1. Ragnarök is a legend of Norse mythology about the Vikings, people who inhabited Scandinavia in the Middle Ages (present-day territories of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland). Present in the Eddas (collection of poems from the 13th and 15th centuries, in medieval Icelandic), it is a narrative common to ancient Germanic-speaking peoples. The word «Ragnarök» means «destiny of the gods» (unlike what is popularized on the internet, it is not exactly «twilight of the gods»).
– (Estevan Silveira/)
two. Some prophecies announce the proximity of the end: The Fimbulvertr arrives, a long winter of three years. The direwolves Skoll and Hati devour the Sun and Moon, leaving the world in darkness. Garm, the guard dog of Hel, goddess of the dead, frees himself from his chains to take part in the battle.
– (Estevan Silveira/)
3. A battle takes place in Asgard, the territory of the gods. On one side is good, led by Odin, the king of the pantheon and warlord. On the other, evil, represented by Loki, a braggart giant who lives among the deities. Balder, son of Odin and Frigga, loved and admired for being beautiful, intelligent and fair, is killed with an arrow through the heart in a trap set by Loki, who is arrested.
– (Estevan Silveira/)
4. Loki escapes from prison and leads an army of monsters against Odin’s troops. The demonic wolf Fenrir tears the sky with its fangs and the serpent Jormungand, from Midgard (the Earth where humans live), comes out of the sea, causing tidal waves and spitting poison over the world.
– (Estevan Silveira/)
5. The herald of the gods, Heimdall, blows his trumpet to announce the arrival of the giants. Odin is killed by Fenrir. Vidar, god of revenge, who is on the side of good, annihilates the wolf. Jormungand fights Thor, the god of thunder, son of Odin and Jörd. Famous for his super powerful hammer, the hero kills the serpent, but ends up dying of poison.
– (Estevan Silveira/)
6. Loki and Heimdall duel with swords. The two never liked each other – Heimdall, guardian of Asgard, hated Loki’s coming and going, always ready to set traps. He kills Loki first, but succumbs to his wounds and dies as well. The fire giant Surt ignites the sky with his flaming sword. The stars fall and the world goes dark, burning in flames.
– (Estevan Silveira/)
7. Almost all gods and humans die in the confrontation and the nine worlds of Norse mythology are destroyed. But from the ashes, slowly, another world emerges: the waters calm down and the trees grow back. The surviving gods gather to deliberate on this new reality.
– (Estevan Silveira/)
8. The righteous god Balder and the blind god Hoder return from the underworld. Balder becomes the new King of the Gods, replacing his father killed in battle. Lif and Lifthrasir, a couple who were hidden in the Yggdrasil tree of life, are the only humans who survive. A daughter of the goddess Sol becomes the new source of light.
– (Estevan Silveira/)