Authors Note: Just letting you know, some words will be missing as they wont show up on wattpad for some reason. All the next few pages will be like this unless I tell otherwise.
Poetic Edda[]
The Poetic Edda contains various references to Ragnarök:
Völuspá[]
In the Poetic Edda poem Voluspa, references to Ragnarök begin from stanza 40 until 58, with the rest of the poem describing the aftermath. In the poem, a volva (a female seer) recites information to Odin. In stanza 41, the völva says:
Old Norse:
Fylliz fiǫrvifeigra manna,rýðr ragna siǫtrauðom dreyra.Svǫrt verða sólskinof sumor eptir,veðr ǫll vályndVitoð ér enn, eða hvat?
English:
It sates itself on the life-bloodof fated men,paints red the powers' homeswith crimson gore.Black become the sun's beamsin the summers that follow,weathers all treacherous.Do you still seek to know? And what?
The völva then describes three roosters crowing: In stanza 42, the jotunn herdsman Eggther sits on a mound and cheerfully plays his harp while the crimson rooster ( "hider, deceiver") crows in the forest . The golden rooster crows to the Æsir in , and the third, unnamed soot-red rooster crows in the halls of the underworld location of in stanza 43.
After these stanzas, the völva further relates that the hound produces deep howls in front of the cave of . Garmr's bindings break and he runs free. The völva describes the state of humanity:
Brœðr muno beriazok at bǫnom verða[z]muno systrungarsifiom spilla.Hart er í heimi,hórdómr mikill—skeggǫld, skálmǫld—skildir ro klofnir—vindǫld, vargǫld—áðr verǫld steypiz.Mun engi maðrǫðrom þyrma.Brothers will fightand kill each other,sisters' childrenwill defile kinship.It is harsh in the world,whoredom rife—an axe age, a sword age—shields are riven—a wind age, a wolf age—before the world goes headlong.No man will havemercy on another.
The "sons of " are described as being "at play", though this reference is not further explained in surviving sources. Heimdall raises the into the air and blows deeply into it, and Odin converses with Mím's head. The world tree shudders and groans. The jötunn comes from the east, his shield before him. The serpent furiously writhes, causing waves to crash. "The shrieks, pale-beaked he tears the corpse," and the ship breaks free thanks to the waves made by Jormungandr and sets sail from the east. The fire inhabitants of come forth.
The völva continues that , the land of the jötnar, is aroar, and that the Æsir are in council. The groan by their stone doors. advances from the south, his sword brighter than the sun. Rocky cliffs open and the jötnar women sink.
The gods then do battle with the invaders: is swallowed whole and alive fighting the wolf , causing his wife her second great sorrow (the first being the death of her son, the god ). Odin's son avenges his father by rending Fenrir's jaws apart and stabbing it in the heart with his spear, thus killing the wolf. The serpent opens its gaping maw, yawning widely in the air, and is met in combat by . Thor, also a son of Odin and described here as protector of the earth, furiously fights the serpent, defeating it, but Thor is only able to take nine steps afterward before collapsing. The god fights and loses. After this, people flee their homes, and the sun becomes black while the earth sinks into the sea, the stars vanish, steam rises, and flames touch the heavens.
The völva sees the earth reappearing from the water, and an eagle over a waterfall hunting fish on a mountain. The surviving Æsir meet together at the field of . They discuss Jörmungandr, great events of the past, and the . In stanza 61, in the grass, they find the golden game pieces that the gods are described as having once happily enjoyed playing games with long ago (attested earlier in the same poem). The reemerged fields grow without needing to be sown. The gods and return from Hel and live happily together.
The völva says that the god chooses wooden slips for divination, and that the sons of two brothers will widely inhabit the windy world. She sees a hall thatched with gold in , where nobility will live and spend their lives pleasurably. Stanzas 65, found in the version of the poem, refers to a "powerful, mighty one" that "rules over everything" and who will arrive from above at the court of the gods (Old Norse regindómr), which has been interpreted as a addition to the poem. In stanza 66, the völva ends her account with a description of the dragon , corpses in his jaws, flying through the air. The völva then "sinks down." It is unclear if stanza 66 indicates that the völva is referring to the present time or if this is an element of the post-Ragnarök world.
Vafþrúðnismál[]An illustration of Víðarr stabbing Fenrir while holding his jaws apart (by , inspired by the , 1908)Fenrir and Odin (by , 1895)
The god is mentioned in relation to Ragnarök in stanza 39 of the poem . In the poem, Odin, disguised as , faces off with the wise jötunn in a battle of wits. Vafþrúðnismál references Njörðr's status as a hostage during the earlier , and that he will "come back home among the wise Vanir" at "the doom of men."
In stanza 44, Odin poses the question to Vafþrúðnir as to who of mankind will survive the "famous" ("Mighty Winter"). Vafþrúðnir responds in stanza 45 that those survivors will be , and that they will hide in the forest of , that they will consume the morning dew, and will produce generations of offspring. In stanza 46, Odin asks what sun will come into the sky after Fenrir has consumed the sun that exists. Vafþrúðnir responds that will bear a daughter before Fenrir assails her, and that after Ragnarök this daughter will continue her mother's path.
In stanza 51, Vafþrúðnir states that, after Surtr's flames have been sated, Odin's sons and will live in the temples of the gods, and that Thor's sons will possess the hammer Mjolnir. In stanza 52, the disguised Odin asks the jötunn about Odin's own fate. Vafþrúðnir responds that "the wolf" will consume Odin, and that Víðarr will avenge him by sundering its cold jaws in battle. Odin ends the duel with one final question: what did Odin say to before preparing his funeral pyre? With this, Vafþrúðnir realizes that he is dealing with none other than Odin, whom he refers to as "the wisest of beings," adding that Odin alone could know this. Odin's message has been interpreted as a promise of resurrection to Baldr after Ragnarök.
Helgakviða Hundingsbana II[]
Ragnarök is briefly referenced in stanza 40 of the poem . Here, the 's unnamed maid is passing the deceased hero 's . Helgi is there with a retinue of men, surprising the maid. The maid asks if she is witnessing a delusion since she sees dead men riding, or if Ragnarök has occurred. In stanza 41, Helgi responds that it is neither.
YOU ARE READING
Ragnarok (Wikipedia)
General FictionIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle, foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures This entire book is from the wikipedia and all copy right goes to the creators/authors of th...
