Ragnarok – The Twilight of the Gods in Norse Mythology

This episode of Echoes of Eternity explores Ragnarok, the Norse prophecy of the world’s end and rebirth. Foretold by seers, Ragnarok begins with the Fimbulwinter, a three-year-long winter, followed by the breaking of cosmic bonds. Loki escapes captivity, his monstrous children—Fenrir the wolf and Jormungandr the Midgard Serpent—join the giants and the dead to wage war on the gods.

The final battle at Vigrid sees Odin devoured by Fenrir, Thor killing Jormungandr but dying from its venom, and Surtr the fire giant burning the Nine Worlds. Yet from the destruction, the earth rises anew, green and fertile. Two humans, Lif and Lifthrasir, survive to repopulate the world, and some gods, like Baldr, return.

Ragnarok is both tragic and hopeful, teaching themes of fate, courage in the face of inevitable loss, and the cycle of destruction and renewal. It reflects the Norse acceptance of mortality and belief that endings are also beginnings.