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Axl
Axl Johnson/Odin
Axl
Played by: Emmett Skilton, Siobhan Marshall (Female version)
The youngest of the Johnsons whose destiny is to become Odin, the big kahuna of Norse mythology. Wisdom, war, death, prophecy, battle and magic are among the many powers associated with Odin.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: Zeb was especially attracted to Axl/Mia, but so were Mike and Olaf."Mia:" Stop checking out my ass, grandpa!
- Beware the Nice Ones: Axl is surprisingly nice and humble for being carrying the spirit of a warring-god-king, but if pushed will lay down the laws to others backed by supernatural fighting skills.
- Big Little Brother: Axl towers over all his older brothers.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Anytime he is called upon for the role of Odin or needs to get badass he uses an ancestral sword he instinctively knows how to wield.
- Ret-Gone: After the spirit of the Norse gods leave their hosts and depart for Asgard, every mortal who's ever met him has forgotten he ever existed.
- Super-Strength: On a couple of occasions demonstrates greater than human strength when needed.
Mike
Mike Johnson/Ullr
Mike
Played by: Tim Balme
The eldest of the Johnson boys, who is Ullr, the God of skill, hunt and duel.
- Promotion to Parent: after their mother, Elizabet, left to become a tree on Mike's 21 birthday.
- Team Dad: Force to become this after the boys were abandoned by their mother and often the most responsible of the group.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Big time, especially in season three.
Anders
Anders Johnson/Bragi
Anders
Played by: Dean O'Gorman
The second Johnson brother, who is Bragi, the God of poetry.- The Casanova: Uses his powers to seduce women until Axl/Odin put a stop to it..
- Compelling Voice: His god power.
- Date Rape: What his powers amount to. He can talk any woman into sleeping with him even if they would not normally do so only for the woman to regret it once the effect has worn off and not know why they did so.
- Domestic Abuser: Played Straight with every woman he meets because he abuses his Compelling Voice powers, but Subverted in regards to his relationship with Helen. Anders is not the greatest boyfriend, but Ty points out that he's at least treating her like an actual person instead of just a blow-up doll to be discarded when he gets bored. He listens when she talks, shares interests and hobbies, and overall has a pleasant relationship with her... which is especially odd, considering he's destined to screw her over completely. Ends up being an inversion, as she is a Toxic Friend Influence who encourages him to use his powers in the worst ways, and gets herself killed by mouthing off to a god-hunter.
- It's All About Me: Anders has trouble focusing on anyone except himself. Even when in the wrong and trying to apologize it always comes down to him.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He cares for his brothers and Dawn, but often as as a prick to them because he can.
- Weaksauce Weakness: His Compelling Voice lets him make anyone do anything, including long-term programming and memory erasure. It's even implied to work on gods. His weakness? Getting interrupted. If someone knows what he can do, they just stop him from completing the order, and it has no effect.
- Written-In Absence: Anders was in Norway for about half of the season because Dean O'Gorman was filming The Hobbit.
Ty
Ty Johnson/Höðr
Ty
Played by: Jared Turner
The third Johnson brother and human incarnation of Höðr (aka Hodor, Hodur, Hoor or Hoth), the Norse God of winter and darkness.
- An Ice Person: He drains the heat from anything close to him and is perfectly comfortable in a freezer.
- Blessed with Suck: As god of winter, he can is immune to cold temperatures or burning since he canels out any heat. This lets him serve as the perfect foil for Loki. On the other hand, he is almost numb to sensation, cannot taste anything hot. And prolonged physical contact with anyone will drain the heat form them and kill them.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Especially during his marriage with Eva.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Because he cannot turn off his god powers he is a threat to anyone who spends too much time with him.
- Nice Guy: One of the few gods who is not a JerkAss.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Dawn.
Olaf
Olaf Johnson/Baldr
Olaf
Played by: Ben Barrington
The grandfather of the Johnson boys, he is the human incarnation of Baldr, the Norse God of rebirth, light and beauty.
