Editing Ragnarök (section)

==Presence in literature==
===''Poetic Edda''===
The ''Poetic Edda'' contains various references to {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}:

===={{lang|non|Völuspá}}====
[[File:Then the awful fight began by George Wright.jpg|thumb|upright|''Then the Awful Fight Began'' (by [[George Hand Wright|George Wright]], 1908)]]
[[File:Odin und Fenriswolf Freyr und Surt.jpg|thumb|''Odin and Fenrir, [[Freyr]] and [[Surtr|Surt]]'' (by [[Emil Doepler]], 1905)]]
[[File:Thor und die Midgardsschlange.jpg|thumb|''Thor and the Midgard Serpent'' (by Emil Doepler, 1905)]]
[[File:Kampf der untergehenden Götter by F. W. Heine.jpg|thumb|''Battle of the Doomed Gods'' (by [[Friedrich Wilhelm Heine]], 1882)]]
[[File:The twilight of the gods by Willy Pogany.png|thumb|right|''The twilight of the gods'' (by [[Willy Pogany]], 1920)]]
In the ''Poetic Edda'' poem {{lang|non|[[Völuspá]]}}, references to {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} begin from stanza 40 until 58, with the rest of the poem describing the aftermath. In the poem, a {{lang|non|[[völva]]}} (a female seer) recites information to [[Odin]]. In stanza 41, the {{lang|non|völva}} says:
{{verse translation|lang=non
|Fylliz fiǫrvi &nbsp; feigra manna,
rýðr ragna siǫt &nbsp; rauðom dreyra.
Svǫrt verða sólskin &nbsp; of sumor eptir,
veðr ǫll válynd. &nbsp; Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?
|It sates itself on the life-blood &nbsp; of fated men,
paints red the powers' homes &nbsp; with crimson gore.
Black become the sun's beams &nbsp; in the summers that follow,
weathers all treacherous. &nbsp; Do you still seek to know? And what?|attr1=Normalized Old Norse{{sfn|Dronke|1997|p=18}}|attr2=Ursula Dronke translation{{sfn|Dronke|1997|p=18}}}}

The {{lang|non|völva}} then describes three [[rooster]]s crowing: In stanza 42, the {{lang|non|[[jötunn]]}} [[herder|herdsman]] [[Eggthér]] sits on a [[tumulus|mound]] and cheerfully plays his [[harp]] while the crimson rooster Fjalar ([[Old Norse]] "hider, deceiver"{{sfn|Orchard|1997|p=43}}) crows in the forest [[Gálgviðr]]. The golden rooster [[Gullinkambi]] crows to the [[Æsir]] in [[Valhalla]], and the third, unnamed soot-red rooster crows in the halls of the underworld location of [[Hel (realm)|Hel]] in stanza 43.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=9}}

After these stanzas, the {{lang|non|völva}} 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 {{lang|non|völva}} describes the state of humanity:
{{verse translation|lang=non
|Brœðr muno beriaz &nbsp; ok at bǫnom verða[z]
muno systrungar &nbsp; sifiom spilla.
Hart er í heimi, &nbsp; hórdómr mikill
—skeggǫld, skálmǫld &nbsp; —skildir ro klofnir—
vindǫld, vargǫld— &nbsp; áðr verǫld steypiz.
Mun engi maðr &nbsp; ǫðrom þyrma.
|Brothers will fight &nbsp; and kill each other,
sisters' children &nbsp; will defile kinship.
It is harsh in the world, &nbsp; whoredom rife
—an axe age, a sword age &nbsp; —shields are riven—
a wind age, a wolf age— &nbsp; before the world goes headlong.
No man will have &nbsp; mercy on another.|attr1=Normalized Old Norse{{sfn|Dronke|1997|p=19}}|attr2=Ursula Dronke translation{{sfn|Dronke|1997|p=19}}}}

