The Aesir-Vanir War

In Norse mythology, gods and goddesses usually belong to one of two tribes: the Aesir and
the Vanir. Throughout most of the Norse tales, deities from the two tribes get along fairly easily,
and it’s hard to pin down firm distinctions between the two groups. But there was a time when
that wasn’t the case.

The Vanir goddess Freya was always the foremost practitioner of the art of seidr, the most
terribly powerful kind of magic. Like historical seidr practitioners, she wandered from town to
town plying her craft for hire.

Under the name Heiðr (“Bright”), she eventually came to Asgard, the home of the Aesir. The
Aesir were quite taken by her powers and zealously sought her services. But soon they realized
that their values of honor, kin loyalty, and obedience to the law were being pushed aside by the
selfish desires they sought to fulfill with the witch’s magic. Blaming Freya for their own
shortcomings, the Aesir called her “Gullveig” (“Gold-greed”) and attempted to murder her. Three
times they tried to burn her, and three times she was reborn from the ashes.

Because of this, the Aesir and Vanir came to hate and fear one another, and these hostilities
erupted into war. The Aesir fought by the rules of plain combat, with weapons and brute force,
while the Vanir used the subtler means of magic. The war went on for some time, with both sides
gaining the upper hand by turns.

Eventually the two tribes of divinities became weary of fighting and decided to call a truce.
As was customary among the ancient Norse and other Germanic peoples, the two sides agreed
to pay tribute to each other by sending hostages to live among the other tribe. Freya, Freyr,
and Njord of the Vanir went to the Aesir, and Hoenir (pronounced roughly “HIGH-neer”)
and Mimir went to the Vanir.

Njord and his children seem to have lived more or less in peace in Asgard. Unfortunately,
the same can’t be said of Hoenir and Mimir in Vanaheim. The Vanir immediately saw that Hoenir
was seemingly able to deliver incomparably wise advice on any problem, but they failed to notice
that this was only when he had Mimir in his company. Hoenir was actually a rather slow-witted
simpleton who was at a loss for words when Mimir wasn’t available to counsel him. After Hoenir
responded to the Vanir’s entreaties with the unhelpful “Let others decide” one too many times,
the Vanir thought they had been cheated in the hostage exchange. They beheaded Mimir and
sent the severed head back to Asgard, where the distraught Odin chanted magic poems over the
head and embalmed it in herbs. Thus preserved, Mimir’s head continued to give indispensable
advice to Odin in times of need.

The two tribes were still weary of fighting a war that was so evenly-matched, however.
Rather than renewing their hostilities over this tragic misunderstanding, each of the Aesir and
Vanir came together and spat into a cauldron. From their saliva they created Kvasir, the wisest of
all beings, as a way of pledging sustained harmony.
 Odin’s Discovery Of The Runes

The Norse god Odin is a relentless seeker after knowledge and wisdom, and is willing to
sacrifice almost anything for this pursuit. The most outstanding feature of his appearance, his
one eye, attests to this; he sacrificed his other eye for more wisdom. The tale of how he
discovered the runes is another example of his unquenchable thirst for understanding the
mysteries of life, not to mention his unstoppable will.

The runes are the written letters that were used by the Norse and other Germanic peoples
before the adoption of the Latin alphabet in the later Middle Ages. Unlike the Latin alphabet,
which is an essentially utilitarian script, the runes are symbols of some of the most powerful
forces in the cosmos. In fact, the word “rune” and its cognates across past and present Germanic
languages mean both “letter” and “secret/mystery.” The letters called “runes” allow one to
access, interact with, and influence the world-shaping forces they symbolize. Thus, when Odin
sought the runes, he wasn’t merely attempting to acquire a set of arbitrary representations of
human vocal sounds. Rather, he was uncovering an extraordinarily potent system of magic.

Odin’s Discovery of the Runes

At the center of the Norse cosmos stands the great tree Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil’s upper
branches cradle Asgard, the home and fortress of the Aesir gods and goddesses, of whom Odin is
the chief.

