God Of War Ragnarok Pc Pc
Ania Cozzolino
The Old Norse compound word ragnarok has a long history of interpretation. Its first element is clear: ragna, the genitive plural of regin (n. pl.) 'the ruling powers, gods.' The second element is more problematic, as it occurs in two variants, -rk and -rkkr. Writing in the early 20th century, philologist Geir Zoga treats the two forms as two separate compounds, glossing ragnark as 'the doom or destruction of the gods' and ragnarkkr as 'the twilight of the gods.'[6] The plural noun rk has several meanings, including 'development', 'origin', 'cause', 'relation', 'fate.'[7] The word ragnark as a whole is then usually interpreted as the 'final destiny of the gods.'[8]
It sates itself on the life-blood of fated men,
paints red the powers' homes with crimson gore.
Black become the sun's beams in the summers that follow,
weathers all treacherous. Do you still seek to know? And what?
The vlva then describes three roosters crowing: In stanza 42, the jtunn herdsman Eggthr sits on a mound and cheerfully plays his harp while the crimson rooster Fjalar (Old Norse "hider, deceiver"[12]) crows in the forest Glgvir. The golden rooster Gullinkambi crows to the sir in Valhalla, and the third, unnamed soot-red rooster crows in the halls of the underworld location of Hel in stanza 43.[13]
After these stanzas, the vlva further relates that the hound Garmr produces deep howls in front of the cave of Gnipahellir. Garmr's bindings break and he runs free. The vlva describes the state of humanity:
The "sons of Mm" are described as being "at play," though this reference is not further explained in surviving sources.[15] Heimdall raises the Gjallarhorn into the air and blows deeply into it, and Odin converses with Mm's head. The world tree Yggdrasil shudders and groans. The jtunn Hrym comes from the east, his shield before him. The Midgard serpent Jrmungandr furiously writhes, causing waves to crash. "The eagle shrieks, pale-beaked he tears the corpse," and the ship Naglfar breaks free thanks to the waves made by Jormungandr and sets sail from the east. The fire jtnar inhabitants of Muspelheim come forth.[16]
The vlva continues that Jtunheimr, the land of the jtnar, is aroar, and that the sir are in council. The dwarfs groan by their stone doors.[14] Surtr advances from the south, his sword brighter than the sun. Rocky cliffs open and the jtnar women sink.[17]
The gods then do battle with the invaders: Odin is swallowed whole and alive fighting the wolf Fenrir, causing his wife Frigg her second great sorrow (the first being the death of her son, the god Baldr).[18] Odin's son Varr avenges his father by rending Fenrir's jaws apart and stabbing it in the heart with his spear, thus killing the wolf. The serpent Jrmungandr opens its gaping maw, yawning widely in the air, and is met in combat by Thor. Thor, also a son of Odin and described here as protector of the earth, furiously fights the serpent, defeating it, but Thor is only able to take nine steps afterwards before collapsing dead from the Serpent's venom. The god Freyr fights Surtr and loses. After this, people flee their homes, and the sun becomes black while the earth sinks into the sea, the stars vanish, steam rises, and flames touch the heavens.[19]
The vlva sees the earth reappearing from the water and an eagle over a waterfall hunting fish on a mountain. The surviving sir meet together at the field of Iavllr. They discuss Jrmungandr, great events of the past, and the runic alphabet. In stanza 61, in the grass, they find the golden game pieces that the gods are described as having once happily enjoyed playing games with long ago (attested earlier in the same poem). The reemerged fields grow without needing to be sown. The gods Hr and Baldr return from Hel and live happily together.[20]
The vlva says that the god Hœnir chooses wooden slips for divination and that the sons of two brothers will widely inhabit the windy world. She sees a hall thatched with gold in Giml, where nobility will live and spend their lives pleasurably.[20] Stanzas 65, found in the Hauksbk version of the poem, refers to a "powerful, mighty one" that "rules over everything" and who will arrive from above at the court of the gods (Old Norse regindmr),[21] which has been interpreted as a Christian addition to the poem.[22] In stanza 66, the vlva ends her account with a description of the dragon Nhggr, corpses in his jaws, flying through the air. The vlva then "sinks down."[23] It is unclear if stanza 66 indicates that the vlva is referring to the present time or if this is an element of the post-Ragnark world.[24]
In stanza 44, Odin poses the question to Vafrnir as to who of mankind will survive the "famous" Fimbulwinter ("Mighty Winter"[26]). Vafrnir responds in stanza 45 that those survivors will be Lf and Lfrasir and that they will hide in the forest of Hoddmmis holt, that they will consume the morning dew, and will produce generations of offspring. In stanza 46, Odin asks what sun will come into the sky after Fenrir has consumed the sun that exists. Vafrnir responds that Sl will bear a daughter before Fenrir assails her and that after Ragnark this daughter will continue her mother's path.[27]
In stanza 51, Vafrnir states that, after Surtr's flames have been sated, Odin's sons Varr and Vli will live in the temples of the gods, and that Thor's sons Mi and Magni will possess the hammer Mjolnir. In stanza 52, the disguised Odin asks the jtunn about his fate. Vafrnir responds that "the wolf" will consume Odin, and that Varr will avenge him by sundering its cold jaws in battle. Odin ends the duel with one final question: what did Odin say to his son before preparing his funeral pyre? With this, Vafrnir realizes that he is dealing with none other than Odin, whom he refers to as "the wisest of beings," adding that Odin alone could know this.[28] Odin's message has been interpreted as a promise of resurrection to Baldr after Ragnark.[29]
Ragnark is briefly referenced in stanza 40 of the poem Helgakvia Hundingsbana II. Here, the valkyrie Sigrn's unnamed maid is passing the deceased hero Helgi Hundingsbane's burial mound. Helgi is there with a retinue of men, surprising the maid. The maid asks if she is witnessing a delusion since she sees dead men riding, or if Ragnark has occurred. In stanza 41, Helgi responds that it is neither.[30]
Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda quotes heavily from Vlusp and elaborates extensively in prose on the information there, though some of this information conflicts with that provided in Vlusp.
