FUN LITTLE SITE FOUND WHILE TRYING TO SPELL "YGGDRASIL": Greek gods vs. Norse gods. Is it any wonder when Smilin' Stan needed a god-hero he went Norse? The names are real fun, and were perfect for comics as they lacked the--I guess--prettiness of the Greek gods and had a novelty value too. I mean, who else can name the Norse pantheon besides an old Thor reader? Plus Wonder Woman had the Greek pantheon already. And Captain Marvel, whose creators proved themselves true Americans by allowing Cap to pick the religious figures who were giving him his powers buffet-style. Ever wonder what Shazam stands for?

S--Solomon
H--Hercules
A--Atlas
Z--Zeus
A--Achilles
M--Mercury

Well, it's mostly Graeco-Roman, but I always liked the fact they stuck Solomon in there.