Yggdrasil grows out of the Well of Urd, a pool whose fathomless depths hold many of the
most powerful forces and beings in the cosmos. Among these beings are the Norns, three
sagacious maidens who create the fatesof all beings. One of the foremost techniques they use to
shape fate is carving runes into Yggdrasil’s trunk. The symbols then carry these intentions
throughout the tree, affecting everything in the Nine Worlds.

Odin watched the Norns from his seat in Asgard and envied their powers and their wisdom.
And he bent his will toward the task of coming to know the runes.

Since the runes’ native home is in the Well of Urd with the Norns, and since the runes do
not reveal themselves to any but those who prove themselves worthy of such fearful insights and
abilities, Odin hung himself from a branch of Yggdrasil, pierced himself with his spear, and
peered downward into the shadowy waters below. He forbade any of the other gods to grant
him the slightest aid, not even a sip of water. And he stared downward, and stared downward,
and called to the runes.

He survived in this state, teetering on the precipice that separates the living from the dead,
for no less than nine days and nights. At the end of the ninth night, he at last perceived shapes in
the depths: the runes! They had accepted his sacrifice and shown themselves to him, revealing to
him not only their forms, but also the secrets that lie within them. Having fixed this knowledge in
his formidable memory, Odin ended his ordeal with a scream of exultation.

Having been initiated into the mysteries of the runes, Odin recounted:

Then I was fertilized and became wise;

I truly grew and thrived.
From a word to a word I was led to a word,
From a work to a work I was led to a work.
 Equipped with the knowledge of how to wield the runes, he became one of the mightiest
and most accomplished beings in the cosmos. He learned chants that enabled him to heal
emotional and bodily wounds, to bind his enemies and render their weapons worthless, to free
himself from constraints, to put out fires, to expose and banish practitioners of malevolent magic,
to protect his friends in battle, to wake the dead, to win and keep a lover, and to perform many
other feats like these.
 How Odin Lost His Eye

Odin All-Father was troubled deeply. The whisperings of Ygdrassil had told him the
prophecies of the end, of Ragnarok. He had listened and knew of how Surtr the Black would join
the giants in their war against the gods, how he would arise out of the flames of Muspell and
drown the earth in fire. Odin’s wisdom told him that he could not prevent this end, but he hoped
that perhaps, with wisdom, something could be saved of the gods and of men.
So, disguised as a greying old man, Odin travelled the Bifrost to Midgard and began to
search for the well of Mimir. The well lay beneath the root of Ygdrassil that grew out of
Jotunheim. It was kept my Mimir, the man who drank it’s wisdom each morning and who kept
watch over the Gjallar-horn that Heimdallr, the white watcher, will blow on the day of Ragnarok.
Many days and many nights did Odin travel, meeting man and giant alike. Challenging and
being challenged, he learned the location of the well and also of the great price of it’s waters, for
Mimir never asked less than the right eye of any who would drink. After many more days of
travel, he came to the edge of the well deep in Jotunheim.
“Hail, Mimir, drinker of the mead of wisdom,” Odin cried.
“Hail Odin, ruler of the Aesir. Welcome and come.”
“I would have a draught from the well.”
“And, great All-Father, will you pay the price?”
“I shall.”
And so Mimir took up the horn Gjallar and filled it with good water from the well and gave
the horn to Odin to drink. Odin, seeing the pain and loss before him, steeled his mind and body,
took the horn to his lips, and drank deeply. As the water entered him, his eyes opened and saw.
He saw the great and terrible sufferings that must befall both men and gods. Yet also, he saw
their reasons and causes and why they must be. He drank again and saw the ways that gods and
men might, in great noble courage, fight and defeat the evils that would surly arise, though at
great cost for he saw also his death and the death of the Aesir that lived in Asgard by his
side. How mighty Thor would succumb to the venom of the great serpent, and how Loki would
come against Heimdallr and each be the others slayer, he saw his own defeat at the jaws of
Fenrir, and many more deaths and failings that would come of Ragnarok.
After he saw these things, Odin put his hand to his face and plucked out his right eye. The
pain was great and searing, but he made no sound nor showed his great suffering. Mimir took
the eye and threw it into the well where it sunk deep but glistened like glass, a sign to any who
might pass of the price Odin All-Father paid for his wisdom.
And Odin returned to Asgard and sat upon his throne and considered the things he had seen.
 The Creation Of Thor’s Hammer

