<< Ragnarok

 Myths of old have the fantastic quality of describing the world to us as seen by our predecessors. It’s a fool’s errand to look into sacred texts of old and think of them as the mere fantasies of uncivilized people.

Ragnarok, the Norse narrative of the world's end, is no different. The dramatic struggle of the Æsir is filled with symbols and metaphors of the human nature; and speaks volumes of the cyclical tendencies of our species and our constant repetition of history.

The scene is set by placing opposites and equals on the battlefield at the end of the world. As Sutr sets fire to the world, the armies of the dead face the all father, his army of the living and his fellow gods. 

Fenrir, the wolf; exacts his revenge and swallows Odin himself, as vengeance triumphs over intellect; as anger itself destroys the mind in a world that continues to descend into chaos. 

Thor, hero of the gods, champion of the struggle against the giants; takes down Jormungandr, but its victory is short lived as the beast’s poison takes him to the grave as well.

Everything changes violently in a moment as heaven and earth are rearranged in the fight of the gods. We’ve been dutifully warned however this fight is as good as lost.

And yet, once all it's said and done, we see a new world that rises again from the ashes. 

A world not to be ruled not by the Æsir but by their descendants. In the end the gods themselves allow this final destiny to be fulfilled and  embrace it with complete certainty that this too would come to pass.

Complete libraries can be distilled with the knowledge of these stories; and yet, what’s most and contrasting with our world today is the recognition of the temporary. In our day and age we’re so busy with eternal life that we fail to accept that everything is meant to come to an end. 

Our end however (and here’s where  the beauty of this tale comes from)  is meant to be the start of a new era. The death of the gods and the world itself in flames does not mean that all has come to an end; quite the opposite, it signals that we have reached a new beginning. 

In the past are the feasts of the gods, their cups of mead and the halls of the all father. But his memory lives on; for his kin will continue to roam the land, as a new breed of warriors fills the world anew.

return 0;