ragnarok

Ragnarok:

Mythology: Norse

"And now, if you have anything more to ask, I can't think how you can manage it, for I've never heard anyone tell more of the story of the world. Make what use of it you can."
-Snorri Sturluson
Prose Edda

Ragnarok (Destruction of the Powers):

Dictionary Definition: The apocalyptic final battle between the Aesir (the gods) and the giants, involving all creation, in which virtually all life is destroyed and the nine worlds are submerged.

The Dawn of Ragnarok:
The dawn of Ragnarok started with the death of Baldur by Loki. The gods or Aesir knew of his death so his worried mother, Frigg, made every thing, rock, wood, animal and plant that they would not harm Baldur. She left only one thing out, mistletoe, but she thought that it was so weak that what could it possibly do to harm Baldur? When Frigg told the Aesir and Vanir (lesser gods) and friendly giants about this they had a party in which they threw almost anything at Baldur that they could but nothing harmed him. Loki, who was already scorned away from Asgard (the world of the Aesir) knew of the mistletoe so he transformed into the seeress Groa who was to take the welt stone out of Thor's head as an excuse to get into Asgard. There he went up to Hod, Baldur's blind brother, and asked why he was so said. Hod told him that he had nothing to throw at Baldur. So Loki said to Hod that he would give him a dart [of mistletoe] and that he would guide his throw to Baldur. Whent the dart was thrown it pierced Baldur in the heart killing him.

Odin knew that the death of Baldur would mean the incoming doom for them all. So he sent Hermod on Sleipnir (Odin's eight legged steed) to the under world to see what Hela's demands were for the release of Baldur from the land of the dead. After nine long days traveling to the underworld, Hermod got her demands which were that every single living thing must lament for Baldur. This is where once again Loki interveined. He transformed himself into a giantess and refused to lament for him dooming him and the rest of the Aesir.

The then capture Loki after learning of his trickery and bound him to a great rock and put a serpant over his head that would continuously drip acidic venom on to his head. But his good faithful wife Sigyn, came to his aid even after he had scorn her and had 3 horrible children with a giantess witch, she put a bowl over his head that would catch the venom and save him from the pain but when it is filled to the brim Sigyn empties it into a rock basin leaving the venom to drink onto Loki's face. "That is how things are and how things will remain until Ragnarok."

Ragnarok:
There were many wars during 3 horrible winters before the battle of the powers. Families with destory each other and the winters will starve them. Then the winters of winters, Fimbulvetr, will take hold of Midgard, the land of men, and shake it. Snow will cover the land and there will be no sun. The theree winters followed each other with no summers inbetween. Then the wolk Skull with finally catch up to the sun and swallow it and it splatters Asgard with its blood. And Skoll's brother Hati is seize the moon and destroy him and then the stars will fall out of the sky. And then the great Fenrir breaks free of Gleipnir and run loose and Loki is release of his fetters.

Then the red cock, Fjalar, will crow to the giants and awake them for battle. At the same time, the golden combed Gullinkambi will crow to the Aesir and awake the Einherjar. And the third rust red cock will raise the dead in Hel.

Then the sea will foam and rear up because, Jormungand, also known as the Midgard Serpant, is coming out of the sea and on to the land. And in the rough seas, the terrible ship, Naglfar, the ship made from the nails of dead men, breaks loose. And with the giants on the great ship, the giant Hyrm stands at the helm and heads towards the plain Vigrid, which is 120 leaques in each dirrection. And Loki takes the dead from Hel and sails to Vigrid.

Jormungand and his brother Fenrir walk side by side towards Vigrid. Fenrir with his mouths so wide that its top jaw scrapes the sky and the bottom one touches the earth. Each of Jormungand's breathes spew dead;y venom and the earth and sky are stain by his poison.

The sons of Muspell advance from the south tearing the sky as they go as they too close in on Vigrid. Surtur will lead them with his flaming sword as bright as the sun and as they cross over Bifrost, the rainbow bridge into Asgard, it cracks and breaks under their march.

The Aesir did not waste any time. Heimdall, the watchmen of the gods, leaves his hall and raises his great horn, Gjall, to his mouth. He will sound a great blast that will be heard throughout all the nine worlds. The gods will wake and take counsil. Then Odin will mount Sleipnir and ride to Mimir for whom he will take counsel.

Then Yggdrassil, the world ash tree, will moan and its leaces will tremble. And its limbs shake even as two humans take safety deep within it. Everything in the heavens and deep in the earth and Hel will shudder.

All the Aesir and Einherjar in Vahalla will arm themselves. They will don there helms and there mail and grasp there sheilds, sowrds and spears. Eight hundred fighting Einherjar will march through each of Valhalla's five hundred and forty doors. And that host will march towards Vigrid with Odin at there head wearing his golden eagle helm and a shinging corslet, brandishing his spear Gungnir.

When the two hosts arrive at Vigrid, Odin and Thor will charge straight to Fenrir, but Thor is unable to help Odin becuase he is met by Jormungand. Frey will charge at Surtur and will rue the day he gave up his own rune blade to Skirnir. There the hound Garm will leap at Tyr and they will kill one another, because Tyr gave his sword hand for the binding of Fenrir. Then the two age old enemies will meet, Loki and Heimdall and be the cause of each other's death.

Odin and Fenrir are the first to engae in battle. In the end despite Odin's fight Fenrir will seize the Allfather and shallow him. And that will be Odin's death. Immediately Vidar, Odin's silent son, will walk towards Fenrir, and place one foot on the wolf's bottom jaw - on that foot is the shoe that was made from the strips of leather given by the people of Midgard as a gift to the Aesir. Then Vidar will grasp Fenrir's top jaw and will rip him apart.

Thor, son of the Earth, will kill Jormungand but before he could take but nine steps back he drops dead poisoned from Jormungand's last spew of poison. Then Surtur will set fire to the worlds and they burn killing the gods. The Einherjar will die, men, women and children in Midgard will die, elves and dwarves will die, giants will die, monsters and the creatures of the underworld will die, birds and animals will die. The sky will be dark and the earth will fall into the sea.

But it will rise again, green and new. And the animals will return and the plants will grow. Vidar and Vali will survie and go back to Idavoll, where the palaces of the Aesir once stood, with Modi and Magni, the sons of Thor, who had found Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. And Baldur and Hod return from Hel and Honir will be there too. And the sons of Vili and Ve will make up the new nimber, the gods in heaven, home of the winds. And Vidar and Vali will find there father's runes and hold them sacred.

Then the two humans that hid in Yggdrassil, Lif and Lifthrasir will see the light from the daughter of the sun. They will climb down from the Hoddmimir's Wood and have children. Their children will bear children and there will be new life on the earth. "That was the end; and this is the beginning."