The Ragnarok

The Vikings were known for their culture of pillaging and destruction through their various conquering journeys in different lands, starting with their rise to power from the first Viking pillage in 793 AD. They were ruthless warriors out for blood that took properties by force, traveled the world through their advanced sailing ships that time, in search of more places they could reach and get their hands on to ransack. These warriors are fearless on the battlefields, but they are also brave when it comes to their religion. 

Unbeknownst to many, the Vikings had a religion. At first, they did not have any term for their beliefs, but when Christianity came to its existence, they have called their Viking religion “Forn Sidr” or “The Old Way” since it is older than the newly established Christianity during that time. Some historians now call the Vikings’ religion as the Old Norse Religion. Through their reign and travels, they have developed many beliefs applied in their daily lives. 

Historians discovered only a handful of written text and information of the Scandinavian people through ballads, sagas, and poems before Christian missionaries to spread Christianity to the Vikings around A. D 800. Archeologists had also unearthed supporting information that helped modern-day people to understand the Vikings’ beliefs before they got converted to Christianity.

They have numerous gods like their mighty, all-father Odin, a one-eyed god who exchanged one of his eyes to know runes. Another is Thor, a thunder-god who possesses the mighty hammer that never misses its target, Mjölnir. There are several gods that the Vikings would give their offerings and sacrifices to win their battles. There are accounts in which the Vikings thought and believed that their gods watched them and have made sacrifices to prevent their death from being an embarrassing and untimely demise.

Understanding the Viking Beliefs

Even though historians have unearthed accounts of sacrificial actions from the Viking to their gods, Norse mythology states that the gods that Vikings worship are not immortal and are fated to die in an all-out catastrophe that will end them and the world. 

Contrary to modern religions and beliefs, Viking gods have the power to decide the fate of a human as they control events that could harm humans if they wanted. An example of this is the mighty Valkyries, who are known to be the “Choosers of the Slain” who select the fallen Viking warriors they bring to the Valhalla. The Valkyries have the power to use the loom and thread events that could favor or destroy the lives of their chosen warriors.

The Valhalla is the “Hall of the Battle Slain” that is the Vikings’ considered place of heaven, where they get to see other mighty warriors, and where they can feast every day and have never-ending food and drink supply. These chosen warriors will then wait for the Ragnarok to come and become the end of everything where they will fight by Odin’s side. 

The End of the Gods and the World

The Ragnarök, which means “the fate of the gods,” is the catastrophic destruction of everything that includes all the Viking gods. It is a Viking prophecy of the entire universe ending that will come to an unknown time in the future. Even the gods are afraid of this day coming as Odin has rounded up fallen Viking soldiers through the Valkyries to fight alongside him in the Ragnarok. According to Norsemythology.org, these are accounts of events that will occur at the time of the Ragnarok.

The end of everything will start with a great winter that will last for years. This reason will push humanity to become desperate for food and other crucial resources for their survival in this harsh and long winter season. 

The wolves, Skoll and Hati, who have hunted the sun and moon since the beginning of time, will catch it, and the sky will turn black with the stars starting to disappear. The tree of life, Yggdrasil that holds all of the universes, will fall to the ground. The gods’  captured creatures from Fenrir, the monstrous and mighty wolf, the serpent, Jormungand, and the traitor to the gods, Loki will all be freed from the chains then bring destruction to the world. 

The world will be in chaos. Asgard, home of the gods, will fall, leaving Odin, the Valkyries, and the chosen Viking warriors, or “einherjar,” will have no choice but to fight the monster who are destroying the cosmos but will not be enough and will result to the demise of Odin and the warriors. The gods, Tyr, Freyr, Vidar, and Thor, will fight all the escaped destroyers, but in the process, they will also end themselves. What will be left of the earth will sink into the oceans. This event will only leave the void—a blank presence where the world once existed.

Some accounts state that some of the gods will survive, including human man and woman, Lif and Lifthrasir with their names bearing “Life” and “Striving after Life.” This time will symbolize the new world’s birth with a new almighty ruler governing it. 

Vikings’ Understanding of Ragnarok

As there are two vital versions to the Ragnarok, why are there conflicting endings to the end’s prophecy conclusion? Some historians argued that the older version of the Norse mythology truly believed that the Ragnarok is the final event and will not experience a rebirth. The Vikings thought that all they know and even their gods would end someday, but they did not take it as a tragedy but took it as an inspiration to face this prophecy of the end of time just as the gods will meet theirs.

Some theories discuss the reasons why there is another version that includes a rebirth after the Ragnarok.  This version of the world’s revival after Ragnarok got influenced by Christianity mixed with Norse mythology when the Viking people converted to the religion. 

Louie is the father behind the travel blog Browseeverywhere.com. He has a background in photography, E-commerce, and writing product reviews online at ConsumerReviews24. Traveling full time with his family was his ultimate past-time. If he’s not typing at his laptop, you can probably find him watching movies.