The "sons of [[Mímir|Mím]]" are described as being "at play," though this reference is not further explained in surviving sources.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=265}} Heimdall raises the [[Gjallarhorn]] into the air and blows deeply into it, and Odin converses with Mím's head. The world tree [[Yggdrasil]] shudders and groans. The {{lang|non|jötunn}} [[Hrym]] comes from the east, his shield before him. The [[Midgard]] serpent [[Jörmungandr]] furiously writhes, causing waves to crash. "The [[Hræsvelgr|eagle]] shrieks, pale-beaked he tears the corpse," and the ship [[Naglfar]] breaks free thanks to the waves made by Jörmungandr and sets sail from the east. The fire {{lang|non|[[Jötunn|jötnar]]}} inhabitants of [[Muspelheim]] come forth.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=10}}

The {{lang|non|völva}} continues that [[Jötunheimr]], the land of the {{lang|non|jötnar}}, is aroar, and that the Æsir are in council. The [[Dwarf (mythology)|dwarfs]] groan by their stone doors.{{sfn|Dronke|1997|p=19}} [[Surtr]] advances from the south, his sword brighter than the sun. Rocky cliffs open and the {{lang|non|jötnar}} women sink.{{sfn|Bellows|2004|p=22}}

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]]).{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=266}} Odin's son [[Víðarr]] avenges his father by rending Fenrir's jaws apart and stabbing it in the heart with his spear, thus killing the wolf. The serpent [[Jörmungandr]] 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.{{sfn|Bellows|2004|p=23}}

The {{lang|non|völva}} sees the earth reappearing from the water and an eagle over a waterfall hunting fish on a mountain. The surviving Æsir meet together at the field of [[Iðavöllr]]. They discuss Jörmungandr, 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 [[Höðr]] and [[Baldr]] return from Hel and live happily together.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=12}}

The {{lang|non|völva}} 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 [[Gimlé]], where nobility will live and spend their lives pleasurably.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=12}} Stanzas 65, found in the {{lang|non|[[Hauksbók]]}} 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 {{lang|non|regindómr}}),{{sfn|Simek|2007|p=262}} which has been interpreted as a [[Christianity|Christian]] addition to the poem.{{sfn|Lindow|2001|p=257}} In stanza 66, the {{lang|non|völva}} ends her account with a description of the dragon [[Níðhöggr]], corpses in his jaws, flying through the air. The {{lang|non|völva}} then "sinks down."{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=13}} It is unclear if stanza 66 indicates that the {{lang|non|völva}} is referring to the present time or if this is an element of the post-{{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} world.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=3}}

===={{lang|non|Vafþrúðnismál}}====
[[File:Vidar by Collingwood.jpg|thumb|right|An illustration of Víðarr stabbing Fenrir while holding his jaws apart (by [[W. G. Collingwood]], inspired by the [[Gosforth Cross]], 1908)]]
[[File:Fenrir and Odin by Frølich.jpg|thumb|''Fenrir and Odin'' (by [[Lorenz Frølich]], 1895)]]

The [[Vanir]] god [[Njörðr]] is mentioned in relation to {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} in stanza 39 of the poem ''[[Vafþrúðnismál]]''. In the poem, Odin, disguised as [[List of names of Odin|Gagnráðr]], faces off with the wise {{lang|non|jötunn}} [[Vafþrúðnir]] in a battle of wits. Vafþrúðnismál references Njörðr's status as a hostage during the earlier [[Æsir–Vanir War]], and that he will "come back home among the wise Vanir" at "the doom of men."{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=46}}

In stanza 44, Odin poses the question to Vafþrúðnir as to who of mankind will survive the "famous" {{lang|non|[[Fimbulwinter]]}} ("Mighty Winter"{{sfn|Lindow|2001|p=115}}). Vafþrúðnir responds in stanza 45 that those survivors will be [[Líf and Lífþrasir]] and that they will hide in the forest of {{lang|non|[[Hoddmímis 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. Vafþrúðnir responds that [[Sól (Sun)|Sól]] will bear a daughter before Fenrir assails her and that after {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} this daughter will continue her mother's path.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=47}}

In stanza 51, Vafþrúðnir states that, after Surtr's flames have been sated, Odin's sons [[Víðarr]] and [[Váli]] will live in the temples of the gods, and that Thor's sons [[Móði and Magni]] will possess the hammer Mjolnir. In stanza 52, the disguised Odin asks the {{lang|non|jötunn}} about his fate. Vafþrúðnir responds that "the wolf" will consume Odin, and that Víðarr will avenge him by sundering its cold jaws in battle. Odin ends the duel with one final question: what did Odin say to [[Baldr|his son]] before preparing his funeral pyre? With this, Vafþrúðnir 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.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|pages=48–49}} Odin's message has been interpreted as a promise of resurrection to Baldr after {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=269}}