One day, Loki the trickster found himself in an especially mischievous mood and cut off the
gorgeous golden hair of Sif, the wife of Thor. When Thor learned of this, his quick temper was
enraged, and he seized Loki and threatened to break every bone in his body. Loki pleaded with
the thunder god to let him go down to Svartalfheim, the cavernous home of the dwarves, and
see if those master craftspeople could fashion a new head of hair for Sif, this one even more
beautiful than the original. Thor allowed this, and off Loki went to Svartalfheim.

There he was able to obtain what he desired. The sons of the dwarf Ivaldi forged not only a
new head of hair for Sif, but also two other marvels: Skidbladnir (“Assembled from Thin Pieces of
Wood”), the best of all ships, which always has a favorable wind and can be folded up and put
into one’s pocket, and Gungnir (“Swaying”), the deadliest of all spears.

Having accomplished his task, Loki was overcome by an urge to remain in the caves of the
dwarves and revel in more recklessness. He approached the brothers Brokkr and Sindri
(“Metalworker” and “Spark-sprayer,” respectively) and taunted them, saying that he was sure
the brothers could never forge three new creations equal to those the sons of Ivaldi had
fashioned. In fact, he even bet his head on their lack of ability. Brokkr and Sindri, however,
accepted the wager.

As they worked, a fly (who, of course, was none other than Loki in disguise) stung Sindri’s
hand. When the dwarf pulled his creation out of the fire, it was a living boar with golden hair.
This was Gullinbursti (“Golden-bristled”), who gave off light in the dark and could run better than
any horse, even through water or air.

Sindri then set another piece of gold on the fire as Brokkr worked the bellows. The fly bit
Brokkr on the neck, and Sindri drew out a magnificent ring, Draupnir (“Dripper”). From this ring,
every ninth night, fall eight new golden rings of equal weight.

Sindri then put iron on the hearth, and told Brokkr that, for this next working, they must be
especially meticulous, for a mistake would be more costly than with the previous two projects.
Loki immediately stung Brokkr’s eyelid, and the blood blocked the dwarf’s eye, preventing him
from properly seeing his work. Sindri produced a hammer of unsurpassed quality, which never
missed its mark and would boomerang back to its owner after being thrown, but it had one flaw:
the handle was short. Sindri lamented that this had almost ruined the piece, which was called
Mjollnir (“Lightning”). Nevertheless, sure of the great worth of their three treasures, Sindri and
Brokkr made their way to Asgard to claim the wages that were due to them.

Loki made it to the halls of the gods before the dwarves and presented the marvels he had
acquired. To Thor he gave Sif’s new hair and the hammer Mjollnir. To Odin went the ring
Draupnir and the spear Gungnir. And Freyr was the happy recipient of Skidbladnir and
Gullinbursti.

As grateful as the gods were to receive these gifts – especially Mjollnir, which they foresaw
would be of inestimable help in their battles against the giants – they nevertheless concluded
that Loki still owed the dwarves his head. When the dwarves approached Loki with knives, the
cunning god pointed out that he had promised them his head, but not his neck. Brokkr and Sindri
contented themselves with sewing Loki’s mouth shut, and returned to their forge.
 The Binding Of Fenrir

The Norse pseudo-god Loki, who is by turns the friend and the enemy of the other gods, had
three fearfully hideous and strong children with the giantess Angrboda (“She Who Bodes
Anguish”). The first was the serpent Jormungand, and the second was the death-goddess Hel.
The third was the wolf Fenrir.

The gods had terrible forebodings concerning the fate of these three beings. And they were
absolutely correct. Jormungand would later kill the god Thor during Ragnarok, the downfall of
the cosmos, an event which would be largely brought about by Hel’s refusal to release the
radiant god Baldur from the underworld. During these cataclysmic events, Fenrir would
devour Odin, the chief of the gods.

