Ragnarok - what is it and when will it come?

Ragnarok is one of the central themes of German-Scandinavian mythology. This legend is eschatological - it corresponds to the idea of the future end of the universe. Its analogies are in any mythology. Scandinavian Ragnarok against this background has many features. For example, in the Christian tradition, the world must perish because of the fall. The mythical Ragnarok says that the end of everything is predestined by fate.

The Background of the End of the World

The foretaste of the apocalypse was the death of Baldur, the god of light and spring. Once he began to suffer bad dreams. The father of the young god - Odin turned to the seer (velva) and asked to explain the meaning of the bad signs. The prophetess declared that Baldur would soon die. Moreover, the velva told that his own brother Hed would kill God.

Baldr's choice as a sacral sacrifice necessary for the beginning of the apocalypse is not accidental. This character - not only the god of spring, but also the sun, as well as life as such. His death is a symbol of the triumph of death and darkness. The myth of the resurrected and dying vegetation god is not only in the Scandinavian, but also in the Middle Eastern pagan mythology. In addition, the Greek Dionysus was exactly the same.

Death of Baldr

The death of the gods - that's how the word "Ragnarok" is translated. What it is? This is a catastrophe that overtook the world after the death of Baldur. One handed the response of the velva to the other gods of Asgard. Baldr's mother Frigg took an oath from all things and all living beings that they would not harm her son. Intercession worked. The God of spring and light became invulnerable. Relatives began to entertain, throwing stones at him, cutting with his swords, etc. Baldr really was all for nothing.

But how under such circumstances did Ragnarok happen? What it is? The catastrophe was the result of betrayal. Loki's God inquired from Frigga that she did not take an oath to not harm Baldur from the mistletoe. This plant seemed to her too harmless. Loki took the escape and persuaded Heda to throw the plant into his brother. He was blind and did not understand the deception. Head threw a mistletoe at Baldra, and the victim collapsed dead on the ground.

On the eve of the disaster

According to the famous saga of the "Younger Edda", the death of Baldur was the greatest misfortune for the gods and people. So the tragedy happened, which led to Ragnarok. "What is this?" - Asgard residents were asked this question. They did not understand what was the cause of the seemingly impossible death of Baldur. The Aes plunged into great sorrow, after which a terrible winter came. Baldr Nunn's wife died of grief - her heart exploded. The couple were entrusted to the funeral rook and buried according to Scandinavian custom.

Brother Baldur - Hermod - went to the underworld to ask his mistress Hel to release the ace. The mistress of the underworld agreed to do this on the condition that the deceased god will mourn all the living and dead on earth. Baldr could not be revived because of the giant Tekk. She is the only one in all the world refused to mourn the god of spring. Because of her, Ragnarok approached me even more. What it is? The callousness of the giantess? No, in fact, under her guise, the same Loki was hiding.

Misfortune never comes alone

After the death of Baldur, Finbulvetre came - a three-year horrible winter. According to the prophecy, at its end the giant wolf Fenrir will open his jaws and swallow the sun. Then the world will be stirred up by earthquakes and floods. But the mass madness of people and gods will be more terrible than natural cataclysms. They will abandon the usual rules and unleash a total war of all against all. Rodich will go to relatives, and each other.

Because of the world cataclysm, the world will be filled with all kinds of chthonic monsters. In addition to the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jormungand will appear. From the underworld sails the ship Naglfar, built from the nails of the dead. Ragnarok will bring many other ills. The description of this apocalypse is known through sagas. They also say that Loki (previously imprisoned by the gods for his treacherous murder of Baldur) will be freed from his prison. There will be an army of giants under the leadership of Surt. Under these giants, Bivrest, the rainbow bridge that connects Asgard with the rest of the worlds, will fail.

Death of gods

In order to survive Ragnarok, the gods will assemble the squad and go to the Brannoe Field, where the last decisive battle will take place. Each aza will get his opponent. One will face the Fenrir wolf, the sea serpent of Jormungand will fight against the Thor, etc. The main antagonist Loki will compete with the guardian of the world tree Heimdall.

The Aces will fail. Fenrir will swallow Odin. Loki and Heimdall die both, and not having determined the strongest. Odin's son Vidar will avenge his father and will tear down Fenrir's mouth. At the end of the battle, the whole world will burn in the fire erupted by Surt. That's when Ragnarok will come. What does this event mean? The answer is obvious: the end of the world. In it, the gods, people and all life will die.

After the apocalypse

A familiar world, created from the body of the ancient friar giant Ymir, will disappear. Only the world tree will remain , which will continue to unite and permeate the universe. A new world will arise from his escape. After this, some of those who were killed by Ragnarok will return to life. The mythology of the Scandinavian and Germanic pagans in this plot beats the motive of regeneration, the cyclical nature of the universe and the revival of life.

From the abode of the dead, Hed and Baldur, the sons of Thor Magni and Modi, as well as the sons of Odin Vali and Vidar, will return. In the sagas they are also called "younger gods". Besides them, Ragnarok will survive a man and a woman. From them will come the future human race. At the same time, the new history will be the history of not the gods, but the people.

Ragnarok in European culture

The story of Ragnarok is composed in the song "Divination of the Velva". According to various estimates, it appeared around the 10th century. In the era of European Romanticism, this work began to enjoy unprecedented popularity. The story of Ragnarok was stated in his work by the famous composer

New time Richard Wagner. In his tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung, the gods are engulfed in a mad thirst for gold, because of which the world is plunged into a sizzling flame. The composer's operas turned out to be a real milestone in art. Thanks to Wagner, the expression "Twilight of the Gods" became a phraseology and a synonym for vicious revelry on the eve of the disaster.

Another medieval source of information about Ragnarok is "Staraya Edda". Her mythological songs are tragic, but at the same time in their end they give up hope for the best. The legend of Ragnarok is a story that the triumph of chaos is short-lived and short-lived. To replace death comes a new life, an updated world and people. Ragnarok is also a metaphor for the changing seasons. The death of the gods leads to the death of nature and winter, and their return to life occurs together with the onset of another spring.