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Ragnarök is the Norse myth of the gods' last battle, when the old world is destroyed and a renewed world rises after it.

Völuspá, Poetic Edda

HistoryReligion & Belief

The story behind the card

The story survives mainly in two Icelandic books of the 13th century. The Poetic Edda collects older anonymous poems, above all Völuspá, 'The Seeress's Prophecy'; the Prose Edda is a guide to the myths written around 1220 by the poet and chieftain Snorri Sturluson. In the final battle the wolf Fenrir swallows Odin, Thor kills the world serpent Jörmungandr but dies of its venom, and Loki and the watchman god Heimdall kill each other. Yet the story goes on: Odin's son Vídar avenges him, a green earth rises from the sea, and two humans, Líf and Lífthrasir, who sheltered in a wood, begin humankind again.

Türkçe oku
Ragnarök, İskandinav mitolojisinde tanrıların son savaşıdır: Eski dünya yıkılır, ardından yepyeni bir dünya doğar.
Völuspá, Manzum Edda

Hikâye büyük ölçüde 13. yüzyıldan kalma iki İzlanda kitabı sayesinde bilinir. Manzum Edda, yazarı bilinmeyen daha eski şiirleri bir araya getirir; bunların başında “Kâhin Kadının Kehaneti” anlamına gelen Völuspá gelir. Nesir Edda ise şair ve İzlandalı reis Snorri Sturluson'un 1220 dolayında yazdığı bir mitoloji kılavuzudur. Son savaşta kurt Fenrir Odin'i yutar; Thor dünya yılanı Jörmungandr'ı öldürür, ama onun zehriyle kendisi de ölür; Loki ile tanrıların bekçisi Heimdall de birbirini öldürür. Yine de hikâye burada bitmez: Odin'in oğlu Vídar babasının öcünü alır, denizden yemyeşil bir dünya yükselir ve bir koruda saklanarak kurtulan iki insan, Líf ile Lífthrasir, insan soyunu yeniden başlatır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Ragnarök
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