Olympus are immortal. To this day supposedly, Zeus and Hera are still up there ruling over the affairs of men, and they will always be up there; there is not an end. The Germans, however, believed differently about their gods. Although their gods are extremely long-lived, they are not immortal, one day they shall die like anyone else. On a day they called Ragnarok, the gods of Asgard will engage their eternal foes, the Jotun, in one final battle. On this day, the gods and the Jotun will ensure their mutual destruction, killing each other in bloody combat. On this day, the mighty wolf Fenrir will swallow the god Odin whole, ending his reign. Odin’s son, Vidar, will then revenge his father and tear the beast’s jaw apart and stab him in the heart. The tyrannous Midgard serpent will poison the Thor before dying by his hand, rending the thunder god dead nine steps later. In similar fashion, all the friends and enemies of humanity will meet their end, culminating in a great flood of the universe. Ragnarok, as a whole, best represents the underlying difference between Greek and Norse mythology. The Greeks believed their gods were eternal, relatively peaceful beings, while the Norse viewed their gods as bloodthirsty, mortal
Olympus are immortal. To this day supposedly, Zeus and Hera are still up there ruling over the affairs of men, and they will always be up there; there is not an end. The Germans, however, believed differently about their gods. Although their gods are extremely long-lived, they are not immortal, one day they shall die like anyone else. On a day they called Ragnarok, the gods of Asgard will engage their eternal foes, the Jotun, in one final battle. On this day, the gods and the Jotun will ensure their mutual destruction, killing each other in bloody combat. On this day, the mighty wolf Fenrir will swallow the god Odin whole, ending his reign. Odin’s son, Vidar, will then revenge his father and tear the beast’s jaw apart and stab him in the heart. The tyrannous Midgard serpent will poison the Thor before dying by his hand, rending the thunder god dead nine steps later. In similar fashion, all the friends and enemies of humanity will meet their end, culminating in a great flood of the universe. Ragnarok, as a whole, best represents the underlying difference between Greek and Norse mythology. The Greeks believed their gods were eternal, relatively peaceful beings, while the Norse viewed their gods as bloodthirsty, mortal