In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, various references are made to Ragnark. Ragnark is first mentioned in chapter 26, where the throned figure of High, king of the hall, tells Gangleri (King Gylfi in disguise) some basic information about the goddess Iunn, including that her apples will keep the gods young until Ragnark.[31]
In chapter 34, High describes the binding of the wolf Fenrir by the gods, causing the god Tr to lose his right hand, and that Fenrir remains there until Ragnark. Gangleri asks High why, since the gods could only expect destruction from Fenrir, they did not simply kill Fenrir once he was bound. High responds that "the gods hold their sacred places and sanctuaries in such respect that they chose not to defile them with the wolf's blood, even though the prophecies foretold that he would be the death of Odin."[32]
As a consequence of his role in the death of the god Baldr, Loki (described as father of Fenrir) is bound on top of three stones with the internal organs of his son Narfi (which are turned into iron) in three places. There, venom drops onto his face periodically from a snake placed by the jtunn Skai. Loki's wife Sigyn collects the venom into a bucket, but whenever she leaves to empty it, the drops reach Loki's face, and the pain he experiences causes convulsions, resulting in earthquakes. Loki is further described as being bound this way until the onset of Ragnark.[33]
Chapter 51 provides a detailed account of Ragnark interspersed with various quotes from Vlusp, while chapters 52 and 53 describe the aftermath of these events. In Chapter 51, High states that the first sign of Ragnark will be Fimbulwinter, during which time three winters will arrive without a summer, and the sun will be useless. High details that, before these winters, three earlier winters will have occurred, marked with great battles throughout the world. During this time, greed will cause brothers to kill brothers, and fathers and sons will suffer from the collapse of kinship bonds. High then quotes stanza 45 of Vlusp. Next, High describes that the wolf will swallow the sun, then his brother will swallow the moon, and mankind will consider the occurrence as a great disaster resulting in much ruin. The stars will disappear. The earth and mountains will shake so violently that the trees will come loose from the soil, the mountains will topple, and all restraints will break, causing Fenrir to break free from his bonds.[34]
High relates that the great serpent Jrmungandr, also described as a child of Loki in the same source, will breach land as the sea violently swells onto it. The ship Naglfar, described in the Prose Edda as being made from the human nails of the dead, is released from its mooring and sets sail on the surging sea, steered by a jtunn named Hrym. At the same time, Fenrir, eyes and nostrils spraying flames, charges forward with his mouth wide open, his upper jaw reaching to the heavens, and his lower jaw touching the earth. At Fenrir's side, Jrmungandr sprays venom throughout the air and the sea.[35]
During all of this, the sky splits into two. From the split, the "sons of Muspell" ride forth. Surtr rides first, surrounded by flames, his sword brighter than the sun. High says that "Muspell's sons" will ride across Bifrst, described in Gylfaginning as a rainbow bridge, and that the bridge will then break. The sons of Muspell (and their shining battle troop) advance to the field of Vgrr, described as an expanse that reaches "a hundred leagues in each direction," where Fenrir, Jrmungandr, Loki (followed by "Hel's own"), and Hrym (accompanied by all frost jtnar) join them. While this occurs, Heimdallr stands and blows the Gjallarhorn with all his might. The gods awaken at the sound, and they meet. Odin rides to Mmisbrunnr in search of counsel from Mmir. Yggdrasil shakes, and everything, everywhere fears.[35]
d3342ee215