Ragnarök

Ragnarok – Destruction and Rebirth in Norse Mythology

Ragnarok is a series of events in Norse mythology involving wars and catastrophes, leading to the end and rebirth of the world. In the stories, it is foretold that the gods—including Odin, Thor and Loki—will face their mortal enemies in a fierce battle. During these events, the earth shakes, mountains collapse and the seas overflow.

Prelude and Signs of the End

Ragnarök is preceded first by a period of widespread unrest, conflict, and hardship, followed by an equally long span of bitter cold—the Fimbulwinter—which, according to Snorri Sturluson, is to last for three years.

The poem Vǫluspá vividly portrays the downfall. There, three roosters crow to warn the giants in Jotunheim, the gods in Asgard and the dead in Hel, after which everyone takes up arms. As the end draws near, the wolves Skoll and Hati, who have been chasing the sun and moon, catch up with them and devour them. Before the sun goddess Sol dies, however, she gives birth to a daughter who will take over her work when the world is reborn.

The Final Battle

The stars fall from the sky, the ground shakes in earthquakes and cliffs crumble. All bonds break, setting the guard dog Garm, the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent and Loki free. Loki joins the gods' opponents and arrives in a ship from the east.

The Æsir face the monsters, the giants, and the hordes of the underworld in battle:

• Surt, whose name means "the black one", sets the whole world ablaze ("Surt's flame") with his flaming sword. He fights the god Frey, who falls.

• Thor destroys the Midgard Serpent, but is himself killed by its venom.

• Odin is slain by the gigantic Fenris Wolf, but the wolf is avenged at once by Odin's son Vidar, who plants his mighty shoe in the wolf's jaws.

Almost everyone dies, either in battle or in the great fire that also fells the world tree, the ash Yggdrasil. Finally, everything sinks beneath the waters.

A new world is born

When all is over, the world rises anew from the sea, and the fields grow crops that no one has sown. Some of the Æsir have survived and gather at Idavoll. Vidar and Vali come there, as do Modi and Magni (who arrives with Mjolnir), along with Balder and Hod, who return from the realm of the dead, Hel.

Humanity also has survivors who begin to repopulate the earth and rebuild civilization – beautifully symbolizing the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

(Excerpt with adaptations based on the book Norse Mythology A–Z)

Painting by artist Johannes Gehrts