Introduction
On Scotland’s rugged Berwickshire coast lies the small fishing village of St Abbs, a place once known only to locals, walkers, and divers. Its harbour, dramatic cliffs, and proximity to the St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve made it a hidden gem of the Scottish Borders. But since 2019, St Abbs has enjoyed international fame. That year, Marvel Studios chose the village as the filming location for New Asgard, the fictional settlement established by Thor and the surviving Asgardians in Avengers: Endgame.
Following the movie’s success, the village embraced its new association with humour and pride, installing a road sign that greets visitors with the words: “St Abbs – Twinned with New Asgard.” This playful gesture captures the blending of fiction and reality, turning St Abbs into both a tourist destination for film fans and a symbol of how small communities can find themselves at the heart of global popular culture.
This essay explores the history and character of St Abbs, the story of New Asgard in the MCU, how the two became connected, and the cultural and economic significance of their “twinning.”
St Abbs: A Village on the Edge
St Abbs is a picturesque village located a few miles north of Eyemouth, in Berwickshire. It is nestled around a small, working harbour, with stone-built cottages climbing the steep hill behind. Historically, fishing was the lifeblood of the community. Generations of local families worked the sea, harvesting crab, lobster, and whitefish from the cold North Sea waters.
Today, while fishing continues on a smaller scale, St Abbs has also developed as a hub for tourism. It is internationally renowned as a diving location because of the clear waters and rich marine life found within the St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve. Scuba divers from across Europe come to explore kelp forests, underwater cliffs, and shipwrecks, making the village unusually cosmopolitan for its size.
The wider landscape is dominated by the St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve, famous for its seabird colonies and dramatic cliffs. Birdwatchers flock here in spring and summer to witness guillemots, kittiwakes, and razorbills nesting on the high ledges. Walkers enjoy cliff-top trails with panoramic sea views, and artists find inspiration in the wild, windswept scenery.
Before Marvel’s cameras arrived, St Abbs was already a place where natural beauty and quiet resilience defined daily life.
New Asgard in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
In the MCU, New Asgard is established after the destruction of the original Asgard in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the devastating attack by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). With their celestial home gone and their numbers decimated, the surviving Asgardians, under Thor’s leadership, settle on Earth.
By the time of Avengers: Endgame (2019), New Asgard has become a small coastal settlement, where the once-mighty gods now live humbly, fishing and integrating with humans. The scenes show modest wooden houses, fishing boats, and a community trying to recover from trauma. Thor himself retreats here, struggling with guilt and grief, while Valkyrie eventually emerges as the leader of the new community.
The MCU places New Asgard in Tønsberg, Norway, a location already linked to Asgardian history within the films. Yet when it came to filming, Marvel Studios selected St Abbs, Scotland, to stand in for this fictional town. Its natural harbour, rugged coastline, and traditional buildings provided the perfect backdrop.
St Abbs Becomes New Asgard
When Avengers: Endgame premiered in 2019, fans quickly recognised St Abbs as the real-world New Asgard. The village, previously a quiet stop on Scotland’s Borders coast, suddenly became part of cinematic history.
Rather than resist this sudden fame, the locals embraced it. With support from VisitScotland and film tourism promoters, St Abbs installed a tongue-in-cheek road sign at the village entrance:
“St Abbs – Twinned with New Asgard.”
The sign mirrors traditional European “twinning” practices, where towns and villages formally partner with counterparts abroad to promote cultural exchange. In this case, the “twinned” partner is fictional, but the effect is both humorous and symbolic. It acknowledges the village’s new identity in popular culture, while also encouraging fans to visit.
Tourists now arrive in St Abbs not only for the seabirds or diving but also to see the place where Thor, Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek once walked. For many MCU fans, visiting St Abbs is a pilgrimage, blending the real and the imaginary.
Cultural and Economic Impact
The twinning with New Asgard has had real consequences for St Abbs:
- Tourism Boom:
The film association brought a wave of new visitors. Fans eager to stand in Thor’s home travelled from across the UK and abroad. Local cafés, shops, and guesthouses benefited from increased business. - Global Recognition:
A village once known mainly to birdwatchers and divers now has international name recognition. Online travel sites, fan blogs, and even Marvel fan tours list St Abbs as a must-see location. - Community Identity:
The twinning sign became a local symbol of pride, blending humour with a sense of belonging to a global cultural moment. It gave the community a talking point and a way to celebrate its new role in the MCU. - Sustainable Tourism Challenge:
With fame comes pressure. Increased visitor numbers mean more cars, more footfall on fragile paths, and more demand for facilities. The community and conservation bodies face the challenge of balancing tourism with protecting the natural environment.
Symbolism of the Twinning
The twinning of St Abbs and New Asgard is more than a marketing gimmick. It carries deeper symbolic meanings:
- Resilience: Just as the Asgardians endured the destruction of their realm, St Abbs itself embodies resilience. Once a remote fishing village, it has adapted to changing economies, embraced marine conservation, and now redefined itself as a cultural landmark.
- Blending of Myth and Reality: The partnership reflects how modern popular culture transforms real places. A quiet Scottish harbour becomes forever associated with gods, heroes, and epic battles.
- Cultural Exchange: Although New Asgard is fictional, the twinning mimics genuine cultural partnerships. It playfully suggests that stories, myths, and communities can transcend borders between reality and imagination.
Visitor Experience: Walking in New Asgard
For visitors today, exploring St Abbs is a chance to experience both a natural wonder and a piece of cinematic magic. Walking down to the harbour, one can imagine the camera angles that framed Thor’s house or Valkyrie’s leadership. The cliffs beyond recall the sweeping shots of the village nestled against the sea.
Some fans dress in Marvel costumes for photos, while others simply enjoy spotting familiar landscapes. Yet St Abbs offers more than film nostalgia. Visitors are encouraged to explore the St Abb’s Head reserve, support local cafés, and respect the fragile environment. In this sense, the New Asgard connection acts as a gateway to appreciating the deeper heritage and ecology of the region.
From Mythology to Modernity
The story of Asgard and its rebirth as New Asgard in the MCU echoes themes from Norse mythology. In the myths, Ragnarök is not only destruction but also renewal: after the cataclysm, the world is reborn, and surviving gods gather in a new hall. Marvel’s version reinterprets this idea, placing the Asgardians in a humble fishing village rather than a golden palace.
St Abbs, with its ancient cliffs and timeless sea, becomes a fitting stand-in for this mythological rebirth. The blending of old Norse stories with modern Scottish landscapes shows how myth continues to find new expressions in popular culture.
Conclusion
The twinning of St Abbs with New Asgard is a light-hearted gesture that captures something profound about the relationship between place, culture, and imagination. For the people of St Abbs, it has brought new opportunities and new challenges, connecting their village to a global fandom. For Marvel fans, it provides a tangible link to the stories they love, allowing them to walk in the footsteps of their heroes.
Ultimately, the sign at the village entrance is more than just a novelty. It symbolises resilience, reinvention, and the power of storytelling to transform even the quietest corners of the world. St Abbs remains a real village with a rich natural and cultural heritage, but it is now also forever New Asgard – a place where myth, film, and reality converge.
