Ragnarok: The Long Winter

In this article we shall see a brief summary about Ragnarok: The Long Winter from Norse Mythology.

Midgard was the land of the first pair of humans, Ask and Enla, craeted byt the gods. Mankind was able to survive with the help from gods who provided protection and shielded mankind. Thor, the Treminator of giants prevents the land being taken over by other beings. Under the protection of Gods, mankind thrived and always rememebered them with their rituals and sacrifices.

These men were used to deal with the winter and were always preparing themselves to survive against a long and icy winter. Mankind knew that the reign of the Gods would not be eternal as the Gods have to face the forces of evil during the events of Ragnarok.

In Midgard, the land of men, the summer was ending as they were nearing a great harvest ahead. Suddenly a great cold wind blew and an unexpected Frost devastated a huge share of the crops. Autumn came in quickly than expected, a sign that a harsh winter is approaching. Even with the failed crops, Men tried to repair themselves as much as they could but could not be ready to face the impending nightmare of a winter.

The Long winter finally arrived. It was three winters long without any summer inbetween. Men tried to survive in the freezing cold but the nights appeared longer. The men started fearing that the sun will never rise again. After their food and livestock became scarce, they started fighting between themselves for resources.

Chaos ensued and the Gods from Asgard were watching the signs that pointed to the ultimate fight between them and forces of chaos. These cataclysmic events would be known as Ragnarok, the twilights of the Gods.

The Beginning of Ragnarok

After the three virtually never-ending winters, chaos ahd settled into the realm of men. Very few had managed to escape alive from the bloody chaos and anarchy that followed. The prophesized conditions for the beginning of Ragnarok had been established.

Two wolves that claimed to be the offsprings of Fenrir, managed to cross the skies to go after the Sun and Moon. The wolves chased the two celestial bodies, who managed to escape  the Wolves for a long time, and  finally reached their prey and swallowed them. The world fell into a darkness without the sun or moon. The end was near.

Yggdrasill, the tree of the world made a great crack and major earthquakes occurred and the mountains collapsed. The rock on which the mighty Fenrir, the colossal wolf, was bound had been shattered. Fenrir was finally free and now sought revenge.

Yurman Gan, the great serpent of the world caused massive waves which leveled a few remaining coastal cities. The great serpent released his poison thus contaminating the waters. All, from the smallest living creatures to the largest whales, perished intoxicated by its venom.

Loki, who had been imprisoned and tortured for a very long time, found his bindings unbound. Now free, Loki, like his son Fenrir, had only one desire, destruction of the Asgardian gods. He walked down to Helheim,  the kingdom were the souls of those who had an unworthy death ended up. The queen of the Dead handed to her father the command of an army of the undead. 

Níðhöggr, the dragon that gnaws at the roots of the Tree of the world, Yggdrasill, dug a great tunnel thus enabling the armies of the dead to march to the land of men. The giants of the flaming lands were led by searcher the black, the colossal giant who burnt everything in his path with his flaming sword.

The ice giants of Jotunheimr set sail on giant ships made with human nails and sailed towards Vígríðr, the place chosen as the battleground between the gods and the evil. Heimdall, the watchman of the gods,  finally blew the Gjallarhorn. This sound was heard throughout the universe. This was the warning everyone dreaded the end of an era of the gods was near.