"Wyrm," as does the Wyrm itself.
Given the consistent use of the spelling "Wyrm," I
think that is its real name, with Worm as an alias/variant spelling.
However, as it was only called "Worm" in both
versions of Niord's tale (which included Gorm), I've referred to it as
the Worm in this profile.
Gorm originally had a sub-profile in the Niord profile, first published 10/17/2010.
This profile was
completed 09/03/2024, but its publication was delayed as it was intended
for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Gorm should be distinguished from:
 
(Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - When Niord
led his Aesir tribe southward into new lands, Gorm's tribe of
Picts began beating their drums. The Aesir made camp for the
night, and the Picts continued to beat their drums throughout
the night and then waited with swords drawn on the forest's edge
at the light of day. As the Aesir approached, both tribes sang their war songs, and the Picts unleashed their death-tipped arrows until the Aesir, mad with the joy of battle, ran out to meet them. As the Aesir gained the advantage and many Picts fled, the Aesir women rushed out with rocks to brain their wounded enemies or with copper knives to cut their throats, either way granting them a swift ending. (Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - Gorm fought fiercely against Niord himself despite barely reaching his opponents chin in height, and Niord found the fight sufficient to sate his battle-lusting soul. Niord eventually defeated Gorm, but, impressed with Gorm's bravery and battle prowess, he prevented Helga from killing the fallen Pict, after which Niord returned to the fray and helped his tribesman to slay or force the remaining Picts to flee. That evening, Niord bound
Gorm's wounds, and the two began to learn each other's language.
Initially boasting of his own battle and hunting prowess, after
many days in the Aesir camp, he acknowledged that Niord was a
good fighter, too. He also told Niord that if he was released,
he would go back to the hills and make peace between their
people, and when Gorm was well enough to depart, Niord allowed
him to go. (Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - In the
ensuing days, Niord hunted a little more cautiously, expecting
Gorm to be lying in wait one day to put an arrow through his
brain. (Supernatural Thrillers#3 (fb)) - Eventually Gorm returned and led Niord and the Aesir to meet with the feather-bedecked chiefs of his clan (and the rest of his clan) who had been awed by the Aesir's ferocity and who had reasoned that the Aesir had spared Gorm because they valued the Picts too little to bother killing one when he was in their power. The Aesir and Picts made peace and with much pow-wow and many strange oaths and rituals, with the Picts invoking the elements, withered fetish idols and by another being, too terrible to name. --Valley of the Worm; Supernatural Thrillers#3 |
Appearances:
"The Valley of the Worm" in Weird Tales (February,
1934) - Robert Erwin Howard (writer)
Supernatural Thrillers#3 (April, 1973) - Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway
(adaptation), Gil Kane (pencils), Ernie Chan (inker), Roy Thomas
(editor)
First posted: 09/28/2026
Last updated: 09/04/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and � 1941-2099
Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!