Who survives Ragnarok?

kiffer

I'm not sure if I should post this here or in the Mythology forum (No disrespect meant if it should be).

I know that two humans survive by hiding in the world tree, and some of the gods survive the battle (4?) ...
but I also remember reading something about other humans surviving, presumably not the ones in Valhalla as I guess they have to fight, aiding Odin, and I'm guessing they all get killed again...

Are there other mead halls, I'm sure I remember something about another mead hall?
I can't find anything about this and I remember something talking about other mead halls but I can only see stuff about Valhalla and Sessrúmnir at the moment... maybe it's just too late at night for me.

Tabnabs

The only humans to survive Ragnarok are Lif and Lifthrasir, by hiding (sleeping?) in Hodmimir's Forest.

As for the gods, Vili (or Hoenir as he was often known by) and many of the younger gods who took part in the war had survived. Vidar and Vali, the two sons of Odin, had survived Ragnarok, as did the two sons of Thor, Modi and Magni, who would wield Mjollnir, their father's mighty hammer. None of the goddesses were mentioned in various accounts of Ragnarok, but there is assumption that Frigg, Freyja and the other goddesses had survived. Balder, the dead god of beauty, and his blind brother, Hod, will be reborn in the New Age.

There are two accounts of Ragnarok;

Volupsa (The Seeress' Prophecy) and Snorri's account in The Prose Edda.

kiffer

Dyflin wrote: »

The only humans to survive Ragnarok are Lif and Lifthrasir, by hiding (sleeping?) in Hodmimir's Forest.

As for the gods, Vili (or Hoenir as he was often known by) and many of the younger gods who took part in the war had survived. Vidar and Vali, the two sons of Odin, had survived Ragnarok, as did the two sons of Thor, Modi and Magni, who would wield Mjollnir, their father's mighty hammer. None of the goddesses were mentioned in various accounts of Ragnarok, but there is assumption that Frigg, Freyja and the other goddesses had survived. Balder, the dead god of beauty, and his blind brother, Hod, will be reborn in the New Age.

There are two accounts of Ragnarok;

Volupsa (The Seeress' Prophecy) and Snorri's account in The Prose Edda.

Thank you. That's pretty much what I had already, although my book says that Lif and Lifthrasir hide under the bark of Yggdrassil...

I just have this niggling feeling that I'm forgetting something that I read

Tabnabs

Which book have you got (and who's the author?)

kiffer

Dyflin wrote: »

Which book have you got (and who's the author?)

Just some random legends books, plus some light random online searching.
Nothing major... though if you could suggest some interesting reading I'd be grateful.

Tabnabs

Really there are only two places to start, the two Eddas; The Prose Edda (written by the Icelandic christian monk Snorri Sturluson) and the older Poetic Edda.

Both are sometimes available from the bigger book shops in Dublin (or can be ordered in by them), but the fastest way to get them is through Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sturluson-Edda-Everyman-Anthony-Faulkes/dp/0460876163/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229504436&sr=8-5
or
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prose-Edda-Tales-Mythology-Literature/dp/0486451518/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229504436&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetic-Edda-Saemundar/dp/0292764995/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229504497&sr=8-4
or
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199538387/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229504497&sr=8-11

And for a general re-telling of the above;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Book-Norse-Myths-Vikings/dp/0140258698/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229504436&sr=8-9

Of course, they are available online in various sections too (although not normally in complete format)

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/index.htm

Phototoxin

Ragnarock = end of the world in norse mythology where a snake eats the world after a harsh winter ?

If its a prophecy isn't it kind of defeatist ?
Is it more of a why than a when ?
Or are the people taking part in it hoping to get to vahallah?

Also could it already have happened and the 2 people been something like adam and eve?

kiffer

Phototoxin wrote: »

Ragnarock = end of the world in norse mythology where a snake eats the world after a harsh winter ?

Well yes and no.
The "giant snake" is a Massive Sea Serpent, Jörmungandr who poisons Thor before getting killed by him (Thor then dies from the poison) and generally wrecks up the place, poisoning the water and air, and so on... The world is destroyed in, and as a result of the massive battle of Gods vs. Giants... not just eaten by a snake after the harsh winter (Fimbulwinter, 3 years with heavy snows and no summers at all...).
Saying a big snake eats the world is doing it about as much justice as saying some trumpets and some angels smash up the world in Revelations...

If its a prophecy isn't it kind of defeatist ?

The world is reborn afterward, fertile and bountiful, Humans repopulate and some of the gods survive too, creating a new lineage of gods with out the war with the giants...

Is it more of a why than a when ?

Eh?

Or are the people taking part in it hoping to get to vahallah?

No... Valhalla is Odin's Meadhall, half the warriors that die in combat (or die an honorable death?) go there to prepare for the battle... (in which they will all die again?)...
The other half go to Fólkvangr... where Freya's hall is... I don't know what role they play later... I imagine they play a part in the fight but I don't know what... (a more defensive role than Odin's Lads maybe?)


After Ragnarok I'm guessing that the people that fight and die again in the battle move on to the afterlife that non-warriors get... either Helgafjell, the "holy mountain" or Hel (your basic sitting around afterlife, not sharp things in the eyes hell)
I Presume only Midgard is destroyed in the mess up and the dead in Hel are still there after the whole mess?

Also could it already have happened and the 2 people been something like adam and eve?

Then it wouldn't be a prediction... but I'm sure people have examined this idea before.
Fimbulwinter was, for example, possibly inspired by the drastic climate change that messed up the Bronze age Norse about 650BCE. wikipedia!

Disclaimer: I've not read much on the topic and so anything I've said here is basic assumption at the moment... I really must pick up a copy of the Prose Edda.

Svenolsen

Dyflin wrote: »

Odin.......Thor......... Freyja .

Three will survive in MEMORY:

Odin....or Woden...........Wednesday.
Thor...........................Thursday
Freyja..........................Friday.

We mention those old Viking Gods on a daily basis.

.

Svenolsen

Correcting myself.

Four will survive. I just checked up the origin of "Tuesday":

English = Tuesday comes from "Tiwazdaeg" (Tiwaz was the rune dedicated to Tyr, the scandinavian god of war )

.

Tabnabs

How do you know Friday isn't Frigga's day?