In order to keep these monsters at bay, they threw Jomungand into the ocean, where he
encircled Midgard, the world of humankind. Hel they relegated to the underworld. Fenrir,
however, inspired too much fear in them for them to let him out from under their watchful eyes,
so they reared the pup themselves in their stronghold, Asgard. Only Tyr, the indefatigable
upholder of law and honor, dared to approach Fenrir to feed him.

Fenrir grew at an alarming rate, however, and soon the gods decided that his stay in Asgard
had to be temporary. Knowing well how much devastation he would cause if he were allowed to
roam free, the gods attempted to bind him with various chains. They were able to gain the wolf’s
consent by telling him that these fetters were tests of his strength, and clapping and cheering
when, with each new chain they presented him, he broke free.

At last, the gods sent a messenger down to Svartalfheim, the realm of the dwarves. The
dwarves, being the most skilled craftspeople in the cosmos, were able to forge a chain whose
strength couldn’t be equaled; it was wrought from the sound of a cat’s footsteps, the beard of a
woman, the roots of mountains, the breath of a fish, and the spittle of a bird – in other words,
things which don’t exist, and against which it’s therefore futile to struggle. Gleipnir (“Open”) was
its name.

When the gods presented Fenrir with the curiously light and supple Gleipnir, the wolf
suspected trickery and refused to be bound with it unless one of the gods would lay his or her
hand in his jaws as a pledge of good faith. None of the gods agreed, knowing that this would
mean the loss of a hand and the breaking of an oath. At last, the brave Tyr, for the good of all life,
volunteered to fulfill the wolf’s demand. And, sure enough, when Fenrir discovered that he was
unable to escape from Gleipnir, he chomped off and swallowed Tyr’s hand.
 The Death Of Baldur

Baldur was one of the most beloved of all the gods. The son of Odin, the chief of the gods,
and the benevolent sorceress goddess Frigg, Baldur was a generous, joyful, and courageous
character who gladdened the hearts of all who spent time with him. When, therefore, he began
to have ominous dreams of some grave misfortune befalling him, the fearful gods appointed
Odin to discover their meaning.

Baldur’s father wasted no time in mounting his steed, Sleipnir, and riding to
the underworld to consult a dead seeress whom he knew to be especially wise in such matters.
When, in one of his countless disguises, he reached the cold and misty underworld, he found the
halls arrayed in splendor, as if some magnificent feast were about to occur. Odin woke the
seeress and questioned her concerning this festivity, and she responded that the guest of honor
was to be none other than Baldur. She merrily recounted how the god would meet his doom,
stopping only when she realized, from the desperate nature of Odin’s entreaties, who this
disguised wanderer truly was.

And, indeed, all that she prophesied would come to pass. Odin returned in sorrow to Asgard,
the gods’ celestial stronghold, and told his companions what he had been told. Frigg, yearning
for any chance of saving her treasured son, however remote, went to every entity in the cosmos,
living or nonliving, and obtained oaths to not harm Baldur.

After these oaths were secured, the gods made a sport out of the situation. They threw
sticks, rocks, and anything else on hand at Baldur, and everyone laughed as these things bounced
off and left the shining god unharmed.

The wily and disloyal Loki sensed an opportunity for mischief. In disguise, he went to Frigg and
asked her, “Did all things swear oaths to spare Baldur from harm?” “Oh, yes,” the goddess
replied, “everything except the mistletoe. But the mistletoe is so small and innocent a thing that I
felt it superfluous to ask it for an oath. What harm could it do to my son?” Immediately upon
hearing this, Loki departed, located the mistletoe, carved a spear out of it, and brought it to
where the gods were playing their new favorite game.