- The Ageless: Thanks to being "reborn" each morning he is not supposed to age. However, decades of heavy drug use combined with his weakened powers have slowly aged him.
- Berserk Button: Hitting women or at least your wife. It is his one rule and one of the few things that can get a rise out of his normally stoned/apathetic state.
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Justifies his leaving his children due to his agelessness. It would create too many questions once noticed.
- Erudite Stoner: Frequently gets high.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Flipflops. On one hand he is overall a pacifist and all-around nice guy. On the other, he frequently abandons his responsibilities to go surfing or get stoned without telling anyone. He comes across as largely apathetic to things around him unless it gets truly serous and involves him.
- Older Than They Look: He is in his 90s, but due to his god-powers he looks much younger.
- Parental Abandonment: Has a history of fathering mortal children only to abandon them without financial support of much care or thought.
- Seers His role is to serve as the gods' oracle and interpret signs, but he usually doesn't realize what is going on until AFTER events have already occurred.
- Parental Neglect: More like Grandparent neglect. He largely let Mike raise his brothers helping only now and then.
- Surfer Dude: One of his hobbies.
Johan
Johan "Joe" Johnson/Njörðr
Played by: Stuart Devenie
The Johnson brothers' father who abandoned the family when they were children. As Njörðr, he is the incarnation of the Norse god of the sea.- Charm Person: Part of his powers lets him "pour oil on troubled waters." If he gets the first word in, he can calm everyone down with a bunch of nonsense until he leaves.
- Disappeared Dad: He left the family when Axl was a baby.
- Domestic Abuse: Regularly got in fights with and hit his wife. This actually angered Olaf, since Olaf's one rule is "never hit a woman." Even worse, Johan fully admits that he could have used his powers to calm his wife—he fought with her because he thought it was fun.
- It's All About Me: Johan only care about himself.
- Jerk Withthe Heart Of A Jerk: Johan can be charming when he wants to, but it is only a cover for what he wants. After that, he becomes an asshole again.
- JerkAss: Stands out when compared to everyone else on the show, which is saying something.
- Karma Houdini: Goes back to the sea like he always wanted. Though considering at the end everyone around him would forget him and he is likely on a foreign ship where no one speaks English is likely going to get him into trouble.
- Lack of Empathy: Shows no regret about abandoning his children or hitting his wife.
- Never My Fault: Refuses to take any responsibility for his actions choosing to blame it on his godhood and the "call of the seas."
- Parental Abandonment: Abandoned his family fifteen years before the start of the show when Axel was five.
- Semantic Superpower: As Njörðr, he has the power to both literally and figuratively calm storms.
Gods & Goddesses
Derrick
Derrick/Thor
Played by: Geoff Dolan
A mad and temperamental farmer, who currently is possessed by the god spirit of Thor.- Fantastic Racism: Hates giants and always wanted to kill one.
- Heroic BSoD: Axl finds him in the middle of one in season three. He gets better by the end, though.
Colin
Colin Gundersen/Loki
Played by: Shane Cortese
The Norse God of Fire, and lover of fun and mischief.- Amoral Attorney: He's a lawyer and uses his lawyerly skills along with his supernatural powers in his efforts to kill the protagonists and/or bring about Ragnarok.
- God of Fire: In addition to being a Trickster God as usual, Loki is the Norse God of Fire.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: He constantly mocks his daughter to her face, but it's clear that he actually cares for her deep down. It's even implied that the reason he kicked her to the curb and refused to tell her anything about her divine heritage was because he knew that being Hel would ruin her life. And it did. Once she dies, he goes on the warpath.
