Arctic Circle

Frozen wastelands where ancient nightmares wait beneath the ice.

The Arctic Circle is a remote and dangerous region featured in the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction comic. It is the site of a failed expedition led by Trevor Bruttenholm and the three Cavendish brothers, descendants of Elihu Cavendish, a prosperous whaler who vanished there nine generations earlier. The expedition accidentally awakened the imprisoned creature Sadu Hem, a many-tentacled entity connected to the Ogdru Jahad, and the immortal sorcerer Grigori Rasputin, who had been in an extended trance communing with it. This event set the story's plot in motion, leading to Bruttenholm's death and Hellboy's confrontation with Rasputin.

Lore & Background

In Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, the Arctic Circle is the location where the Cavendish expedition discovered Sadu Hem, a many-tentacled creature imprisoned in stone. Rasputin, who had been resurrected by the Ogdru Jahad after his murder in 1916, had previously journeyed to the Arctic to find Sadu Hem and communed with it mentally while in an extended trance. Many years later, the Cavendish expedition accidentally awakened both Rasputin and Sadu Hem. By reading the minds of the expedition members, Rasputin learned of Hellboy's existence and realized he could use Hellboy to complete a ritual to summon the Ogdru Jahad to Earth. Rasputin then transformed Olafssen and the Cavendish brothers into frog-monsters to serve him, and hypnotically instructed Bruttenholm to take Sadu Hem back to Cavendish Hall before killing him to lure Hellboy into a trap.

Reader's Guide

The Arctic Circle is a key setting in Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, serving as the origin point for the story's central conflict. It is where the Cavendish expedition, including Trevor Bruttenholm, discovered the imprisoned Sadu Hem and the immortal Rasputin. This event led to Bruttenholm's death and Hellboy's journey to Cavendish Hall. The region is also tied to the history of the Cavendish family, as every male Cavendish for nine generations had died exploring the Arctic, beginning with Elihu Cavendish, who vanished during an attempt to find a temple deep in the Arctic. For fans, the Arctic Circle represents a place where ancient, primordial forces lie dormant, waiting to be awakened by human exploration.