SHIPS OF RAGNAROK. - Ragnarok derived from old Norse (Ragnarokr) meaning "Fate of the Gods". Ragnarok has also been referred to as "Twilight of the Gods" or "the Last Day". Ragnarok will begin with terrible storms and winters unlike anything the worl

SHIPS OF RAGNAROK. - Ragnarok derived from old Norse (Ragnarokr) meaning "Fate of the Gods". Ragnarok has also been referred to as "Twilight of the Gods" or "the Last Day". Ragnarok will begin with terrible storms and winters unlike anything the world has ever seen. The sun will no longer warm the ground or air, the skies will be consumed by grey smoke. Summer will be no more for as long as three winters. The world will plunge into darkness and the stars will fall from the sky. This will be an "axe age", "sword age", "wolf age". Father will slay son, son will slay father, brother will slay brother, all honour lost. The wolves Skoll and Hati who've been relentlessly chasing the sun will finally catch their prey. Yggdrasil the great cosmic ash tree will shake to it's very roots. On Midgaard (the world of Humans) all trees will fall and the mountains will crumble. The chain restraining the monstrous grey wolf Fenrir Sulfr will break and the beast will run free consuming the heavens. Jormundgandr the Midgaard serpent will rise from the bottom of the sea causing terrible earthquakes and flooding as the sea consumes the lands. The entire world will shake from Jormungandr thrashing about thus freeing the Naglfar "Nail Ship" from its moorings. This ship made from the finger nails and toe nails of the dead will sail over all of Midgaard leaving death and destruction in it's wake. It's crew is an army of Jotunr (giants) and the captain is Loki (the god of mischief and personification of evil) commanding the forces of death and destruction. Fenrir Sulfr the monstrous grey wolf with wild fire blazing from his eyes, nostrils and mouth will burn across the earth consuming everything in his path from the ground to the sky. The bowels of the earth will open and all who are deemed unworthy will plummet to Nifilheim and into Hel's icy grasp of eternal death. Jormungandr will spew forth venomous acid all over Midgaard poisoning the air, land and sea. In Asgaard the sky will break and fall, from above Surtr will lead the fire giants from Muspelheim with a sword brighter than the sun into Asgaard. After they storm across Bifrost the rainbow bridge will collapse into utter ruin. A deafening and terrible sound will be heard by all, this will be the Gjallarhorn sounded by Heimdall (watcher of the gods and guardian of the rainbow bridge Bifrost) to announce the dreaded "Fate of the Gods". Odin himself will consult the head of Mimir, the wisest of all beings for counsel. The gods deciding to go into battle knowing full well the outcome, arm themselves and charge into battle wholeheartedly to fight their enemies on the Vigrid Plain. ("Vigridr" old Norse) This is where Ragnarok will be fought. Odin and his Einherjar (Odin's heroic dead) will fight Fenrir Sulfr, they will fight more fierce and bravely than ever before. Fenrir will consume Odin, Vidar who is a son of Odin will see his father destroyed and become filled with rage. On one of Vidar's feet is a shoe made of leather armour for the very purpose of destroying Fenrir. Vidar places his foot on the wolf's bottom jaw, holding Fenrir's mouth open with one hand and with the other plunges his sword deep into the wolf's throat. This causes the terrible beast to choke and drown on his own blood. Another wolf named Garm will battle with Tyr (the god of war) to the death. Heimdall and Loki will also slay each other. Surtr will destroy Asgaard but it will cost him his life when Freyjr and Surtr end each other. Thor and Jormungandr will fight each other for the last time. After smashing the great snake's skull in with Mjollnir, Thor will be drenched in Jormungandr's venomous acid. The god of thunder will take nine paces and then fall dead upon the blood soaked Vigrid plain. All that remains of the nine worlds of the Norsemen will sink into the void where Ginnunga-gap began. From this very same void a cosmic egg will form and then break spilling forth it's yolk of stars. From this a new world will begin and out from it's waters Vidar, Vali, Baldur, Hodr and even Thor's sons Modi and Magni will be the first gods to emerge. A Human man and woman named Lif and Lifthrasir ( "life" and "striving after life") also survived by hiding themselves away in a place called Wood of Hoddmimir. They will populate the lush lands of the new Midgaard. A new sun will rise and she is the daughter of the old sun. Death is also a rebirth even a great death, perhaps one by one may even the old gods be reborn. The above illustration SHIPS of RAGNAROK is inspired by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Each ship represents one of the Four Horsemen. From left to right; Conquest, War, Famine and Death (also known as Naglfar "NailShip".) In this painting these ships are seen flying over what is now New York City as they sail across Midgard the World of Humans. This is to portray the legend of Ragnarok in modern day terms. Given the events unfolding in present day it is possible the Human race is living in a world that may one day be obliterated. All gods, all beliefs will perish with it, nothing spared and yet to be reborn...

Mythology and Artwork

MUNINN HUGINN GINNUNGA-GAP

YGGDRASIL ODIN SLEIPNIR

THOR and JORMUNGANDR MJOLLNIR

VIDAR BALDER and HEIMDALL

NJORD FREYJR FREYJA

TYR FENRIR RAGNAROK

HEL ANGRBODA and LOKI

RAN EIR HULDA

VALKYRIE DISIR RUNES

 

About

Welcome to Muninn’s Eyes my name is Eric Nordkvist a.k.a. Muninn. I’m a Digital Multimedia Artist located in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.