- Jerkass: Loki often goes out of his way to antagonizes others and riling them up (including his own daughter) for no reason other than a laugh.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Even though Colin is an incarnation of Loki, who has had some interesting relations with his biological sex and sexual encounters in the myth, Colin has a notable case of Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?. When people have pointed out some of Loki's questionable mythological sexual history, Colin says that he is the most heterosexual god he knows. He also calls the straightness of others, specifically members of the Johnson family, into question as a juvenile personal attack or making snide comments to Thor/Derrick about the time in the Norse myth where Thor got Mjolnir back by disguising himself as the bride of the giant who had stolen the hammer.
- Playing with Fire: Aside from being clever and manipulative, Loki has limited control over fire.
- The Stinger: In the series finale, after the Agar, Colin stays behind and drops an ominous-looking red crystal on the same spot where the spirits of the Norse gods departed back to Asgard.
- Troll: Fitting for the Norse god who he hosts, Colin will often go out of his way to avenge petty slights, or rile people up (including his own daughter) for no other reason than he gets a sadistic glee from it.
Kvasir
Kvasir
Played by: Michael Hurst
The wisest of all the Gods, who can access this knowledge as a part of his god powers.- The Alcoholic: Drinks heavily.
- Elemental Shapeshifter: He is said to be made from the saliva of the Gods so when he needs to get away he can turn into a liquid.
- Wisdom Fromthe Gutter: As wisest of the gods he knows everything about them, but lives as a homeless bum.
Agnetha
Agnetha/ Elizabet Johnson/Freyja
Played by: Alison Bruce
Leader of the Goddesses and the human incarnation of Freyja (or Freya) who is the Norse Goddess equivalent of Odin.- Bus Crash: It's not safe to be a tree while the god of fire is murderously angry at you.
- Mama Bear: even though she did try to get Michele to assassinate Axl before he became Odin she does care for her children, for instance by murdering Eva and making it look like an accident
- Put on a Bus: As punishment for the above murder, she's sentenced to turn into a tree for a mortal lifetime.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: She can turn herself into a tree.
Ingrid
Ingrid/Snotra
Played by: Rachel Nash
A hairdresser, part-time fortune-teller, enthusiastic genealogist and also the human incarnation of Snotra, the Norse Goddess of wisdom.- Cloudcuckoolander: Once locked in a metal institution till she learned what she was from another god and how to cope. She still comes across as ditzy and not entirely there.
- Seers: Serves as the oracle to the goddesses, but like Balder frequently has trouble interpreting signs.
- What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Her primary power is that she automatically knows things it would be prudent to know. For example, the location of all the ice machines and fire exits at the motel she's staying at.
Michele
Michele Brock/Sjöfn
Played by: Michelle Langstone
A junior doctor and the human incarnation of Sjöfn, a Norse Goddess associated with love – for and of both men and women.- Back from the Dead: Axl makes a vow to bring her back to life just before the Agar begins. Once the spirit of the gods have returned to Asgard, Michele gets brought back to life by Odin.
- Berserk Button:
- There really isn't much that doesn't set Michele off. Chief amongst them is insulting her and reminding her about her status as a 'minor' goddess.
- Sleeping with her ex seems to be in the top five, as Hanna/Frygg found out when she pulled a knife on her.
- Living on Borrowed Time: Frygg revives her, but the revival will only last until the gods depart for Asgard.
- Love Goddess: Her godly powers give her limited control over human emotions.
- The Medic: In both the literal and supernatural sense. The stick of Yggdrasil gives her temporary healing powers.
- Not Quite Dead: Hanna/Frygg gives her some of her Frygg power to bring her back to life...to a point. Once Sjofn leaves for Asgard, Michele won't survive.
- Woman Scorned: She does not take kindly to Mike breaking up with her, to put it lightly.
Stacey
Stacey/Fulla
Played by: Eve Gordon
An ex-emo cycle courier with an attitude that is not improved by being the human incarnation of Fulla, hand-maiden of the Frigg.- Blessed with Suck: Her powers seem to be a compulsion to serve goddesses more powerful than her.
- Courier: Her day job.
