Norse Mythology, Ragnarok
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Then end of the world as we know it is called Ragnarok.
Prelude
It all starts with the deity and prankster Loki and his killing of Baldur. The other gods were furious and Loki ran away as fast as he could. The other gods followed hot in persuit. It was a long chase (and a long story to go with it) but eventually they caught him.
Loki had several children. He had the twin sons Narvi and Vali, an enormous serpent called Jormungand who lived at the bottom of the sea that encircled Midgard1, a gigantic wolf called Fenrir2 and a daughter called Hel who looked after all the dead. The gods chased after Loki’s two twin sons and succeeded on catching them. They changed Vali into a wolf but he attacked Narvi and tore his throat out before escaping. The gods took the intestines from Narvi’s body and brought them to the cave where the other gods had taken Loki.
In this cave the gods took three rocks and drilled holes in them. They then stretched Loki out on the rocks and tied him fast with the intestines from his own son. The gods weren’t satisfied with tying Loki up and leaving him so they brought a venomous snake and hung it from the roof of the cave above Loki. The poison from the snakes fangs dripped down onto Loki’s face and made him writhe in agony.
His faithful wife Sigyn stayed with Loki and caught the poison in a bowl. When the bowl was full she had to go away and empty it and Loki was hit by the venom. When he writhes and shudders he causes earthquakes.
Rangnarok
For three years Midgard will be plagued by wars. This will be followed by Fimbulvetr, the coldest and harshest of all winters and this winter will last for three years. The wolves Skoll and Hati who chase the sun and the moon will catch them and kill them. At the same time the stars will fade and disappear. The world will start to shake and everything that is bound will come free, including Loki and his son Fenrir.
The red cock Fjalar will crow and waken the giants. Another cock will awaken the gods in Vallhalla3 and a third cock will waken the dead who live in Hel.
There will be lots of armies on the move. Loki will be at the head of the army of the dead. Loki’s sons, the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jormungand, will fight side by side. The giants will be led by the fire-giant Surt. The deities and warriors of Vallhall will be lead by their leader Odin.
When the giants try to cross the rainbow-bridge Bifrost that leads to the gods kingdom it will break so the final battle has to be held on plain Vigrid.
Odin5 attacks Fenrir but it is Fenrir who emerges as victor6. One of Odin’s sons, Vidar, will then seize the wolf’s jaw and tear him apart.
Odin’s son Thor is attacked by by the Midgard serpent Jormundgand.
Surt, the fire-giant, will engage the god Freyr in a fight that will end with the god’s death.
The one-handed deity Tyr will fight the hound Garm and both will be killed.
Many more fight but there are too many to list here. Eventually Surt will swing his fiery sword and everything will be set ablaze. With the sun and moon gone and almost every living thing dead the earth will sink into the sea.
Rebuilding the world
The world will rise again from the waves and there will be some that have survived the fire and flood. Many courts and communities will be rebuilt, not all good but not all bad either. The finest and best of all these will be Gimli7. Gimli will be fairer than all other halls, roofed with gold and the floors are always warm underfoot. This is where all the good rulers will live in peace and harmony.
There will also be a place for all sinners. It will be roofed with poisonous snakes who drip their venom into the hall in great rivers.
Two humans will survive. Their names are Lif and Lifthrasir and they hid in Yggdrasil during the war. These two people will have children and their children have children and there will once again be humans on earth.
1The world in which creatures can live2The gods bound Fenrir soon after he was born, this is important later on in the story3The hall of Odin44The leader of the gods5After a quick detour past the well of Mimir for some advice6Can’t have been very good advice7All Lord-of-the-Rings-fans will recognise this name.
