Ragnarok is one of the central subjects of German-Scandinavian mythology. This legend is eschatological - it corresponds to the idea of the coming end of the universe. Its analogues are in any mythology. The Scandinavian Ragnarok on this background has many features. For example, in the Christian tradition, the world must perish due to the fall. The mythical Ragnarok says that the end of everything is destined for fate.
Doomsday background
The foreboding of the apocalypse was the death of Balder - the god of light and spring. Once he began to torment bad dreams. The father of a young god - Odin turned to a seer (velva) and asked to explain the meaning of bad signs. The soothsayer announced that Balder would soon die. Moreover, velva told that God would be killed by his own brother Head.
The choice of Baldr as a sacred sacrifice necessary to initiate the apocalypse is not accidental. This character is not only the god of spring, but also the sun, as well as life as such. His death is a symbol of the triumph of death and darkness. The myth of the resurrecting and dying god of vegetation is not only in Scandinavian, but also in Middle Eastern pagan mythology. In addition, the Greek Dionysus was exactly the same.
Balder's death
The death of the gods - this is how the word "Ragnarok" is translated. What it is? This is the catastrophe that overtook the world after the death of Balder. One conveyed the response of the velva to the other gods of Asgard. Balder's mother, Frigg, took an oath from all things and all living creatures that they would not harm her son. Intercession worked. The god of spring and light has become invulnerable. Relatives began to have fun, throwing stones at him, chopping him with swords, etc. Balder really was all for nothing.
But how did Ragnarek happen under such circumstances? What it is? The catastrophe was the result of betrayal. God Loki found out from Frigg that she did not take oaths not to harm Balder with mistletoe. This plant seemed to her too harmless. Loki took an escape and persuaded Head to throw the plant at his brother. He was blind and did not understand the deception. Head threw mistletoe at Baldra, and the victim collapsed dead to the ground.
On the eve of disaster
In the words of the famous saga "Younger Edda", the death of Balder became the greatest misfortune for the gods and people. So the tragedy happened, which entailed Ragnarok. "What it is?" - Asgard residents asked such a question. They did not understand what caused the seemingly impossible death of Balder. Ases plunged into great sadness, after which a terrible winter came. Baldr's wife Nanna died of grief - her heart exploded. They placed the spouses in a funeral boat and buried according to Scandinavian custom.
Balder's brother - Hermod - went to the underworld to ask his mistress Hel to free the ace. The mistress of the underworld agreed to do this, provided that the deceased god will pay for all living and dead on earth. Balder could not be revived due to the giantess Tekk. She is the only one in the whole world who refused to mourn the god of spring. Because of her, Ragnarok came even closer. What it is? The callousness of a giantess? No, in fact, under her guise, the very same Loki was hiding.
Misfortune never comes alone
After the death of Balder, Fimbulvetr came - a terrible three-year winter. According to the prophecy, at its end, the giant wolf Fenrir will open its jaws and swallow the sun. Then the world will stir up from earthquakes and floods. But worse than natural disasters will be the massive madness of people and gods. They will abandon the usual rules and unleash a total war of all against all. A kinsman will go to a kinsman, and to each other.
Because of the global cataclysm, the world will be filled with all sorts of chthonic monsters. In addition to the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Yormungand will appear. From the underworld the ship Naglfar, built from the nails of the dead, will sail. Ragnarok will bring many other troubles. The description of this apocalypse is known thanks to the sagas. They also say that Loki (previously imprisoned by the gods for his treacherous murder of Balder) will be freed from his prison. An army of giants will appear under the leadership of Surt. Under these giants, Bivrest will fall - the rainbow bridge that connects Asgard with the rest of the worlds.
Death of the gods
In order to survive Ragnarok, the gods will gather a squad and go to the Swearing Field, where the last decisive battle will take place. Each ace will get his opponent. One will face the wolf Fenrir, the sea serpent Jormungand will take up arms against Thor, etc. The main antagonist of Loki will face off against the guardian of the world tree Heimdall.
Ases will fail. Fenrir swallows Odin. Loki and Heimdall will both die without identifying the strongest. The son of Odin Vidar will avenge his father and break the mouth of Fenrir. At the end of the battle, the whole world will burn in the fire spewed by Surt. Just then Ragnarok will come. What does this event mean? The answer is obvious: the end of the world. Gods, people and all living things will perish in it.
After the apocalypse
The familiar world, created from the body of the ancient frosty giant Ymir, will disappear. Only the world tree will remain , which will continue to unite and permeate the universe. From its shoots a new world will arise. After that, some of those who Ragnarok took his life will return to life. The mythology of the Scandinavian and Germanic pagans in this plot plays out the motive of regeneration, the cyclical nature of the universe and the revival of life.
Head and Baldr, the sons of Thor Magni and Modi, as well as the sons of Odin Vali and Vidar, will return from the abode of the dead. In the sagas they are also called "younger gods." In addition to them, Ragnarok will survive a man and a woman. From them will come the future human race. Moreover, the new story will be the story of not gods, but people.
Ragnarok in European culture
The story of Ragnarok is compiled in the song “Divination of the Velva”. According to various estimates, it appeared around the X century. In the era of European romanticism, this work began to enjoy unprecedented popularity. The story of Ragnarok was described in his work by the famous composer
New time Richard Wagner. In his tetralogy, “The Ring of the Nibelung,” the gods are seized with a crazy thirst for gold, because of which the world is plunged into incinerating fire. The composer's operas turned out to be a real milestone in art. Thanks to Wagner, the expression “Twilight of the Gods” has become a phraseological unit and synonymous with vicious revelry on the eve of the disaster.
Another medieval source of information about Ragnarok is The Elder Edda. Her mythological songs are tragic, but at the same time at the end they leave hope for the best. The legend of Ragnarok is a story that the triumph of chaos is short-lived and short-lived. Death is being replaced by a new life, a renewed world and people. Ragnarok is also a metaphor for changing seasons. The death of the gods leads to the death of nature and winter, and their return to life occurs with the advent of another spring.