Any Viking enthusiast will be familiar with the Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok and the idea that Ragnarok is the story of the end of the world in Norse mythology. But Marvel takes significant liberties for the sake of entertainment and the continuity of their timeline.
What really happens in the story of Ragnarok, and why is this apocalyptic account such an important part of Norse mythology?
What is Raganarok?
In Old Norse, Ragnarok means “fate of the gods” or “twilight of the gods.” Ragnarok is exactly that. It is the cataclysmic destruction of the cosmos and everything in it, including the Norse gods. But Ragnarok hasn’t happened yet. It is recorded in Norse mythology as a prophecy.
Versions of the Ragnarok prophecy survive in three poems preserved in the Poetic Edda, a 13th-century compilation of earlier traditional stories, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by the Icelandic Christian chronicler of Norse mythology Snorri Sturluson. It is also often mentioned in passing in other sources.
The various accounts are consistent when it comes to the omens and signs that indicate the coming of Ragnarok, and what will happen in the great battle, but there different interpretations of what will happen in the aftermath of the cataclysm.
According to the sources, the prophecy was originally recounted to Odin by a Volva seeress, but the sources imply that the prophecy is widely known, as it is referenced by many different figures in surviving stories.
Prerequisites for Ragnarok
While Ragnarok has not yet happened, according to Norse mythology, it is inevitable and has already been set in motion by the series of events that surrounded the death of Odin’s son, Balder.
Up until this time, the giant Loki was allowed to live in Asgard among the Aesir gods due to a blood brotherhood pact with Odin. But Loki orchestrated the death of Balder, probably in response to how the Aesir gods treated his children. Regardless of his motives – which are not made explicit – this led to the end of the friendship between Loki and the Aesir.
The gods also imprisoned Loki. They chained him to two boulders with a venomous snake suspended above his head, dripping venom on his face. His Aesir wife, Sigyn, stays by his side with a bowl, catching the venom to save him from the pain. However, every so often, she must leave to empty her bowl, and Loki writhes in pain, sending earthquakes across the cosmos.
The Aesir had also previously imprisoned the children of Loki with the giantess Angrboda. They tricked the great wolf Fenrir to shackle him to a rock, where he howls as he waits for vengeance. They threw the serpent Jomungandr into the sea around Midgard. They he has grown to such an enormous size that he can encircle the earth and hold his own tail in his mouth. They sent the giantess Hel to Niflheim to rule the underworld there, known as Helheim. This is where the now-dead Balder is. This imprisonment of Loki’s children is also a prerequisite for Ragnarok.
Portents and Omens
When Ragnarok itself arrives, three roosters will warn the giants, the gods, and the dead that the end of the end is nigh. The beautiful rooster Fjalar, which means “all-knower,” will go to the giants, the old enemy of the Norse gods. A second rooster, Gullinkambi, will go warn the Norse gods. A final red rooster will go to Helheim to alert the dishonorable dead.
Meanwhile the world of men will experience a series of portents. There shall be a winter more bitter and cold than any other, that will last for three winters with no summer in between. The resulting hardship will rob mankind of its laws and morals and humanity will descend into chaos and war. Brother will slay brother, father will slay son, and son will slay father.
The wolves Skoll and Hati, who have been hunting the sun and moon for time immemorial, will finally catch their prey, plunging the world into darkness. The great world tree Yggdrasil, which holds together the nine worlds of Norse mythology, will shudder, causing earthquakes so strong that even mountains will fall.
The dome of the earth will split open, and through the crack, the fore giants from Muspelheim, the realm of fire, will spill into the other realms. The monstrous wolf Fenrir will break free of his shackles and run through the world devouring everything before him. Jormungandr will rise from the sea, covering the earth in water and spitting his venom. Loki will break his chains and make his way to Helheim to join with his daughter.
Gathering of Forces
The earthquakes rocking the nine worlds will shake free the ship Naglfar from its mooring in Helheim. Made from the fingernails and toenails of the dead, Loki and Hel will sail the ship to Asgard with an army of the dishonorable dead.
Loki’s forces will join an army of giants led across the Rainbow Bifrost Bridge into Asgard by the fire giant Surtr, who has a sword that flames brighter than the sun. He will use this sword to set the realm of the gods, and all the nine worlds, on fire.
Meanwhile, Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost bridge, will sound his horn to summon the divine sentry of Asgard. Odin will be joined in battle by the fallen warriors passing their afterlife in Valhalla, the Einherjar. At the side of Odin and the Norse gods, they will fight more valiantly than any man has ever fought before.
