Transcription
In the beginning of everything, there was a huge void known as Ginnungagap. Between the fire realm of Muspelheim and Niflheim, the icy land of Mists, the freezing mists of Niflheim began to fill the Ginnungagap void and formed a great block of ice.
As the temperature in Muspelheim began to rise, the heat from the fire started to melt the great ice stone. From within the ice emerged Ymir, a primitive deity who had hibernated within the ice. After the thawing, Ymir continued to sleep, but the heat of Muspelheim caused the colossal creature to sweat. From the sweat emerged the first living creatures.
It was not only Ymir that emerged after the melting of the ice. A great cow named Audhumla also emerged. From her teats flowed four rivers that fed Ymir. The cow fed herself by licking a block of salty ice, and as the ice was consumed, a new creature emerged. This being was Buri, the progenitor of the Gods.
While Ymir slept, he continued to generate life, giving rise to the Jotun. Buri united with a giant to give birth to Bor. Bor joined with the giant Bestla to give birth to Odin, Vili, and Vé. Odin and his brothers lived frustrated and bored in the emptiness of Ginnungagap, as there was no sky, land, sea, or forests yet. The brothers decided that something had to be done. Only the death of Ymir could start the world we know today.
Odin, Vili, and Vé attacked and killed the giant Ymir. From her blood, the oceans were born. From Ymir's flesh grew dry land, and her great bones were piled up, giving rise to the mountain ranges. In Ymir's flesh were small larvae; from them emerged the dwarves, who were to live beneath the earth, and the noble elves, who were to reside in Alfheim.
After shaping Midgard, the gods thought that this could not be an uninhabited realm. Seeing two logs at the edge of the ocean, they decided that they would use that material to create mankind. A man known as Ask and a woman named Embla were shaped. Odin gave them life, Vili gave them intelligence, and Vé carved their eyes, ears, and mouths. With these, the men would be able to hear, see, and speak. All humans are descended from this first couple. Because he gave life to the first couple, Odin is known as the Father of All.
Finally, the brothers created the kingdom of Asgard, the home of the Gods. This realm was separate from the others, connected only by the Bifrost bridge. This was the beginning of the reign of the Gods over the world.
After creating the world on the body of the giant Ymir, who had been killed by the Æsir gods, Odin went on to reign over the world, atop his throne in Asgard. Even though he was a wise god, he was aware that he did not know everything, so he set out on an adventure in search of knowledge. He disguised himself as a wanderer and walked through Jotunheim, the land of giants and enemies of the Gods.
In this realm lived Mimir, a very ancient deity and uncle of Odin. He lived near the Well of Knowledge. The waters of this well were responsible for feeding Yggdrasil, the Tree of Worlds. Mimir, using the drinking horn, drank sacred water, and his knowledge of the world increased.
Odin went to his uncle's well and asked him to drink the water of knowledge. "Mimir, I'm your nephew and Lord of the Gods, but how can I be worthy of my title without true wisdom?"
"Being my kinsman or Lord of the Gods does not give you the right to drink from my well. The price is much higher than you can imagine."
"Tell me the price. I'm willing to pay it."
"The price is your eye. I want you to pluck it out and throw it into the well. Only then will you be able to drink the water from the Well of Knowledge."
Odin knew that Mimir did not tell jokes. He would have to pay a high price if he were to attain true wisdom. The great God did not flinch and gouged out his own eye. His cry of pain was so loud that it echoed throughout the universe. Odin deposited his eye in the waters of the well, and this sacrifice satisfied Mimir. He offered him a horn with the water from his well and asked the god to drink the entire contents at once.
After drinking the entire contents of the container, the Father of All was filled with knowledge. A large scar filled the void where his eye had previously been, which at times emitted a brightly glowing flame. Odin came to be known as the One-Eyed Man, or the One with the Flaming Eye. Odin began to see the world much more clearly. With only one eye, he could see better than when he had two.
Odin, the one-eyed god, reigned on his throne in Asgard, the realm of the Æsir gods. His court had other deities, which further increased the prestige of Odin's kingdom. But another kingdom was also extremely prestigious among men: Vanaheim, the land of the Vanir gods. These competed with the Asgardians for the worship of mortals. Both kingdoms existed but always with tension between them.