===={{lang|non|Helgakviða Hundingsbana II}}====
{{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} is briefly referenced in stanza 40 of the poem {{lang|non|[[Helgakviða Hundingsbana II]]}}. Here, the [[valkyrie]] [[Sigrún]]'s unnamed maid is passing the deceased hero [[Helgi Hundingsbane]]'s [[Tumulus|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 {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} has occurred. In stanza 41, Helgi responds that it is neither.{{sfn|Larrington|1999|p=139}}

===''Prose Edda''===
Snorri Sturluson's ''Prose Edda'' quotes heavily from {{lang|non|Völuspá}} and elaborates extensively in prose on the information there, though some of this information conflicts with that provided in {{lang|non|Völuspá}}.

====''Gylfaginning'' chapters 26 and 34====
[[File:Beginn des Weltunterganges.jpg|thumb|upright|Loki breaks free at the onset of {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} (by Ernst H. Walther, 1897)]]

In the ''Prose Edda'' book ''[[Gylfaginning]]'', various references are made to {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}. {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} is first mentioned in chapter 26, where the throned figure of [[High, Just-As-High, and Third|High]], king of the hall, tells [[Gylfi|Gangleri]] (King [[Gylfi]] in disguise) some basic information about the goddess [[Iðunn]], including that her apples will keep the gods young until {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}.{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=36}}

In chapter 34, High describes the binding of the wolf Fenrir by the gods, causing the god [[Týr]] to lose his right hand, and that Fenrir remains there until {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}. 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."{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=42}}

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 (son of Loki)|Narfi]] (which are turned into iron) in three places. There, [[snake venom|venom]] drops onto his face periodically from a snake placed by the {{lang|non|jötunn}} [[Skaði]]. 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 [[earthquake]]s. Loki is further described as being bound this way until the onset of {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}.{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=70}}

===={{lang|non|Gylfaginning}} chapter 51====
[[File:Ragnarök by Doepler.jpg|thumb|A scene from the last phase of {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}, after Surtr has engulfed the world with fire (by Emil Doepler, 1905)]]

Chapter 51 provides a detailed account of {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} interspersed with various quotes from {{lang|non|Völuspá}}, while chapters 52 and 53 describe the aftermath of these events. In Chapter 51, High states that the first sign of {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} will be {{lang|non|[[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 {{lang|non|Völuspá}}. Next, High describes that [[Sköll|the wolf]] will swallow the sun, then [[Hati Hróðvitnisson|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.{{sfn|Byock|2005|pages=71–72}}

High relates that the great serpent [[Jörmungandr]], 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 [[Nail (anatomy)|human nails]] of the dead, is released from its [[Mooring (watercraft)|mooring]] and sets sail on the surging sea, steered by a {{lang|non|jötunn}} 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, Jörmungandr sprays venom throughout the air and the sea.{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=72}}

During all of this, the sky splits into two. From the split, the "sons of [[Muspelheim|Muspell]]" ride forth. [[Surtr]] rides first, surrounded by flames, his sword brighter than the sun. High says that "Muspell's sons" will ride across [[Bifröst]], described in {{lang|non|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 [[Vígríðr]], described as an expanse that reaches "a hundred leagues in each direction," where Fenrir, Jörmungandr, Loki (followed by "Hel's own"), and Hrym (accompanied by all frost {{lang|non|jötnar}}) 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 [[Mímisbrunnr]] in search of counsel from Mímir. Yggdrasil shakes, and everything, everywhere fears.{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=72}}

High relates that the Æsir and the [[Einherjar]] dress for war and head to the field. Odin, wearing a gold helmet and an intricate [[Mail (armour)|coat of mail]], carries his spear [[Gungnir]] and rides before them. Odin advances against Fenrir, while Thor moves at his side, though Thor is unable to assist Odin because he has engaged Jörmungandr in combat. According to High, [[Freyr]] fights fiercely with Surtr, but falls because he lacks the sword he once gave to his messenger, [[Skírnir]]. The hound [[Garmr]] (described here as the "worst of monsters") breaks free from his bonds in front of [[Gnipahellir]], and fights the god Týr, resulting in both of their deaths.{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=73}}

