Ragnarok
The Norns, spinners of fate, shall at some time decree that there shall come the Fimbulwinter (The Great Winter). Winter shall last for the length of three winters with no summers between them. Mankind will become so desperate from lack of food and other needs that all laws and morals shall be abandoned. It will be a time of sword and axes; brother shall fight brother, father shall fight son and sons shall slay their fathers.
The wolves, Skoll and Hati, ever hungry, shall finally succeed after an eternal chase catch and devour Sol and Mani, the sun and moon. The stars shall also disappear, leaving a black sky. Yggdrasil, the great tree, shall tremble and all the trees of the worlds shall fall to the ground. Mountains will crumble and shift.
The monstrous wolf Fenrir shall snap the chain Gleipnir that is holding him back and run free. Jormungand, the world serpent, who encircles the land and oceans will rise from the depths, flooding the lands with the seas. Naglfar (the Nail Ship), made from the fingernails and toenails of the dead, will sail over the flooded earth. It will be crewed by an army of frost giants, led by Hrym and captained by Loki himself, free of the chains that bound him.
Fenrir, fire blazing from his mouth, will run forth mouth agape, devouring the earth with his lower jaw and the sky with his upper jaw and everything else in his path. Jormungand will spit venom over the earth poisoning land, water and air.
The sky shall split and the armies of Muspelheim shall spill forth. Surt shall lead them, flaming sword in hand. They will march across the Bifrost to Asgard, shattering the bridge as they do so.
Hiemdall, watchmen of the Aesir shall sound his horn calling the Aesir oath from their hall to their final battle, and they shall come forth, knowing that they shall all perish. They will stride forth and meet their enemies on the battlefield of Vigrid.
Odin All-Father shall fight Fenrir with the einherjar (the host of warriors whom he has kept in Valhalla) at his side. Odin will fight more valiantly than any has ever fought before, but will be swallowed by Fenrir along with the einherjar. Vidar Odinson, enraged by his fathers death, shall step forth and slay the great wolf with a sword through the neck.
Another wolf, Garm, shall fight Tyr and they both shall die. Heimdall and Loki will likewise slay each other, as will the god Freyr and Surt. Thor and Jormungand will fight, and though Thor slays the serpent, he will be covered in venom from the fight and he will take only a few paces before dying himself and adding his blood to the soil of Vigrid.
After such terrible slaughter and death of the gods, the land will sink into the sea until there is nothing left but the void. Creation and all things that ever existed will be undone, as though it never happened.
The wolves, Skoll and Hati, ever hungry, shall finally succeed after an eternal chase catch and devour Sol and Mani, the sun and moon. The stars shall also disappear, leaving a black sky. Yggdrasil, the great tree, shall tremble and all the trees of the worlds shall fall to the ground. Mountains will crumble and shift.
The monstrous wolf Fenrir shall snap the chain Gleipnir that is holding him back and run free. Jormungand, the world serpent, who encircles the land and oceans will rise from the depths, flooding the lands with the seas. Naglfar (the Nail Ship), made from the fingernails and toenails of the dead, will sail over the flooded earth. It will be crewed by an army of frost giants, led by Hrym and captained by Loki himself, free of the chains that bound him.
Fenrir, fire blazing from his mouth, will run forth mouth agape, devouring the earth with his lower jaw and the sky with his upper jaw and everything else in his path. Jormungand will spit venom over the earth poisoning land, water and air.
The sky shall split and the armies of Muspelheim shall spill forth. Surt shall lead them, flaming sword in hand. They will march across the Bifrost to Asgard, shattering the bridge as they do so.
Hiemdall, watchmen of the Aesir shall sound his horn calling the Aesir oath from their hall to their final battle, and they shall come forth, knowing that they shall all perish. They will stride forth and meet their enemies on the battlefield of Vigrid.
Odin All-Father shall fight Fenrir with the einherjar (the host of warriors whom he has kept in Valhalla) at his side. Odin will fight more valiantly than any has ever fought before, but will be swallowed by Fenrir along with the einherjar. Vidar Odinson, enraged by his fathers death, shall step forth and slay the great wolf with a sword through the neck.
Another wolf, Garm, shall fight Tyr and they both shall die. Heimdall and Loki will likewise slay each other, as will the god Freyr and Surt. Thor and Jormungand will fight, and though Thor slays the serpent, he will be covered in venom from the fight and he will take only a few paces before dying himself and adding his blood to the soil of Vigrid.
After such terrible slaughter and death of the gods, the land will sink into the sea until there is nothing left but the void. Creation and all things that ever existed will be undone, as though it never happened.
Historical Basis
- Since the Breaking, the ever expanding frost and fire in the north and south have made the population concerned that Ragnarok is near. The priests have been careful to say nothing, but they are concerned as well.
Spread
- Almost all Firar will have heard the story of Ragnarok at some point in their lives. All fear the dying days of the gods and are watchful for signs that the end is approaching. Since the Breaking, there has been increasing concern among the priesthood that Ragnarok is soon to come.
Variations & Mutation
- There are very little variations between the myth as told here and the myth told all over Enga. Typical variations include who will captain the Naglfar (some say Hrym, some say Loki), and who will kill Tyr (Some say Garm, other Fenrir himself), but the core information stays the same.
Cultural Reception
- The tale of Ragnarok is your typical world ending story, used to make the population follow the words of the Aesir in order to earn a place in Valhalla to fight at Odin's side during the end times.
Date of Setting
Ragnarok is the end of all things, so this is the story of the end of the world.
Related Species
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