Are you a fan of Norse Mythology? If the answer is No, please keep an open mind while reading this article.
I came across this topic years ago when I saw the movie - Vikings, the movie tells the story of Ragner Lotbrok, who led the Vikings to England for the first time from Norway (based on actual events).
It so happens that I love a good mystery so I went further to dig deep.
Ragnarok to the Vikings is similar to the Apocalypse to the Christians
Ragnarok speaks of a Prophesy saying how the world would end.
As a kid, I often wondered how the world was going to end.
Zombie attacks? Nuclear attack? Massive Earth quake? Complete depletion of the Ozone layers? A big bang? I will definitely post an article these topics as time goes on. Oops I guess I didn't mention I happened to be a weird kid... Well, weird is the new cool:-P
As a big fan of myth myself, I took an interest in Ragnarok, my curiosity made me study and learn more.
What is Ragnarok
I found this article online that gave a summary of this Prophesy
Ragnarok tells of a time when there will be axes, swords, and shields pitted against each other. It will be a time where wolves come to devour the world, and Midgard will find itself hit by three horrible winters. Skoll, the wolf, will swallow the sun, while his brother Hati will devour the moon. All the stars will disappear leaving the world in complete darkness.
The wolf Fenrir will be freed from his chains, while the sea rears up, bringing Fenrir’s brother, Jormungand, onto the earth. The sea will also free the ship of the dead, Naglfar, with Loki leading the charge towards Vidgrid with the ghosts of Hel following in his wake. Fenrir and Jormungand will move over the earth. Fenrir will open his large mouth and eat everything in his path. Jormungand will spew venom in all directions, tainting everything with poison. The Rainbow Bridge protecting Asgard from attack will fall. The god Heimdall will use the horn Gjall to alert everyone to the chaos happening in every direction. Every god will meet in council, while Odin rides to Mimir’s spring to ask the head of Mimir for his advice. The tree of life, Ygdrassil will cry, as waves crash against it and humans hide amongst its trunk. The Aesir gods will arm themselves and the Einherjar from Valhalla will prepare themselves for battle.
Odin will come to the front of the lines, donning his golden helmet and the sword Gungnir. Odin will ride towards Fenrir and face his enemy head on. Thor will ride beside him and meet with his arch nemesis, Jormungand. Frey will face off against Surt, fighting until his death, without his great sword by his side. Thor will kill Jormungand, but he will walk only nine steps before falling dead to Jormungand’s poison. Odin and Fenrir will battle, until Fenrir swallows Odin whole. Odin’s son, Vidar, will avenge his father’s death, breaking apart Fenrir’s jaw with his special shoes.
Surt will throw fire throughout the Nine Worlds, setting everything ablaze. The Nine Worlds will burn, as the gods each take their turn facing death. Eventually, the earth will fall into the sea, but it will rise again and create something new. The gods Vidar and Vali will survive Ragnarok, as will the sons of Thor. The deceased Balder and Hod will walk amongst the living once again, freed from the grasp of Hel. The remaining gods will speak of past memories, never letting their history die. New rulers will come and go, and men will live to see a new day.
The two humans who hid amongst the trunk of Yggdrasil will come forth and begin to repopulate the world. A new age will be born from Ragnarok’s ashes.
Ragnarok speaks of the end of the world according to Norse Mythology.
The funny thing about this is it hasn't happened yet, which means each god knows how he will die and by whom - let's assume we do believe in these deities, why can't they do anything to change their fate?
There are a lot of similarities between Norse Mythology and Christianity, I'm sure you must have noticed some yourself if you were paying attention.
1) The horn/Trumpet
2) The rising of the dead from their graves
3) the signs
among others...
Anyway, here is my top 11 Characters that feature in Ragnarok
1) Odin
The Father of all the gods, he was often referred to as the God of wisdom, he gave one of his eye for wisdom. He was the son of Bestla and Borr, he had two brothers, Villi and Ve, he had many Sons, the prominent ones were Thor and Baldur.
He is usually accompanied by his Wolves and ravens and he rides his flying eight legged steed. As wise and powerful as he was he knew he wouldn't be able to escape the fate that will befall him during Ragnarok.
So many children, respect Man, I mean, god.
2)Thor
The God of thunder and lightening, he was the champion of the Gods, he was regarded as the Slayer of Giants and the protector of mankind, his most powerful weapon, his Hammer, Mjolnir. During one of his adventures he encountered Jormugandr- the world serpent and they were fated to meet again during Ragnarok. He struck the world snake a deadly blow but accidentally opened a poisonous gas pocket killing them both.
Thor: Note to self, wear a gas mask during Ragnarok.
