Mist’s View of Ragnarok
All cultures had an end of day’s scenario and the Norse people were no different. It seems to me that most humans created this concept because they knew that the world would not continue for all time, whether this is a correct assumption, it is not uncommon to see the end of the world played out on a grand stage in which the forces of good and evil do battle to the death.
Basically in all end of days scenarios the earth and all human life also ends, usually not in a nice way. It does not seem that the gods in any culture just let us fall into some peaceful stupor and then wake up in the afterlife, but instead are found to make war against each other until all are slaughtered. I think that although there are historical drawings of Ragnarok, that perhaps the Edda portrays a completely Christian version of this concept.
The similarities between the biblical Armageddon and Ragnarok are very clear to me as I was part of a Christian group that believed that Armageddon was coming. When I converted to Asatru, I found the concept very similar in nature.
Odin kills Loki’s sons, and instead of him finding a way to get compensation for his loss, for some reason Loki decides to end the world. I find this very extreme, as let’s face it Loki took out Balder, but Odin did not end the world because of that. This is the first indication that something is very out of whack with this story. It may also be that Loki had just had enough of being treated badly by the gods, never thanked for anything he did, and then for some reason again decides to be very unreasonable and end the world.
Either way it does not really seem like something that he would do! The guy loves humans, even if it is just because he finds them extremely amusing, he does not seem to be the type of person to want to destroy them all because he did not get what he wants.
In many ways the story parallels the Christian one about God vs. Satan in which Satan gets sick of being exiled in the pit, and then breaks out with the other prisoners and attacks god, taking all the humans with him. Again the scenario rings with many familiar aspects; angry son/brother takes it out on his fellow god because he did not get what he wants. I think the similarities are too close to ignore the possibility that the myth may have been tainted by Christian aspects.
Our members were talking about this once, and we decided that really the myth almost seems to foretell the end of the Viking age, for everything about it screams, leave heathery and become Christian. Baldr appears more like Jesus and less like a son of Odin, and the whole theme reeks of similar concepts of Utopia. Suddenly we are all living in some wonderful bliss in which no one fights, everyone is well behaved and we probably use white napkins at our table. It sounds too much like concepts written about heaven or some made up world where everyone is perfect.
To me, it sounds downright boring. Who would want to live in a perfect world? In the first place, I don’t think it is even possible, even with the power of god! I think that humans intrinsically need their emotions to be human, and to strip them and make them some clone, Stetford Wife thing is just strange. This again sounds like almost a reversion to the Christian tale of Adam and Eve, two people that were without knowledge and therefore without sin. I cannot imagine being unable to think for myself or to live without choice, and this seems very un-heathen. Although it would be nice if all of us heathens could get along now wouldn’t it! But, the fact is part of humanity that is a treasured gift is our ability to reason, to debate, to be an individual, basically this would be a removal of everything that makes us human.
In fact there is no indication that we would be worshiping gods at all, with exception of Balder who again comes across looking like a Christian god than one who would be following the old ways, this just does not make sense to me at all. Why make a whole religion around yourself, to only remove yourself from it, and leave your people without any memory of it existing. Although, the Edda kind of ends there, so we don’t really know what this new world is, or what we will be doing in it?
It is actually interesting who survives Ragnarok, because it is not just Balder, but you would think the whole thing revolves around him somehow, as it focuses on him being the new leader. But, it does not say anything about the continuation of faith, or if we will be still heathen or what? It is very unclear. To me it is an impossible thing to imagine that all of us will live in a wonderful paradise where there is no death, war, hunger etc that sounds wonderful, but completely unachievable.
Much like the other end of world stories, the gods seem to know that this is coming, in fact know down to the blow by blow list of who will die and by whom. It is the same in most myths of this nature, the good guys know what is going to happen, but cannot do anything to stop it, as they know it is inevitable. According to the myths the end of the work starts with the Fibulvetr, the winter of winters with no summer. The whole earth starts to experience earthquakes, which inevitably unleash Fenris who now hunts down Odin. The Midgard Serpent starts towards dry land causing great floods and what seems like Typhoons.
Loki sets sail to Hel and gathers a crew of un-dead. With all the giants and dead people sets out to battle the gods, all the gods take up arms and a big battle unfolds in some unknown location. Every god dies, with the exception of Thor’s sons Magni and Modi, Odin’s sons Villi and Ve and there is no mention of the goddess, many scholars say they survive.
As for humans:
“After the final, terrible battle at Ragnarok the entire cosmos will be destroyed. The only humans who will survive this destruction are Lif (“life”) and Liftrasir (“eager for life”) because they hid themselves in Hodmimir’s Forest, the forest that the flaming sword of the fire-giant Surt cannot destroy. There they sleep through the destruction of the earth and when they awaken, they will find the earth is green and verdant again. Lif and Liftrasir will become the progenitors of an new race of humans, and their descendants will inhabit this world.”[1]
Although it is a very good myth to read, the shear impossibility of it being the ‘truth’ is evident in the fact that it seems very much uncharacteristic of the gods, as well as overtly Christian in its tone. Many heathens feel it is a necessary myth to study, to understand the lore in general, and some even think it is true, hence the complete lack of Loki worship in some kindred’s. I see it as a parabell, telling us that even gods cannot alter the fate that has been doled out, and so too humans should learn that they cannot either. This is a good lesson, in that fate is pre-determined, and somewhat unalterable, and that in the end even the gods must listen and obey the Norn’s. I don’t know if I believe that it will happen, I personally think that end of the world stories are just that stories. It is just as unlikely that there is a house made of gingerbread in a forrest or that wolves can conume Red Riding Hood and somehow she lives, it is a story of caution and that is all.
For those looking for the whole Ragnarok story, I would suggest reading The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland or do some searches on Google, many sites have a full retelling of who dies when and by whom, and why this occurred.
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