Ragnarök

Olaf Odinsson

New Member
The Norse mythology is one of the few mythologies I know of having a legend about the death of the gods. "Ragnarök" (translated as the "final destiny of the gods" or the "doom of the gods") is a series of future events mentioned in the Poetic Edda. These events include: a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major godly figures (such as Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdall, and Loki), the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the submersion of the world in water.

So, basically, this is the end of the world according to the Norse people...? The world isn't destroyed by gods, but rather gods die along with the world...
Ragnorok is the end to a beginning. It is a show of the cycles of things. Odin continues to let us know that we need to seek wisdom, a godly virtue that is so sought after that he takes great risks in acquiring more whether it is hanging on a tree or sacrificing an eye or risking his life to steal it from giants. The reason is that we live in a training ground called Midgard. Here we have a slowed down world where you can accomplish many things, even magickal things if you are willing to work hard to accomplish them. In a realm such as where the gods live, things are much more direct and immediate. A god can create something with a word or a thought. If we, being not yet as wise as gods, and lacking their self-control were in the same type of realm that they are in, we would quickly fill the world with so many material things that would soon leave no room for the people here to live. Everytime you thought about a car you'd like to have it would appear, some type of food you want, it would appear, of all the things you think of in a single day would grow out of room and out of control.

The reason I bring this up is that this training ground is where we learn lessons of all kinds and come back life after life until we too reach the level of the gods. However, even once you reach godhood, there are still levels to attain. Just like Thor has his servitors and Frigga has her handmaidens, we too will experience and learn many things as we climb the rungs of Godhood. And in the poetic edda it says that after Ragnorok, the younger gods will take over led by Balder. It also says that Odin and Frigga are basically in a somewhat retired state where they drink wine all their days. And as we know that death is "but a stepping through a curtain" and so we will all be back again and as they say, when we die we reside in Hel until Hulda decides where we need to be next and we are cast to our new life. And as Hodr "killed" Balder, Balder lived in Hel until his next life was determined and now he sits on Odin's throne...According to the Norse, there is no endings, only an endless cycle filled with events...
 

Myrddin

Well-Known Member
Ragnorok is the end to a beginning. It is a show of the cycles of things. Odin continues to let us know that we need to seek wisdom, a godly virtue that is so sought after that he takes great risks in acquiring more whether it is hanging on a tree or sacrificing an eye or risking his life to steal it from giants. The reason is that we live in a training ground called Midgard. Here we have a slowed down world where you can accomplish many things, even magickal things if you are willing to work hard to accomplish them. In a realm such as where the gods live, things are much more direct and immediate. A god can create something with a word or a thought. If we, being not yet as wise as gods, and lacking their self-control were in the same type of realm that they are in, we would quickly fill the world with so many material things that would soon leave no room for the people here to live. Everytime you thought about a car you'd like to have it would appear, some type of food you want, it would appear, of all the things you think of in a single day would grow out of room and out of control.

The reason I bring this up is that this training ground is where we learn lessons of all kinds and come back life after life until we too reach the level of the gods. However, even once you reach godhood, there are still levels to attain. Just like Thor has his servitors and Frigga has her handmaidens, we too will experience and learn many things as we climb the rungs of Godhood. And in the poetic edda it says that after Ragnorok, the younger gods will take over led by Balder. It also says that Odin and Frigga are basically in a somewhat retired state where they drink wine all their days. And as we know that death is "but a stepping through a curtain" and so we will all be back again and as they say, when we die we reside in Hel until Hulda decides where we need to be next and we are cast to our new life. And as Hodr "killed" Balder, Balder lived in Hel until his next life was determined and now he sits on Odin's throne...According to the Norse, there is no endings, only an endless cycle filled with events...
Interesting assessment. I like it.

E. M.
 
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