He approached the blind god Hodr (Old Norse Höðr, “Slayer”) and said, “You must feel quite
left out, having to sit back here away from the merriment, not being given a chance to show
Baldur the honor of proving his invincibility.” The blind god concurred. “Here,” said Loki, handing
him the shaft of mistletoe. “I will point your hand in the direction where Baldur stands, and you
throw this branch at him.” So Hod threw the mistletoe. It pierced the god straight through, and
he fell down dead on the spot.

The gods found themselves unable to speak as they trembled with anguish and fear. They
knew that this event was the first presage of Ragnarok, the downfall and death, not just of
themselves, but of the very cosmos they maintained.

At last, Frigg composed herself enough to ask if there were any among them who were
brave, loyal, and compassionate enough to journey to the land of the dead and offer Hel, the
death-goddess, a ransom for Baldur’s release. Hermod, an obscure son of Odin, offered to
undertake this mission. Odin instructed Sleipnir to bear Hermod to the underworld, and off he
went.

The gods arranged a lavish funeral for their fallen friend. They turned Baldur’s ship,
Hringhorni (“Ship with a Circle at the Stem”), into a pyre fitting for a great king. When the time
came to launch the ship out to sea, however, the gods found the ship stuck in the sand and
themselves unable to force it to budge. After many failed attempts they summoned the
brawniest being in the cosmos, a certain giantess named Hyrrokkin (“Withered by Fire”).
Hyrrokkin arrived in Asgard riding a wolf and using poisonous snakes for reins. She dismounted,
walked to the prow of the ship, and gave it such a mighty push that the land quaked as
Hringhorni was freed from the strand. As Baldur’s body was carried onto the ship, his wife,
Nanna, was overcome with such great grief that she died there on the spot, and was placed on
the pyre alongside her husband. The fire was kindled, and Thor hallowed the flames by holding
his hammer over them. Odin laid upon the pyre his ring Draupnir, and Baldur’s horse was led into
the flames.

All kinds of beings from throughout the Nine Worlds attended this ceremony: gods,
giants, elves, dwarves, valkyries, and others. Together they stood and mourned as they watched
the burning ship disappear over the ocean.

Meanwhile, Hermod rode nine nights through ever darker and deeper valleys on his quest
to rescue the part of Baldur that had been sent to Hel. When he came to the river Gjoll (Gjöll,
“Roaring”), Modgud (Old Norse Móðguðr, “Furious Battle”), the giantess who guards the bridge,
asked him his name and his purpose, adding that it was strange that his footfalls were as
thundering as those of an entire army, especially since his face still had the color of the living. He
answered to her satisfaction, and she allowed him to cross over into Hel’s realm. Sleipnir leapt
over the wall around that doleful land.

Upon entering and dismounting, Hermod spotted Hel’s throne and Baldur, pale and
downcast, sitting in the seat of honor next to her. Hermod spent the night there, and when
morning came, he pleaded with Hel to release his brother, telling her of the great sorrow that all
living things, and especially the gods, felt for his absence. Hel responded, “If this is so, then let
every thing in the cosmos weep for him, and I will send him back to you. But if any refuse, he will
remain in my presence.”

Hermod rode back to Asgard and told these tidings to the gods, who straightaway sent
messengers throughout the worlds to bear this news to all of their inhabitants. And, indeed,
everything did weep for Baldur – everything, that is, save for one giantess: Tokk (Þökk, “Thanks”),
who was none other than Loki in another disguise. Tokk coldly told the messengers, “Let Hel hold
what she has!”

And so Baldur was condemned to remain in Hel’s darkness, dampness, and cold. Never
again would he grace the lands of the living with his gladdening light and exuberance.
 Loki Bound

Loki had always been more of a burden than a help to the other gods and goddesses. But
after his contriving the death of Baldur and ensuring that that fair god would remain in
the underworld until the cosmos is destroyed during Ragnarok, he went about slandering the
gods at every opportunity. At last, the gods decided that his abuse had become too much, and
they went to capture him.

Loki ran far away from Asgard. At the peak of a high mountain, he built for himself a house
with four doors so that he could watch for his pursuers from all directions. By day he turned
himself into a salmon and hid beneath a nearby waterfall. By night he sat by his fire and weaved
a net for fishing for his food.

