Ragnarok: The Final Battle of Gods and Giants

The signs had been foretold. First would come the death of Baldr, the beautiful god. Then the Fimbulwinter — three successive winters without a summer between them, when snow would blow from all directions and the sun would offer no warmth. Wars and chaos would engulf the earth as brother turned against brother, and morality would collapse.

When these things came to pass, the sky would split apart and the wolf Sköll would finally catch and devour the sun. His brother Hati would seize the moon. The stars would vanish from the heavens. The earth would shudder and mountains would crumble. Fenrir, the monstrous wolf chained since the beginning of time, would burst free from his bonds, his gaping mouth stretching from the earth to the sky, his jaws wider than any distance between heaven and earth.

The sea would rear up as Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, thrashed his way onto the land in a rage. Every ship would be splintered, and the waves would crash over the world. The serpent would spit venom across the sky and sea. Naglfar, a ship made from the untrimmed nails of the dead, would break free and sail on the flood, crewed by giants and captained by Hrym. From the east, the fire giant Surtr would advance with a flaming sword brighter than the sun.

Heimdall would blow the Gjallarhorn — a sound that would echo through all nine worlds. Odin would ride to Mímir's Well for one last consultation with the ancient wisdom-keeper. Yggdrasil, the World Tree, would shudder. Odin would lead the gods and the einherjar (chosen warriors from Valhalla) into battle with his spear Gungnir. Thor would advance to face Jörmungandr for their final duel. Freyr would fight Surtr without his sword — having given it away for love long ago — and would fall.

Thor would kill the Midgard Serpent with a mighty blow of Mjölnir, then stagger back nine steps and collapse dead from the serpent's venom. Odin would charge Fenrir, and the wolf would swallow him whole — Odin's son Víðarr would place one foot on the wolf's lower jaw and seize the upper jaw, tearing Fenrir's mouth apart and avenging his father. Loki and Heimdall would meet in combat and kill each other. Surtr would cast fire over the earth and burn the entire world.

The sun would turn black, the earth would sink into the sea, and the stars would fall. All life would perish. But this would not be the end. From the waters, a new earth would rise — green and fair, more beautiful than the old. The surviving gods — Odin's sons Víðarr and Váli, Thor's sons Móði and Magni — would gather at Idavoll where Asgard once stood. Baldr and Hödr would return from Hel, reconciled at last. Two humans — Líf and Lífthrasir — would survive by hiding in the wood Hoddmímis holt, and from them, a new race of humankind would arise. The gods would find the golden chess pieces they had played with in the old world, and a new age of peace would begin.