- Maid: More specifically, a hand-maiden. Amusingly enough, several characters remark that she's actually a pretty terrible maidservant.
Eva
Eva Gundersen/Hel
Played by: Brooke Williams
Goddess of the Underworld and daughter of Colin/Loki.- Goth: Her dress style.
- Cute and Psycho: Carrying the spirit of the goddess of the underworld within her and having an emotionally abusive father did not help her mental state.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: She's locked in Ty's ice sculpting room by Agnetha/Freyja and freezes to death, the same fate she'd intended for Dawn if Ty hadn't come home at the right time.
- Killed Off for Real: Agnetha locks her in the ice-carving room where she freezes to death.
- Mood-Swinger: Prone to sudden changes in mood.
- Viking Funeral: Her father insists on giving her one after she dies.
Helen
Helen Larvig/Iðunn
Played by: Sara Wiseman
An incarnate of Iðunn (or Idun); Goddess of Youth and keeper of orchards.- Foreshadowing:
- She's called the 'constant goddess' by Olaf in season one and two. For the Norse gods to exist on earth, there must always be an Idunn. So when Helen dies, the spirit of Idunn 'jumps the queue,' as Ingrid put it, and possessed the next goddess in line: Gaia, who would have otherwise become Frygg or Papatuanuku.
- Olaf also mentions that it always ends badly for her when Idunn meets Braggi. Helen is killed shortly after she meets Anders, and Gaia leaves the country because of the guilt from being attracted to him while still in love with Axl.
- Killed Off for Real: Is shot in the heart by Natalie after the latter breaks into Anders' apartment.
Gaia
Gaia/Iðunn
Played by: Keisha Castle-Hughes
A hospital nurse in her first year after training, and she’s also Axl and Zeb’s flatmate.- Meaningful Name: In Greek mythology, Gaia is the goddess or personification of Earth.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After returning from Waiheke Island, Gaia's behavior becomes more and more erratic.
- Take a Third Option: Because her parents were from two different pantheons she was either to become Frigg or Papatuanuku, but instead became Iðunn following Helen's death.
Var
Var
Played by: Kate Webby
Goddess of Oaths, she works with Colin at his law firm.- Ms. Fanservice: Her oaths involve licking blood from her breast.
- The Quiet One: She doesn't speak the few times she is seen.
Heimdall (spoilers)
Martin Larson/ Heimdall
Played by: Matthew Saville
Heimdall is the Norse god of foreknowledge, the one who sees and hears all and can open the door to any realm. He also happens to be the Frygg's older brother.- Beware the Nice Ones: As Heimdall, he can use doors to teleport anywhere in the world, as well as send anyone to wherever he wishes. Olaf repeatedly warns Mike about going after Martin, since he could theoretically send Mike into the middle of a war zone if he so chooses.
- Big Brother Instinct: He does his utmost to keep Mike from finding his sister, since he's not the true Odin.
- More literally, he can sense when Hanna is in danger. As Michelle found out when he took a hammer to her skull.
- Blessed with Suck: As Heimdall he can hear everything and make doorways to anywhere he wants. The catch being he cannot mentally handle or process the information for long nor can he turn it off.
- Didn't See That Coming: ...But he didn't count on Mike bringing Ty into the game.
- Killed Off for Real: Martin's role in the Agar calls for him to die so that he can serve as the sentinel on the Bifrost.
- Power Incontinence: Martin's human brain can't handle the information overload from being Heimdall, and is in therapy.
- Remember the New Guy?: He's been popping up in and out of the show through season three. Most notably, he dropped Axl back at Derrick's hometown to fix his problems, let Gaia into Anders' flat so Idunn and Braggi could consummate their love, and convinced Ty to be honest to Dawn about his powers.