The gods of Asgard descended from Vili, Vé, and Odin, who in the early days defeated the giant Ymir. The origin of the Vanir was unknown. Besides Odin, Thor, and Loki were the most prominent deities in Asgard. In Vanaheim, the highlights were Frey, Freya, and Njord. The Asgardians were deities connected with power and war, while the Vanir were gods of fertility.
There was Gullveig, a strong sorceress known for her greed and love of gold. The gods of Asgard found her unbearable and tried three times to burn the witch, but she always returned. But the sorceress was an ally of the Vanir gods, who were outraged by the way the Asgardians treated their protégé.
The precarious peace between Vanir and Æsir ended, and the first great war between gods broke out. Odin threw his powerful spear at the Vanir. It was a sign that this would not be a simple disagreement but a battle that could decide the fate of the world. No other war would be as important until Ragnarok. The Vanir gods would eventually march against Asgard, bringing down part of the mighty wall erected by the giant builder.
The conflict between the gods made the world tremble. Both sides showed their worth, fighting with great courage. Neither side was able to overthrow the other, and the devastation of the war worried both sides. The war could last for millennia, and if one side were to win, it would reign only on ashes, for nothing would be left after such a massive conflict. Therefore, the authorities on both sides decided to seal the peace between the two peoples.
To ensure goodwill, an exchange of hostages took place. The Asgardian gods Mimir and Hœnir would move to Vanaheim, while Frey, Freya, and Njord would move to Asgard. The two gods who came to live in Vanaheim were described as great sages, but in fact, only Mimir was endowed with wisdom. Hœnir pretended to be wise but only repeated what Mimir whispered in his ear.
The Vanir noticed that when Hœnir was consulted about some issue and Mimir was not around, he would always reply, "Let the others decide." Realizing that they had been deceived and that Mimir was complicit in that plan, the Vanir gods cut off their heads and returned them to Odin. The Father of All did not want to lose Mimir's wisdom and used his powers to resurrect the head. Mimir was revived, and Odin began to consult the sage's head when he needed his precious advice.
A new peace agreement was sealed between Vanir and Æsir, and the two peoples began to live in harmony. The Vanir gods were placed on the Norse pantheon alongside the Æsir, thus gods such as Frey and Freya came to be admired as other great Æsir gods.
Sif, the goddess and wife of the mighty Thor, had beautiful and long golden hair, and from all the goddess's traits, her hair was the one that attracted the Thunder God the most. But one day, Thor woke up and was faced with a bald woman in his bed and yelled, "Who are you, witch, and what have you done with my beloved Sif?"
The god, stunned, recognized his wife and shouted, "Loki!" The scream was heard throughout the whole kingdom of Asgard. During the night, Loki, the god of mischief, concocted yet another of his pranks. While the goddess was sleeping, he cut her beautiful hair. The Thunder God dragged Loki up to his room, where Sif cried copiously. "Look at what you have done! How did you dare to cut my wife's hair? What now? Do I have to parade with a bald old wife right by my side?"
"Have you ever thought about the possibility of making her wear a hat?" Thor lifted Loki from the floor and said, "If you do not find a way to make my Sif regain her splendor, I will break every single one of your bones."
Considering that threat, the god of mischief started to think of a way to solve that situation. Until he had an idea, so he departed towards Svartalfheim, the dwarf land. He was aware that these skillful dwarves were able to do anything. But before that, he would have to convince them. Then he looked for the brothers, sons of Ivaldi, who were skillful craftsmen, and said, "You don't know the latest news. The gods will conduct a trial to establish who the best craftsmen are."
And the brothers Brock and Eitri said, "That you sons of Ivaldi do not have the slightest chance. That's an outrage! Those clumsy hands will not have the slightest chance against us."
"Very well, but there is one condition. You have to do three gifts for the gods, and one of them has to be a long golden hair that never stops growing."
Loki departed to incite the brothers Brock and Eitri to establish a competition. "You will not believe this! The sons of Ivaldi will participate in a contest promoted by the gods to decide who the best craftsmen are, and they said you don't have any chance, given that you are nothing but a bunch of clumsy guys."
"Clumsy guys? Huh, that's quite typical of the sons of Ivaldi. But we will not compete. Everybody already knows that we are much better, so we have nothing to gain."
"I bet that you are not better than the legendary Brothers Ivaldi."
"I would bet my own head on it."
"The head of the most elusive of gods seems a nice prize to me. I accept the bet."
