Ragnarök
Ragnarök (‘judgement of the powers’) is the demise of the gods and cosmos at the end of the present mythological phase. Though it involves the end of the gods, Ragnarök occurs in 2 parts, the second of which is rebirth. Like most apocalypses, Ragnarök is a complex sequence of events, with several iterations across diverse sources; what follows here is Snorri’s version from Gylfaginning, 51-53. Events begin with the Fimbulvetr (‘extreme winter’), which will be 6 consecutive winters, the first 3 of which will witness terrible battles motivated by greed and enmity: ‘the sun will be of no use’.
Next, ‘the wolf will swallow the sun… then the other wolf will catch the moon’. In Norse cosmology, the sun, Sol, and moon, her sister Máni, are chased across the sky by the wolf Fenrir’s offspring, Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson. The stars shall disappear from the sky, and a great earthquake will break all the bonds of those in captivity – including Loki and Fenrir. The sea will surge onto the land, and Loki’s other monstrous son, the Midgard Serpent, will advance across the land alongside Fenrir. From the south will advance Surtr, a giant with a flaming sword.
The giant is accompanied by the other inhabitants of Muspelheim, and Surtr’s fiery sword will melt the Bifrost Bridge, and all the Æsir’s enemies will assemble at the plain called Vigrid (‘battle-plain’) for the final battle of Ragnarök. Yggdrasil shall shake, ‘and nothing, whether in heaven or on earth, is without fear’. Tyr fights the wolf, Garm, guardian of Helheim, and both die. Thor kills the Midgard serpent, but takes 9 steps and dies himself. Odin and the einherjar fight Fenrir, but Fenrir will swallow Odin. Fenrir is killed by Vidar. Loki and Heimdall will fight and kill one another.
After this, Surtr ‘will throw fire over the earth and burn the whole world’. However, this is the beginning of a new age. ‘The earth will shoot up from the sea, and it will be green and beautiful.’ The gods that survive will be Vidar, Vali, Modi and Magni, armed with Mjölnir, and Baldr and Hödd will escape from Helheim; all live happily together. Completing the rebirth are Lif (‘life’) and Leifthrasir (‘life-yearner’): ‘[at] Hoddmimir’s Wood, two people will have hidden themselves from Surtr’s fire… from these will come so many descendents that the whole world will be inhabited’.