Prophetic Inevitability
They are the three beings who weave the destinies of gods and mortals, also determining the inevitability of Ragnarok.
Who are the Norns?
This beloved son of Odin was killed by a dart made of mistletoe, setting Ragnarok into motion.
Who is Balder (or Baldr)?
This catastrophic event, lasting three winters without a summer, is the first sign signaling the approach of Ragnarok.
What is Fimbulvinter (the Great Winter)?
This monstrous wolf, once bound with a magical chain, is freed during Ragnarok and heads straight for Odin.
Who is Fenrir?
In the final battle of Ragnarok, this chief god of the Aesir faces the monstrous wolf Fenrir—and meets his doom.
Who is Odin?
This Norse concept ensures that Ragnarok cannot be stopped, no matter what anyone does.
What is fate or destiny?
She was Balder’s mother, who extracted oaths from all things not to harm her son—except for mistletoe.
Who is Frigg?
These two wolves will finally catch and devour their celestial prey at the end of the world. Name both wolves and what they hunt.
Who are Skoll (who devours the Sun) and Hati (who devours the Moon)?
Forged by dwarves from six impossible ingredients, this magical binding held Fenrir captive—until fate dictated its breaking. Name the chain and at least two of its “impossible” components.
What is Gleipnir, made from things like the sound of a cat’s footsteps, the beard of a woman, the roots of mountains, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish, and the spittle of birds?
This thunder god slays Jörmungandr, the World Serpent—but dies after taking only nine steps, succumbing to the serpent's poison.
Who is Thor?
Odin learned of Ragnarok’s coming and details from this kind of supernatural being.
What is a volva (seeress/witch)?
For murdering Balder, Loki was bound in a cave and tortured with this substance dripping onto his face.
What is (snake) venom?
The shattering earthquakes caused when this immense tree trembles will mark the breakdown of the world’s foundations.
What is Yggdrasil?
Loki’s liberation is both literal and profoundly symbolic in Ragnarok myth. Describe two different legendary explanations for how his bonds are broken and analyze what these variations reveal about Norse beliefs concerning fate, loyalty, and the nature of doom.
What are: (1) cosmic earthquakes (possibly caused by the shaking of Yggdrasil or the movements of Jörmungandr and Fenrir) shattering Loki’s chains, or (2) his wife Sigyn freeing him by pulling the iron staples from the rock; these different accounts highlight fate’s inescapability, the tragic potential of loyalty (Sigyn), and the Norse view that doom may arise from both cataclysmic or profoundly personal forces?
Wielding a silent shoe and immense strength, this god avenges his father by killing Fenrir, according to prophecy.
Who is Vidar?
This is is the best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It dates back to the tenth century and tells the story from Norse Mythology of the creation of the world, its coming end, and its subsequent rebirth that is related to the audience by a völva addressing Odin.
What is "Völuspá"
According to some sources, Loki’s plot to kill Balder was only possible because of this apparently innocent oversight made by Frigg—describe both the nature of her oversight and its mythological significance.
What is Frigg failing to demand an oath from mistletoe, considering it too young/harmless, thus allowing Balder's death and showing how even minor oversights by the gods could have world-changing consequences?
This cosmic disaster occurs in the sky after the sun and moon are devoured, leaving the heavens a black void.
What is the disappearance of the stars?
This ship, formed from the fingernails and toenails of the dead, sets sail during Ragnarok carrying the armies of doom. Name the ship and explain how Norse funeral practices were influenced by the myth about its construction.
What is Naglfar; Norse people carefully trimmed the nails of the dead to prevent contributing to the ship’s completion, believing this could delay Ragnarok.
In the chaos of Ragnarok, these two face off: one, a lesser-known Norse deity—famed for one-handed bravery and the act of binding Fenrir; the other the monstrous hound of Hel.
Explain the deeper mythological resonance of their mutual destruction in the final battle.
Who are Tyr and Garm?
Their mutual demise symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice for order and justice, with Tyr’s courage against cosmic lawlessness mirrored by Garm’s role as Hel’s guardian, underlining the tragedy that even the noblest defenders cannot survive Ragnarok.
These are all three Norns and what each represents in life's timeline.
Who are Urd (what was), Verdandi (what is), and Skuld (what shall be)?
Name all three children of Loki and Angrboda who became central enemies of the gods due to Odin’s actions, and describe what happened to each.
Who are Fenrir (bound with Gleipnir, bites off Tyr’s hand, destined to devour Odin), Jormungandr (thrown into the sea, grows to encircle the world, destined to kill and be killed by Thor), and Hel (banished to rule over the underworld, refuses to release Baldr)?
Norse tradition describes a collapse of moral and social order during Fimbulvinter, marked by unprecedented violence and lawlessness. Describe in detail how this social unraveling is depicted, and explain its mythological significance as a supernatural omen.
What is the “age of swords and axes," during which kin will slay kin—brother killing brother, fathers and sons turning on each other—signifying the total breakdown of human society and indicating that cosmic order itself is failing as a sign of Ragnarok’s approach?
According to myth, the moment Jörmungandr releases his tail and emerges upon the land, a series of catastrophic consequences follow, including not just environmental disaster but also changes to the cosmic order. Provide a detailed account of both the symbolic and tangible effects of the serpent’s release, especially relating to Norse cosmology.
What are: the collapse of the cosmic boundary (as the Ouroboros is broken), the poisoning of the air and water with Jörmungandr’s venom, world-engulfing floods from his thrashing, and the breakdown of reality as understood in Norse cosmology, signaling the end of order and the beginning of chaos?
While Odin, Thor, and Freyr all fall, these two mortals are foretold to hide in the wood of Yggdrasil and repopulate the renewed world after Ragnarok.
Who are Lif (“Life”) and Lifthrasir (“Striving after Life”)?