RAGNARÖK

ALBA BERMÚDEZ GUTIÉRREZ

NORDIC MYTHOLOGY
683782P-3004
2023
As all well know, Ragnarök is the cataclysmic battle between order and chaos, being the end
of the magic world and the origin of the new world. This didn't happen suddenly, for there
were premonitions that foretold what would happen.
Baldur started to have premonitory dreams that announced the Ragnarök, so Odin went to the
underworld to talk with a seer about his son´s dreams. When Odin saw that the rooms were
decorated, he realized that a banquet was about to arrive, and he asked the seer about it, but
what he didn't know was that the guest of honor was his son.

The story tells us that at the moment Baldur was killed by the blind god Hodr, all of this through
a mistletoe leaf placed in the blind god's hand by Loki; the gods decided that Loki's behavior
had reached its limit.
The whole situation made Loki leave Asgard, So a house was built on the top of a mountain,
and during the day, it transformed into a salmon to avoid being found. Despite their attempts
to remain hidden, they were in vain, as Odin discovered their whereabouts, and Thor ended up
capturing him. After this, he was taken to a cave, and the gods decided to bring two of his
children to the same place, turning one of them (Fenrir) into a wolf, who immediately tore apart
his brother, and his entrails were used to forge the chains that would keep Loki bound for
eternity while he received the venom from a serpent on his face. Sigyn, Loki's wife, tried to
prevent the venom from falling onto her husband's face, but at the moment she had to empty
the container, she couldn't prevent the venom from touching his face, causing tremors that
shook Midgard in the form of earthquakes.

Once the prophecies had come to pass, Odin decided to prepare an army to face the forces of
chaos. The situation was so desperate that the king of the gods selected the most powerful
humans to join his ranks. Meanwhile, Loki and his son broke free from the chains, making
Yggdrasil tremble with the intention of supporting the giants of Jotunheim in destroying the
cosmos.
Once the armies were formed, the guardian of Asgard, Heimdall, spotted an army of giants
approaching Asgard. He sounded the horn to alert the gods, being this the beginning of the
battle. I consider it fundamental to Viking warriors thinking that the gods got involved in the
battle, even knowing that there was no possibility of survival.

After the death of almost all involved in the battle, the sea covered everything again, and
darkness reigned once more. It is said that the earth rose again and was repopulated through

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two humans (Lif and Lifthrasir) who survived the battle hidden among the branches of
Yggdrasil, giving rise to a new world.
There are several theories about whether the gods returned again or, on the contrary, did not
come back. What is evident is that the world sprouts again, but in a different way. Does this
reveal that in Norse thought, nothing is completely destroyed, but rather things transform and
evolve to continue existing eternally?

The vision in which the gods return again is almost certainly influenced and altered by the
Christian perspective, as it is believed that in the pre-Christian interpretation there is no return
or resurrection.
The study of these hypotheses is quite complex since the tradition of Norse myths was oral,
and there are not enough written sources that recount their vision of Ragnarök.
Through runic inscriptions (Gosforth Cross, Thorwald's Cross, and the Ledberg Stone),
Ragnarök has been dated to the 10th and 11th centuries. It is from the 13th century onwards
when it is represented in writing in the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, with the latter being a
compilation of Nordic narratives gathered from ancient sources and oral tradition.

It is at this point that I would like to mention the perspective of Daniel McCoy, who argues
that, in its origins, the cataclysmic battle signified the end of all things as known in that
mythical past, including the gods. He contends that pre-Christian beliefs did not encompass
any notions related to rebirth.
The problem that McCoy encounters in trying to prove his theory is that everything known
about Norse mythology comes from sources written by Christians or those living in
predominantly Christian societies. Therefore, they were influenced by this religion and its
corresponding beliefs. Because of this, Norse pre- Christian beliefs are not entirely clear.
Daniel recounts the story of Ragnarök during a time when Christianity was "destroying" the
ancient gods and, therefore, was "killing" and diminishing traditional Norse values.
Consequently, it can be understood that everyone was aware that the world as they knew it was
transforming into something novel. It is in this moment of extreme uncertainty that the idea of
a new rebirth has been dismissed, but what if it wasn't so? Just as the possibility of a rebirth is
denied, it is likely that, similar to various ancient religions, they believed in cyclical nature,
making it quite possible that they saw Ragnarök as the end of a part of the cyclical nature and
the beginning of a new start.

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Whatever the original vision of Ragnarök may be, the most widespread has been one that offers
hope to human beings in this world full of uncertainty. It consistently seeks to demonstrate that
order prevails over chaos, just as good always triumphs over evil, even in the most challenging
times.

As a conclusion and brief summary of the preceding lines, it can be asserted that Ragnarök is
a globally recognized phenomenon and of great interest in the realm of series, movies, video
games, and the like. Despite being an enticing event for contemporary society, when delving
into its study, various opposing branches emerge regarding their conclusions.

The common thread among all these branches is the reference to the Christian influence on
Norse culture, its beliefs, and even narratives. This is primarily due to the oral tradition of the
pre-Christians, as mentioned earlier, where Norse beliefs, as recounted today, originated at the
point when Christians or societies influenced by this religion began to write them down.

All hypotheses that have arisen regarding the topic converge on the Christian influence and the
idea that it was a struggle of "good" against "evil" that gave rise to a new world. This conception
could stem from either the influence of Christian thought on resurrection or be based on the
beliefs of many ancient civilizations that envisioned a cyclical nature full of changes and
beginnings.

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Sources:

Lindow, J, Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs: A Guide to the
Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs, U.S.A: Oxford University Press, 2002.

McCoy, Daniel, The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion, USA:
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016.

Joshua. J, Mark, “Ragnarök”, World History Encyclopedia, 2021.

https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-16423/ragnarok/.

Ramírez, Silvia y Torres, Roberto, “Ragnarok”, Mitos y Relatos, 2015 (26 de agosto).
https://mitosyrelatos.com/europa/mitologia-nordica/ragnarok.