The far-seeing Odin perceived where Loki now dwelt, and the gods went after him. When
Loki saw his former friends approaching, he threw the net in the fire and hid himself in the
stream in his salmon form so as to leave no traces of himself or his activities. When the gods
arrived and saw the net smoldering in the fire, they surmised that the wily shapeshifter had
changed himself into the likeness of those he intended to catch for himself. The gods took up the
twine Loki had been using and crafted their own net, then made their way to the stream. Several
times they cast their net into the stream, and each time the salmon barely eluded them. At last,
the fish made a bold leap downstream to swim to the sea, and while in the air he was caught
by Thor. The salmon writhed in the war-god’s grasp, but Thor held him fast by his tail fins. This is
why, to this day, the salmon has a slender tail.

Loki was then taken, in his regular form, to a cave. The gods then brought in Loki’s two sons
and turned one into a wolf, who promptly killed his brother, strewing his entrails across the cave
floor. Loki was then fastened to three rocks in the cave with the entrails of his slain son, which
the gods had turned into iron chains. Skadi placed a poisonous snake on a rock above his head,
where it dripped venom onto his face. But Loki’s faithful wife, Sigyn, sat by his side with a bowl
that she held up to the snake’s mouth to catch the poison. But every so often, the bowl became
full, and Sigyn would have to leave her husband’s side to dispose of its contents, at which point
the drops that fell onto the unrepentant god’s face would cause him to shake violently, which
brought about earthquakes in Midgard, the world of humanity. And this was the lot of Loki and
Sigyn until, as fated, Loki will break free from his chains at Ragnarok to assist the giants in
destroying the cosmos.
 Ragnarok

Ragnarok is the cataclysmic destruction of the cosmos and everything in it – even the gods.
When Norse mythology is considered as a chronological set of tales, the story of Ragnarok
naturally comes at the very end. For the Vikings, the myth of Ragnarok was a prophecy of what
was to come at some unspecified and unknown time in the future, but it had profound
ramifications for how the Vikings understood the world in their own time.

The word “Ragnarok” comes from Old Norse Ragnarök, “Fate of the Gods.” In an apparent
play on words, some pieces of Old Norse literaturealso refer to it as Ragnarøkkr, “Twilight of the
Gods.” The event was also occasionally referred to as aldar rök, “fate of mankind,” and a host of
other names.

There will be some warning signs if Ragnarok “the end of the world” is coming. The first sign
is the murder of the God Baldr, the son of Odin and Frigg.

The second sign will be three uninterrupted long cold winters that will last for three years
with no summer in between. The name of these uninterrupted winters are called “Fimbulwinter”
during these three long years, the world will be plagued by wars, and brothers will kill brothers.
The third sign will be the two wolves in the sky swallowing the sun and the moon, and even
the stars will disappear and send the world into a great darkness.

Fimbulwinter

Someday – whenever the Norns, those inscrutable spinners of fate, decree it – there shall
come a Great Winter (Old Norse fimbulvetr, sometimes Anglicized as “Fimbulwinter”) unlike any
other the world has yet seen. The biting winds will blow snows from all directions, and the
warmth of the sun will fail, plunging the earth into unprecedented cold. This winter shall last for
the length of three normal winters, with no summers in between. Mankind will become so
desperate for food and other necessities of life that all laws and morals will fall away, leaving
only the bare struggle for survival. It will be an age of swords and axes; brother will slay brother,
father will slay son, and son will slay father.

A beautiful red rooster “Fjalar” which name means the “All knower”, will warn all the giants
that the beginning of Ragnarok has begun. At the same time in Hel, will a red rooster warn all the
dishonorable dead, that the war has begun. And also in Asgard, will a red rooster “Gullinkambi”
warn all the Gods.