3)Loki
The God of deception and betrayal, he was a trickster and a shape-shifter, he was popular for a lot of mischief including how he tricked the dwarves into making Thor's Hammer as a gift after cutting Sif's hair- Thor's wife, stole Greta's necklace and a lot more (I will tell this story in a different article). The worst crime he committed was killing Baldur, the most loved of all the gods - he was punished by Odin for this crime which he swore to take revenge on all of the gods during Ragnarok.
I know I should hate Loki but I don't, he his just so smart and intelligent, Odin should learn a trick or two from him
4)Baldur
He was the God of peace, innocence, light, purity and the sun. He was the son of Odin and Frigg - the queen of heaven, he was the favorite and the most loved of all the gods. He was beautiful and just. Upon dreaming about his death, Frigg, his mother summoned everything and made them swear an oath to never harm her son, everything except the Mistletoe which she thought was too small to harm her dear son, a costly mistake from which Loki, the god of mischief was able to cause the death of Baldur, his death brought so much pain to all of the gods. They decided that a god should go the the underworld to release Baldur from the hands of the death god, Hel. In return for this Hel requested that everything in the world should weep for him if he was so beloved, which they did - except for the giantess Thokk (Loki in disguise).
Most Scholars often point out the similarity between Baldur and Jesus Christ.
Is this you Jesus?
5)Tyr
He was the god of order and Justice. He was well known for his bravery, he is a son of Odin. He was often referred to as the god of one hand in Greek mythology. He lost his arm in a plan by the gods to chain the giant wolf-Fenrir after the part Fenrir was going to play during Ragnarok was made known to them. He will be killed by the giant dog that guards the castle of Hel - Garm, he bites off his other arm but not after Tyr inflicts wound on the dog which kill it.
It's official,Tyr has no luck with dogs
6)Fenrir
The Giant Wolf, child of Loki and the giantess Angroboda, Destined to kill the Allfather - Odin. Though Fenrir was raised in Asgard, he wasn't trusted by the gods, he grew so big that he became a threat to the gods and had to be restrained, the gods were cunning and told Fenrir it was all part of a game, a test of strength. All effort to restrain this mighty hound proved abortive until alas the dwarves came up with the perfect solution, an unbreakable chain. Here he was destined to remain until Ragnarok comes and he will be free to kill the gods.
Okay, let's forget Fenrir for a second, what do you is going on in the mind of Odin's two wolves right now as they run towards Fenrir?
7)Jormugandr
The world serpent, the middle child of Loki and the Giantess Angroboda. Legend has it that Odin tossed Loki's child - Jormugandr into the great ocean that surrounds Midgard. The serpent grew so big that it was able to circle the whole world and graps its own tail, hence the name - the world serpent, Thor is fated to do battle with this giant serpent when Ragnarok begins.
Welldone Loki, you gave birth to a snake, guess who he takes after?
8)Hel
The queen of the realm of dead, she is the daughter of the god Loki and Giantess Angroboda , she rules the land of the dead. It was believed by the Vikings that those who die of illness, old age or a coward would go to her Kingdom - Hellheim, while the brave and courageous who died in battle would go to Valhalla.
Together with her siblings - Jormugandr and Fenrir - would play a major role towards the destruction of the gods during Ragnarok.
Is it just me that noticed this? Loki fathered three mythical powerful creatures that would kill some of the most powerful gods
9)Heimdall
The guardian of the gods, son of Odin, he guarded the Rainbow Bridge - Bifrost, he was called the shinning God because of his light skin. Legend has it that he was the son of nine different mothers. He keeps watch of every invader, with keen senses and ever vigilant. He pocesses the resounding horn, Gjallarhorn which he will blow to signify the beginning of Ragnarok. In one final battle, Heimdall and Loki will do battle, equally bested but none victorious as they will both die.
For me,Heimdall played one of the most important role, he killed Loki - that sly fox.
10)Freyr
Freyr, the God of peace and prosperity, the ruler of sunshine, rain, fertility and peace, son of the sea God, Njord and the twin brother of Freya.
Freyr is destined to do battle with the king of fire, Surt, a battle he will lose due to the fact that he had given his magic sword to Skirnir fighting the giant with an antler, definitely something he will regret.
I'm sure he was like, "oh damn I knew Ragnarok would happen yet I gave my powerful sword out, you lucky beast".
11)Vidar
Son of Odin, little about this God is known, he is referenced as the god who will avenge Odin by killing Fenrir with a special shoe imbued with magical properties, he is said to be the strongest of the gods after Thor. With the aid of the shoe, Vidar will open the gate of the beast and rip it apart with his sword bringing an end to Ragnarok.
Damn, that must have been epic, why didn't Odin think about using this shoe though? B-)
I hope you have found this article interesting and educative
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be born during the era of the Vikings? Feel free to leave a comment on this topic
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I've never wondered that and from some of the movies I've seen about vikings, I'm grateful to have not been born is that era.