The Doom of the Gods Ragna-Rkr Then asked Gangleri, what are the tidings that spoken of the

doom or the gods? For of this I have not before heard the telling. And Hrr said: many rumours and great there are to tell you of indeed: and this first, the winter is coming, that which is called the great and awful winter; at this time snow will drive in from all the four corners of heaven, then great frosts too and sharp winds; and the rays of the suns will no longer be enjoyed; three winters will pass together, and not a summer between them. But before this three other winters will pass in this way, so that during them enormous conflict will sweep all the world; and brothers will strike each other down for the sake of greed, and neither fathers nor sons shall be held sacred in the manslaughter and adultery. So it says in the Vlusp: "Brothers shall come to blows, and both thereby meet their deaths, Those united in kinship shall violate their union; Hard will it go with mortals, these great betrayals; Age of axes, age of blades, and shields cloven; Age of wind, and wolves, before this age of the world is overthrown." Then this will come to follow, things which seem to me great tidings, that a wolf swallows the rays of the sun, and this strikes men as an awful woe; then another wolf takes the moon and performs this same outrage; the stars vanish from the heavens. Then too, as the story goes, the whole earth shakes and the rocks so that the trees are shaken loose from the earth, and the cliffs crumble, and all fetters and bonds are broken and severed. Then the wolf Fenrir gets loose; then the sea hurls itself upon the earth furiously, for the fell serpent of the world (Migarsormr) twists in giant-fury and seeks its way up onto the land. And it also happens that then Naglfar frees itself, as that ship is called; this ship is made from the nails of dead men, and it is on this account thou art warned, if a man dies with untrimmed nails, that that man greatly increases the material for the building of that ship, which gods and men would have delayed. And upon this heaving sea flies Naglfar; the giant called Hrymr steers it. And the wolf Fenrir travels with mouth agape, the lower jaw touching the earth, and the upper touching the heavens; the mouth would be more agape, if there were room for it; and flames burn from his eyes and from his nose. Migarsormr blows such poisons, that he drives all before him either into the air or below, and then he is (allgurligr?), and he travels at the side of the wolf. And at this great disturbance heaven is split, and then Mspells sons ride forth from their lair; Surt rides first and before him and after him a fire burns; his sword is very good, the light from which outshines the sun. And when these ride upon Bifrost then she, the bridge, shatters. But Mspells strong sons seek forward to that field called Vgrr; then there comes there also the wolf Fenrir and the great snake at their side; there then too Loki has come, and Hrymr and with him all the frost giants, all those of Hel follow Loki, while Mspells sons each have there own hosts, and each one is very bright. The battlefield of Vgrr is one hundred leagues wide in each direction. And when word of these things reaches him, then Heimdall stands up and blows loudly upon the Gjallarhorn, and wakes up all the gods, and they all take council together. And Odin rides to Mims well, and takes council from Mim both for himself and

for those he leads. Then the ash tree Yggdrasils shakes, and no one on heaven or on earth below is then without fear. The sir gird themselves for war, and all the Einherjar, the great warriors of Thor, they seek their way forward to the battlefield. First rides Odin with golden helm and shining armour and his spear, which is called Gungnir. He makes straight for a meeting with Fenrir, and Thor goes forward at his side, but this time he may not come to his aid, since he has hands full coming to blows with the Serpent. Frey takes on Surt in another meeting, and there passes a mighty conflict, before Frey falls. Thus his death befalls him, since he is without his sword, of all those the best, because he had given it to Skirn. But by then the hound Garm has gotten loose, who was chained before Gnpahell; that was a most dangerous lair. He makes straight for a battle with Tyr, and each slays the other. Thor on his own kills the great snake; and staggers back a distance of nine feet; upon which he falls dead to the earth on account of the poison which the great snake blows at him. The Wolf swallows Odin, and this is how his death comes to pass. But straightaway Varr comes there and steps with his foot upon the lower jaw of the wolf; on this foot he has the shoe which for all ages has been gathered for; that is, the bits of leather which men cut out of their shoes around the toes and the heels; it is on account of this that a man must cast away these pieces of leather, that by this he believes they will come to the gods and their host. But with the other hand Varr takes the upper jaw of the wolf and rives the gaping maw of the beast asunder, and thus happens the death of the wolf. Loki has a battle with Heimdall, and each becomes the death of the other. But next Surt slings fire over the earth and burns all the homes therein. So it is said in the Voluspa; Loud winds Heimdall, the horn on the air, Odin holds council with the mind of Mim; Yggdrasil trembles, ash tree tall, The tree of ages groans, and the giants are loosed. What is passing among the sir? What among the Elves? All Jotunheim resounds; The sir are in council. The Dwarves groan before their doors of stone, Masters of stone. Do you understand even now? Hrymr drives from the east, brandishing his spear before him, Jormungandr writhes in giant fury; The great serpent smashes the waves, the eagle screams, The pale-nebbed bird tears at the corpses; Naglfar is loosed. The ships journeys from the east, Mspells sons come With the torches of their people, and Loki leading; And all the monsters travel with the wolf; With them is the brother of Bleist on that journey.

Surt makes his way from the south, with poison switch; The sun of the war gods shines from his blade; Rock cliffs crash, and hags wander about the land, Men tread the hel-way, and the heavens are split asunder. Then to Hliny, another grief comes, When Odin crosses paths with the wolf, And then the dearest to Frigg, the bright bane of Bel, In battle with Surt shall fall. Then Odins son comes crosses the wolf, Varr stands in the way of that carrion-beast; May he, bearing his sword in his hand, Thrust the weapon into the heart of that beast;

Then will he have avenged his father.

Then goes Hlyns glorious son Abandoning the snake, insults not beholding All men shall empty their homesteads, When from sheer rage the holy defender of earth Strikes that serpent down. The sun grows black, the land sinks into the sea From the heavens flee the bright stars; The reek rages and fire, The rearing heat licks against heaven itself. For it is said: Vgrr is called the field, where in battle the beloved gods and Surt shall meet A hundred leagues it lies in every direction

They know that field well.