The wolves Skoll and Hati, who have hunted the sun and the moon through the skies since
the beginning of time, will at last catch their prey. The stars, too, will disappear, leaving nothing
but a black void in the heavens. Yggdrasil, the great tree that holds the cosmos together, will
tremble, and all the trees and even the mountains will fall to the ground. The chain that has been
holding back the monstrous wolf Fenrir will snap, and the beast will run free. Jormungand, the
mighty serpent who dwells at the bottom of the ocean and encircles the land, will rise from the
depths, spilling the seas over all the earth as he makes landfall.
 These convulsions will shake the ship Naglfar (“Nail Ship”) free from its moorings. This ship,
which is made from the fingernails and toenails of dead men and women, will sail easily over the
flooded earth. Its crew will be an army of giants, the forces of chaos and destruction. And its
captain will be none other than Loki, the traitor to the gods, who will have broken free of the
chains in which the gods have bound him.

Fenrir, with fire blazing from his eyes and nostrils, will run across the earth, with his lower
jaw on the ground and his upper jaw against the top of the sky, devouring everything in his path.
Jormungand will spit his venom over all the world, poisoning land, water, and air alike.

The dome of the sky will be split, and from the crack shall emerge the fire-giants
from Muspelheim. Their leader shall be Surt, with a flaming sword brighter than the sun in his
hand. As they march across Bifrost, the rainbow bridge to Asgard, the home of the gods, the
bridge will break and fall behind them. An ominous horn blast will ring out; this will be Heimdall,
the divine sentry, blowing the Gjallarhorn to announce the arrival of the moment the gods have
feared. Odin will anxiously consult the head of Mimir, the wisest of all beings, for counsel.

The Gods, Baldr, and Hod will be returned from the dead, to fight one last time with their
brothers and sisters.

The gods will decide to go to battle, even though they know what the prophecies have
foretold concerning the outcome of this clash. They will arm themselves and meet their enemies
on a battlefield called Vigrid (Old Norse Vígríðr, “Plain Where Battle Surges”). Odin will be riding
on his horse Sleipnir with his eagle helmet equipped and his spear Gungnir in his hand, and lead
the enormous army of Asgard with all the Gods and brave einherjar to the battleground in the
fields of Vigrid.

Odin will fight Fenrir, and by his side will be the einherjar, the host of his chosen human
warriors whom he has kept in Valhalla for just this moment. Odin and the champions of men will
fight more valiantly than anyone has ever fought before. But it will not be enough. Fenrir will
swallow Odin and his men. Then one of Odin’s sons, Vidar, burning with rage, will charge the
beast to avenge his father. On one of his feet will be the shoe that has been crafted for this very
purpose; it has been made from all the scraps of leather that human shoemakers have ever
discarded, and with it Vidar will hold open the monster’s mouth. Then he will stab his sword
through the wolf’s throat, killing him.

“Thor and the Midgard Serpent” by Emil Doepler (1905)

Another wolf, Garm, and the god Tyr will slay each other. Heimdall and Loki will do the same,
putting a final end to the trickster’s treachery, but costing the gods one of their best in the
process. The god Freyr and the giant Surt will also be the end of each other. Thor and
Jormungand, those age-old foes, will both finally have their chance to kill the other. Thor will
succeed in felling the great snake with the blows of his hammer. But the serpent will have
covered him in so much venom that he will not be able to stand for much longer; he will take
nine paces before falling dead himself and adding his blood to the already-saturated soil of
Vigrid.

Then the remains of the world will sink into the sea, and there will be nothing left but the
void. Creation and all that has occurred since will be completely undone, as if it had never
happened.

A new world, green and beautiful, will arise out of the waters. Vidar and a few other gods
– Vali, Baldur, Hodr, and Thor’s sons Modi and Magni – will survive the downfall of the old world,
and will live joyously in the new one. A man and a woman, Lif and Lifthrasir (Old
Norse Líf and Lífþrasir, “Life” and “Striving after Life”), will have hidden themselves from the
cataclysm in a place called the “Wood of Hoddmimir” (Hoddmímis holt), and will now come out
and populate the lush land in which they will find themselves. A new sun, the daughter of the
previous one, will rise in the sky. And all of this will be presided over by a new, almighty ruler.