Thor kills Jörmungandr but is poisoned by the serpent, and manages to walk only nine steps before falling to the earth dead. Fenrir swallows Odin, though immediately afterwards his son [[Víðarr]] kicks his foot into Fenrir's lower jaw, grips the upper jaw, and rips apart Fenrir's mouth, killing the great wolf. Loki fights Heimdallr and the two kill each other. Surtr covers the earth in fire, causing the entire world to burn. High quotes stanzas 46 to 47 of {{lang|non|Völuspá}}, and additionally stanza 18 of {{lang|non|[[Vafþrúðnismál]]}} (the latter relating information about the battlefield Vígríðr).{{sfn|Byock|2005|pages=73–75}}

====''Gylfaginning'' chapters 52 and 53====
At the beginning of chapter 52, Gangleri asks "what will be after heaven and earth and the whole world are burned? All the gods will be dead, together with the Einherjar and the whole of mankind. Didn't you say earlier that each person will live in some world throughout all ages?"{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=76}}

The figure of Third, seated on the highest throne in the hall, responds that there will be many good places to live, but also many bad ones. Third states that the best place to be is [[Gimlé]] in the heavens, where a place exists called [[Okolnir]] that houses a hall called [[Brimir]]—where one can find plenty to drink. Third describes a hall made of [[Colored gold#Rose, red, and pink gold|red gold]] located in [[Niðafjöll]] called [[Sindri (mythology)|Sindri]], where "good and virtuous men will live."{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=76}} Third further relates an unnamed hall in [[Náströnd]], the beaches of the dead, that he describes as a large repugnant hall facing north that is built from the spines of snakes, and resembles "a house with walls woven from branches"; the heads of the snakes face the inside of the house and spew so much venom that rivers of it flow throughout the hall, in which oath breakers and murderers must wade. Third here quotes {{lang|non|Völuspá}} stanzas 38 to 39, with the insertion of original prose stating that the worst place of all to be is in [[Hvergelmir]], followed by a quote from {{lang|non|Völuspá}} to highlight that the dragon Níðhöggr harasses the corpses of the dead there.{{sfn|Byock|2005|pages=76–77}}

Chapter 53 begins with Gangleri asking if any of the gods will survive and if there will be anything left of the earth or the sky. High responds that the earth will appear once more from the sea, beautiful and green, where self-sown crops grow. The field Iðavöllr exists where Asgard once was, and, there, untouched by Surtr's flames, Víðarr and [[Váli]] reside. Now possessing their father's hammer [[Mjölnir]], Thor's sons [[Móði and Magni]] will meet them there, and, coming from [[Hel (location)|Hel]], Baldr and Höðr also arrive. Together, they all sit and recount memories, later finding the gold game pieces the Æsir once owned. {{lang|non|Völuspá}} stanza 51 is then quoted.{{sfn|Byock|2005|p=77}}

High reveals that two humans, [[Líf and Lífþrasir]], will have also survived the destruction by hiding in the wood [[Hoddmímis holt]]. These two survivors consume the morning dew for sustenance, and from their descendants, the world will be repopulated. {{lang|non|[[Vafþrúðnismál]]}} stanza 45 is then quoted. The personified sun, Sól, will have a daughter at least as beautiful as she, and this daughter will follow the same path as her mother. {{lang|non|Vafþrúðnismál}} stanza 47 is quoted, and so ends the foretelling of {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}} in {{lang|non|Gylfaginning}}.{{sfn|Byock|2005|pages=77–78}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:After Ragnarök by Doepler.jpg|The new world that rises after {{Lang|non|Ragnarök}}, as described in ''[[Völuspá]]'' (depiction by [[Emil Doepler]], 1905)
File:Líf and Lífthrasir by Lorenz Frølich.jpg|A depiction of Líf and Lífthrasir (by [[Lorenz Frølich]], 1895)
</gallery>