Loki trembled but did not step back and accepted the bet. He also knew that Brock and Eitri were better than the sons of Ivaldi, but now he would have to use all of his cunning talents to untangle himself from that mess.
The dwarves, sons of Ivaldi, started to make their gifts for the gods, and Loki noticed that everything seemed to go well. But the god realized that the other pair was doing something outstanding. Loki then understood he had to intervene. Brock and Eitri had already built two beautiful gifts, but they were certainly crafting the greatest of all works. It was a powerful hammer. To achieve perfection, the dwarves had to keep the forge at an ideal temperature, not a degree more or less. And Brock did his work by pumping the bellows with great precision.
Loki noticed he had to act quickly and turned himself into a large hematophagous mosquito. He flew to Brock and painfully stung his hand. The dwarf withstood the pain and continued his work. Then Loki attacked with an even stronger sting in his neck. The dwarf unleashed painful cries but resisted. The god then decided to attack the dwarf's eyes. He closed his eyes, and the eyelids were attacked. The agony was unbearable, and the dwarf stopped pumping the bellows. Due to the temperature change, the hammer's handle broke. Loki considered his mission accomplished and went away.
The time for the great clash had arrived, and the dwarves, sons of Ivaldi, presented their gifts to the gods. The goddess Sif, wife of Thor, was gifted with new hair made of gold. Seeing the goddess with her splendor back, Loki felt some relief. Odin was gifted a beautiful and powerful spear capable of piercing anything, and every oath made under that spear would be unbreakable. Frey was given a huge boat which could be folded so many times to the point where it could fit into a pocket. Those were three impressive gifts, much to Loki's relief.
The turn of Brock and Eitri had come. The latter still had puffy eyes because of the sting. He gave bracelets made of drop-near gold to Odin, a material from which every eight nights new bracelets would fall from it like drops. These could serve as honorary ornaments or a way to increase wealth. Frey was given a huge boar with golden fur, which could be mounted. The creature could fly and never be tired, and its shine drove the darkness away. And Thor's time finally arrived, and he was given a hammer.
"This is a beautiful hammer, but its handle is too short."
"I understand your disappointment, but don't judge this hammer by its handle. Its name is Mjolnir. It is indestructible, and its power is almost indescribable. When thrown, it never misses its target and always comes back to its owner."
"Such a marvelous piece! With this powerful hammer, no giant will be a match for me."
Odin, Thor, and Frey agreed that from all those gifts, the Mjolnir hammer was certainly the best. Despite all the tricks, Loki's plan collapsed, and now his head was demanded as a prize.
"Now I want your head," Brock said, already sharpening his axe.
"Already, already! But Loki had one last play. You can seize my head as long as you do not damage a single piece of my neck."
"The agreement says that you can only have my head. You cheater! How will I get your head without damaging the neck?"
Then Odin intervened. "If people paid more attention to the words used, they would never negotiate with the cunning Loki." The trick god, Brock, to punish Loki, sewed his mouth so that he would never deceive anyone again for a long time. But at least the cheater kept his head on his neck, and the gods of Asgard received magnificent artifacts.
The gods Thor and Loki crossed the world in Thor's chariot, which was pulled by power goats. The gods had left for the kingdom of the giants, looking for taking part in new adventures. Before that, they stopped in a humble house where the gods wanted to stay for the night. The gods were warmly welcomed by the villagers, but being poor, they had nothing to offer as food. Thor told them not to worry because he would provide a bountiful meal. The god himself slaughtered his own goats and had their meat prepared for a meal that would honor any god. The God of Thunder offered food to the dwellers who welcomed him and then said, "You can eat as much as you want. I only ask you to leave the bones unscathed."
While everyone ate the delicious goat meat, Loki decided to do one of his pranks. He approached the hut's young resident, known as Thjalfi, and told him, "There is no fairness at all in allowing Thor to keep all the delicious marrow which fill these bones just for himself. Such a delicacy would give great strength to those who eat it." The boy now wanted to try it. He waited until everyone was asleep and broke one of the bones to taste the marrow. The bones were then thrown over the skin of the slaughtered goats.
The next day, Thor did a ritual and brought the goats back to life. However, one of the goats was now limping because its leg had been broken. Thor was enraged and grabbed his powerful hammer. "You bastards! I offered you plenty of food and just got betrayal as a return. Who did this?"