The Frygg (SPOILERS)
Hanna Larson/Frygg
Played by: Siobhan Marshall
Wife of Odin. Foremost Norse Goddess. Queen of Asgard. Basically, she is the reason the Johnsons have been questing. She's also the younger sister of Martin/Heimdall.- Broken Bird: Her relationship with her father is non-existent at best, she's personally responsible for taking care of her mentally unsound brother, two divorces...
- Failed a Spot Check: Zeb wonders why none of them could figure out that maybe the Norse goddess of marriage would work in something related to the wedding industry. In this case, a bridal shop.
- Screw Destiny:
- Before Martin interrupts her conversation with Michelle, she implies that she's in full agreement with 'taking Frygg out of the equation' since killing Odin (whoever he is) will be disastrous for all of them. She also had the same reaction when her father told her that she had to sit and wait for Odin to come to her, even if he wasn't going to come at all.
- It's also heavily implied that she knew that Mike wasn't really Odin at all, but kept seeing him because of the actual connection they had, as opposed to the Red String of Fate that bound her to Axl/Odin. Once the fate of the world became at stake due to Jorgammund stirring, she sacrificed her happiness and chose Axl for the good of the world.
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You Look Familiar: Frygg is played by the same actress who played Fem!Axl in his genderbent episode. When Mike sees her for the first time, he does a Double Take.
Mortals
Zeb
Zeb
Played by: Hayden Frost
Axl and Gaia's flatmate.- Butt-Monkey: Started out as comic relief. By season three, he's one of the first people Axl goes to when he needs help.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's been reading up on all the Norse mythologies and stories, which lets him intepret some of the stranger events for Axl.
- Muggle Best Friend: To Axl
- Nerds Are Virgins: Zeb losing his virginity requires direct intervention on his behalf by Sjöfn as goddess of love.
- Secret-Keeper: He knows that Axl is Odin.
Dawn
Dawn
Played by: Fern Sutherland
Anders' hard working and improperly rewarded Personal Assistant.- Beleaguered Assistant: To Anders, who takes her for granted, frequently endangers the business and uses his Compelling Voice to stop her from quitting.
- Hyper-Competent Sidekick: As Anders realized to his dismay, when Colin hired him to run his campaign for mayor of Auckland.
Natalie
Natalie Mather
Played by: Natalie Medlock
A hyper-religious nutjob who Anders courts for a contract.
- Knight Templar: Believes very strongly that the gods are demons possessing innocents, and must be killed.
Others
Bryn
Bryn
Played by: John Leigh
Gaia's father.- Oxymoronic Being: A short Giant.
- Papa Wolf: He threatens to kill Axl and drink his blood from his skull if he hurts Gaia—despite being a pacifist and a vegetarian. Later he bugs his flat while Gaia is staying there.
Jacob
Jacob
Played by: Arthur Meek
Gaia's boyfriend.- Dirty Coward: He runs from pretty much any and all threats. He suggests abandoning Zeb to Eggther, and gets thrown out the door when he suggests giving Gaia to the man who wants to kill her.
- Oxymoronic Being: A tall Dwarf.
Eggther
Eggther
Played by: Oliver Driver
A giant sent to kill the Frygg when they finally realized she wasn't dead.- Big Eater: Even by Giant standards.
- Dumb Muscle: His plans aren't exactly genius, even by giant standards. Zeb manages to outsmart him. Zeb.Axl: ...if it comes down to a battle of wits I think we'll be okay.
- Lima Syndrome: Zeb managed to do this while being held hostage by Eggther.Zeb: When I realized I was unlikely to defeat Eggther in a physical context, I used reverse Stockholm syndrome.
- Mistaken for Badass: He never actually killed anyone. His most well-known badass act, killing the living incarnation of Odin's wolf Frikki, was just a misunderstanding: The two of them were at a bar, drunk and having a blast, when they went outside and Frikki slipped on some ice and broke his neck. Everyone blamed Eggther for it, and he had no choice but to take credit for it.
- Odd Friendship: He actually hit it off with Frikki, Odin's wolf, when they ran into each other at a bar.