Death and Destruction
Almost all of the Norse gods will find themselves fighting to the death as part of Ragnarok.
Odin will ride his steed Sleipnir, ironically another son of Loki, into battle at the head of his army of fallen warriors. Despite their courage, Odin and his warriors will be defeated by Fenrir, who will devour them. One of Odin’s sons, Vidar, will kill Fenrir. Wearing enchanted shoes made from every scrap of leather ever discarded by a human shoemaker, Vidar will wedge his foot into Fenrir’s jaw and ram his sword down his throat.
Odin being devoured by Fenrir is the most popular scene to appear on Viking depictions of Ragnarok. The death of Odin, more so than the death of any other Norse god, including his son Thor, seems to mark the end of the world as the Vikings knew it.
Garm, the wolf guardian of Helheim, and Tyr will slay one another. Heimdall and Loki will fight to the death. Freyr and Surtr will kill one another. Thor and Jormungandr will meet in battle. Thor will kill Jormungandr with his hammer, but he will be covered in so much venom that he himself will die only a few seconds later.
The two forces will fight until almost all are dead, and all the nine worlds are set ablaze.
The Aftermath of Battle
In some accounts of Ragnarok, at the end of the battle all the nine worlds of Norse mythology will sink into the sea, leaving nothing but the void. Ragnarok is the end of all things.
In other accounts, there is a renewal. It has been suggested that while the void represents the original pagan Norse mythology, the renewal version shows Christian influence. But we do not know for sure where the two variations come from.
In the renewal version, some of the Norse gods survive to rebuild. In particular, Odin’s son and avenger Vidar survives, as do Thor’s two sons, Modi and Magni, who inherit Thor’s hammer. Other sources suggest that Odin’s son, Balder, will also return to life after Ragnarok. A man and woman, called Lif and Lofthrasir, meaning “life” and “striving for life,” also survive by hiding in a wood called Hoddmimis Holt. Together, they repopulate the world. A new sun, the daughter of the previous one, will rise into the sky.
The new Norse world will look much like the old one. The surviving Norse gods will live in Idovall, a field in Asgard, which somehow remained untouched. There, they will recreate the splendour of Asgard with the finest house called Gimli, featuring a gold roof, just like many of the structures in old Asgard. There will also be a new Helheim, called Nastrond, which means “shore of corpses.”
What does this tell us about the Vikings?
What does this fatalistic view of the end of the world in Norse mythology tell us about the Vikings? We might think that it reflects a very grim view of the world, and this would be understandable considering the harsh conditions of Scandinavia. But the story reflects Norse ideas about fate.
The Vikings believed that fate was set in stone. Whenever a person was born, the Norns, the Norse Fates, cut the newborn’s life string, setting the moment of their death. This fate is inevitable and unavoidable, but what you do with the time in between is up to you. This encouraged the Vikings to live bravely. This idea of inevitable fate clearly extended to the gods, as they cannot avoid their fate at Ragnarok.
The Vikings wore Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir, pendants as symbols of protection and allegiance to the old gods. Check out some of our favorite Mjolnir pendants in the VKNG collection.
FAQs
What does the word “Ragnarok” actually mean?
In Old Norse, the term translates to “fate of the gods” or “twilight of the gods.” It represents a prophesied cataclysmic destruction of the entire cosmos, including the gods themselves.
How does the “real” Ragnarok differ from the Marvel movie?
While the Marvel film uses Ragnarok as a plot device to continue Thor’s story, the original Norse myth is much darker and more final. In the earliest versions of the myth, Ragnarok is not just the destruction of a city (Asgard), but the complete extinguishing of all existence.
What specific events set Ragnarok in motion?
The “inevitable” fate was triggered by the gods’ own actions, specifically their treatment of Loki’s children (Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel) and the eventual imprisonment of Loki himself after he orchestrated the death of the beloved god Balder.
Who kills who during the Ragnarok battle?
Most of the major gods die in mutual destruction. Odin is devoured by the wolf Fenrir. Thor kills the Midgard serpent Jormungandr, but dies seconds later from its venom. Heimdall and Loki kill each other. Freyr is killed by the fire giant Surtr, who subsequently sets the nine worlds ablaze.
Does anyone survive Ragnarok, or is it the absolute end?
This depends on the version of the myth. The earliest Viking records suggest it was the absolute end, with everything sinking into the sea. However, later versions (likely influenced by Christianity) include a renewal where a few gods like Vidar, Modi, and Magni survive, and two humans (Lif and Lofthrasir) repopulate the world.