Loki tried to conceal his smile. Thjalfi, regretting his action, confessed the crime. "Just give me one reason why I shouldn't destroy this house together with those who live in it. Spare my family; they did nothing. Take me as your servant so that I may pay my debt to the gods." Thor was benevolent and decided to spare Thjalfi's family, and they now would have to tend to his goats while Thor, Loki, and Thjalfi departed to explore the land of the Giants.
Thor, Loki, and his new servant Thjalfi roamed through the inhospitable kingdom of Jotunheim, the Land of the Giants. The intense cold forced them to look for shelter. The gods found what appeared to be a huge cave, and they went inside. The travelers tried to rest, but an immense noise trembled the Earth. Thor stepped out of the cave to investigate the source, and from the top of a mountain, he noticed that a huge giant slept beside their cave, and his snoring shook the whole ground.
The giant woke up, and he did not appear particularly threatening. Thor realized that the giant wore only one glove, while the other was actually the cave they were sheltered in. The giant tried to pull on his glove, and Loki and Thjalfi fell from it. The huge giant introduced himself to the travelers. "I'm Skirnir, and if you wish, I can serve as your guide while also carrying all your luggage." The gods accepted the offer; after all, they did not know the region that well, and having the opportunity not to carry their own goods would certainly be a great relief. Skirnir put everything inside his own bag and initiated the journey.
The giant was now tired and decided to take a nap. Night came, and the travelers started to feel hungry. They tried to open the sleeping giant's bag but failed. Unable to wake the giant, Thor, angered with hunger, grabbed his hammer and struck the giant's head with fierceness. After the blow, the sleepy giant said, "A leaf must have fallen on the top of my head. Well, it was nothing anyway," and went back to sleep.
Dawn was around the corner, and the hungry travelers waited for the giant to wake up to finally eat their breakfast. But Skrýmir was still asleep. The angered Thor hammered the giant's head with all his might. Such a blow could destroy any giant's head, but Skrýmir just woke up as if he had been bothered by an insect. Thor was amazed by the giant's endurance. "No way a creature could withstand such a blow!" After waking up, the giant said, "Your destination is right there, where Utgarda-Loki is located, the place of my giant friends. There, they call me soft and weak. I think it's now time for us to go."
Thor and his fellows went to the Giant's Palace. The god was a little worried. If Skrýmir was the little one, what would he find in Utgarda-Loki, the domain of the king of the giants? Thor, his servant Thjalfi, and Loki were all exploring the kingdom of the giants and they finally arrived at the enormous castle of Utgarda-Loki. The Æsir gods entered the palace and encountered the huge giants who lived there. The one who stood out the most welcomed them. "Welcome to my palace! I'm the Lord of this Palace. I have always heard that you Æsir consider yourselves to be the greatest of all. How about we take part in a dispute? I can defeat you in any kind of competition you can imagine," said Thor with confidence.
"Calm down, Æsir son. The first to compete will be Loki, son of the glorious giant Logi. Loki would face Logi, the giant servant, to know who could eat the banquet on the table more quickly." Loki and Logi started eating all the food with incredible speed, and they both finished at the same time. Loki ate all the food, but the giant Logi ate even the bones, platters, and cutlery, so he was declared the winner.
The servant Thjalfi also engaged in a race against a giant who was still a child. Hugi was one of the fastest men that ever lived, yet he had no chance against the hasty giant boy.
"For you, mighty Thor, I pose three challenges. First, you should drink all the beverage in this horn at one go." Thor grabbed the horn with confidence, as drinking a lot was one of his skills. The god drank, drank, and drank that salty liquid until he reached his limit, but he only managed to decrease the liquid that filled the horn a little bit.
"You drink like a maid. I'll make it easier for you. In this next race, you will have to lift my pet cat."
"You got to be kidding me," said Thor, approaching the cat. Much to Thor's surprise, the cat was incredibly heavy. The God of Thunder managed to lift the cat over his head, but it could still touch the ground with its paws.
"It appears that the stories they tell about you are just legends, and you cannot lift a cat up. In your last ordeal, you must fight my foster mother." That was when an old giantess appeared in the room. Thor felt offended for having to fight this old woman, but he decided to fight her to secure at least one win for Asgard's team. The fight began, and Thor was surprised by the old giantess's strength. The god used all his strength against the old lady, and at times it appeared that the victory was in his hands, but the old woman managed to drop Thor to his knees, defeated.
