Ragnarok

         Ragnarok, "Doom of the Gods," also called "Doom of the Powers" or "Destruction of the Powers," means the end of the world. It would be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters would follow each other with no summers in-between. Conflicts and feuds would break out, even between families, and all morality would disappear.

This is the beginning of the end.

         The wolf Skoll will devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon, plunging the earth into darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky. The cock, Fjalar, will crow to the giants and the golden cock, Gullinkambi, will crow to the gods. A third cock will raise the dead.

         The earth will shudder with earthquakes, and every bond and fetter will burst, freeing the monstrous fire-demon Surt. The sea will rear up because Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent (sea-dragon), is twisting and writhing in fury as she makes her way toward the land. With every breath, Jormungand will stain the soil and the sky with her poison. From the realm of the dead a ship will set sail, and this ship carries the inhabitants of hell. The fire giants, led by the giant Surt, will leave Muspell in the south to join against the gods.

         Meanwhile, Heimdall will sound his horn, calling the children of Alfadir and the heroes of legend to the battlefield. From all the corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, demons and faeries will ride towards the huge plain of Vigrid where the last battle will be fought. Alfadir will engage Surt in battle, and Sleipnir will attack Jormungand. He will be victorious, but the serpent's poison will gradually kill him. The one-handed Tyr will fight the monstrous hound Garm and they will kill each other. Loki and Heimdall, age-old enemies, will meet for a final time, and neither will survive their encounter.

         The fight between Alfadir and Surt will rage for a long time, but finally Surt will seize Alfadir and crush him. Then Surt will fling fire in every direction. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will perish and the earth will sink into the sea.

         After the destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise from the sea and will be filled with abundant supplies. Some of the gods will survive; others will be reborn. Wickedness and misery will no longer exist and gods and men will live happily together. The descendants of Ash and Elm will inhabit the earth.