"SORCERERS of MOUNT OLYMPUS"
Membership: Four males, one female (all unidentified)
Purpose: Unknown, although they did offer aid to the refugees
Affiliations: A group of refugees (including Leos, Karol, Maria, one unidentified man, one unidentified woman)
Enemies: Unknown
Base of Operations: "Mount Olympus," somewhere in Eastern Europe (see comments)
First Appearance: Strange Tales I#60/6 (December, 1957)
History:
(Strange Tales I#60/6) - Somewhere in Europe, a small group of refugees was fleeing from a tyrant's army. As they hid in the wilderness, they saw that all roads were blocked by military forces. Their only alternative of escape was to climb a mountain that no man had ever tried to cross. But as the pursuing troops fired machine guns at them, the refugees knew the army would catch up to them sooner or later, and if they surrendered, they would be doomed.
Reaching the mountain, they saw only a sheer wall of ice. Losing all hope of escape, the group was astounded when seconds later a staircase had formed in the ice. The refugees had no way to explain this miraculous event, but instead climbed the stairs to the top of the mountain.
Upon gaining the summit of the lesser mountain, the refugees came upon a glacial lake. Knowing they would freeze if they tried to swim it, they again lost hope. Suddenly, a barge appeared out of nowhere. Again, with no way to explain this miraculous occurrence, the refugees climbed aboard and rowed across the lake.
Hours later, as darkness fell, the refugees were in pitch blackness and had to stop for fear of making a misstep and falling off the mountain. Suddenly, the icicles of the mountain burned like huge candles and lit the way, allowing the refugees to continue their flight from the pursuing army.
But in that time, the army had gained on them. Minutes later, the group came to an abyss as the army approached. They feared that they were done for, when a bridge of ice miraculously formed across the abyss. After the refugees crossed the bridge, the army followed after them, but suddenly the bridge of ice melted and the army plunged into the abyss.
The refugees finally met their unseen benefactors, and the leader of the group told them "We who live here are sorcerers of a sort...and sympathetic to your cause." One of the sorcerers went with the refugees and guided them safely down the mountain.
Hours later, when the group was in free territory, Leos thanked their guide and asked the mountain's name. The guide replied, "Mount Olympus!" and vanished in the mountain mists.
Comments: Created by an unknown writer and Jim Mooney.
I guess it was intended that the "sorcerers" were supposed to be the actual gods of Olympus -- but then, why not simply identify themselves as such?
Perhaps these "sorcerers" were actually a group of Eternals helping out their human "cousins" -- maybe their leader only described them as "sorcerers of a sort" to put it into more understandable terms for the refugees (who probably didn't have any knowledge of Eternals). In the same way, when the guide told them the name of the mountain was "Mount Olympus," he was also putting the real name, "Olympia," into more understandable terms.
The various miracles that occurred -- stairs forming in the ice, a barge appearing out of nowhere, etc. -- could be attributed to the matter-manipulating powers that Eternals possess.
And a big THANK YOU to Dennis Giansante for scanning this story for me!
Profile by John Kaminski
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Sorcerers of Mount Olympus have no known connections to
A small group of Europeans who were fleeing from a
tyrant's army, they received aid during their exodus from a group of
god-like benefactors.
--Strange Tales I#60/6
images: (without ads)
Strange Tales I#60, p25, 5 (main image)
Last updated: 11/17/06.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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