The gods and their servant left the Utgarda-Loki palace with their heads pointing down. The king of the giants followed the Æsir to his kingdom's boundaries, and when saying goodbye, he declared, "Now that we are alone, I can tell you a secret. I have fooled you all along."
The king of the giants said that he had disguised himself as the giant Skrýmir, the one who had guided Thor and his fellows through Jotunheim, and had he not had used magic at that moment, he would have been dead. After all, when Thor tried to hit his head with his hammer, the god hit a mountain instead, turning the hill into a valley.
"Dear Loki, you also have been deceived by an illusion. Actually, you were competing against a fire, and that fire engulfs everything in its path. You, Thjalfi, competed against a thought, and even though you are extremely fast, nothing is faster than a thought."
"And what sort of tricks did you use against me in your palace?" said Thor, demanding an explanation.
"Now that we no longer have an audience, I can praise you for your strength and determination," the giant explained that the horn grabbed by Thor was connected to the ocean, so Thor was able to bring the sea level down a few meters, which was an incredible feat. As for the cat, he was actually lifting Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and the mere fact that Thor could raise part of the snake off the ground was a huge accomplishment. Nevertheless, what stunned the giant the most was that Thor almost defeated the old woman, who was Old Age itself, and time beats everyone down the road.
Thor despised being tricked, and he would have crushed the giant, but he relied on his magic to vanish along with his castle, for he feared the god's vengeance. The gods returned to Asgard. Thor knew that beating Old Age or drinking all the water from the ocean was impossible, but defeating the World Serpent was something he deemed feasible, and because of that, Thor started to wish to cross paths with Jörmungandr again, just to have the opportunity to beat it.
Thor, the God of Thunder, had won the mighty hammer Mjolnir as a gift thanks to Loki's prank. With this hammer, Thor defended the kingdom of Asgard, tackling any sort of threat. But one day, after waking up, Thor sensed that his hammer was missing. The god looked for Mjolnir in his room and only found a message which said, "If you want to recover your beloved hammer, visit me in my domains so that we can negotiate. You will get it back in exchange for an appropriate ransom. Signed, Þrymr."
Thor knew that nobody was a better negotiator than Loki, the god of mischief, and therefore asked him to go to Þrymr's meeting in the land of giants. Loki arrived at Þrymr's palace in Jötunheimr and facing the giant, Loki began the negotiations. "Dear Thor, come close, sir, because my sight is not as good as in the past. You're now slimmer than the last time we met." Loki noticed that the giant's sight was indeed impaired because the differences between him and the God of Thunder were enormous.
After negotiating, the god returned to Asgard with Þrymr's proposal and presented it to the Æsir gods. The giant was willing to give back the hammer if Freya, the most beautiful of goddesses, was delivered to him as a wife. The gods considered the proposal outrageous, but without the hammer Mjolnir, Thor could not defend Asgard. That was when Loki had an unusual idea, to say the least. "Thor, I need you to wear this." It was a wedding dress.
"How dare you insult me this way?"
"Calm down, calm down, I will explain my plan later." Loki knew that the giant's sight was as good as a mole's, and so he wanted to take Thor to Þrymr's palace disguised as the goddess Freya. Thor, without another alternative, dressed as a bride and went with Loki, also disguised as a servant of goddess Freya.
When they arrived in Jötunheimr, the ladies were very well received. "Welcome to my palace! I prepared a banquet in honor of the beautiful goddess." The giant would have to be deeply shortsighted to the point of confusing the bulky god dressed as a bride with a beautiful maiden. Soon after taking his seat at the banquet table, Thor began to voraciously devour everything in front of him.
"Wow, such a voracious appetite you have, my new wife! I have never seen a goddess as gluttonous as you are."
Then Loki said, "I think she wants to finish the banquet as soon as possible so that you can consummate your union."
Thor furiously looked at Loki, who appeared to find the situation quite whimsical. "Let's do it then. Bring the hammer, and we will seal this agreement and get things settled." One of the giant's lackeys brought the hammer and placed it in front of the bride. Thor grabbed the hammer, and so he could finally unleash all of his rage. The God of Thunder smashed all the giants' lackeys with his hammer, and Þrymr had his head open like a melon.
"Let's go home, Loki. I can't wait to get this damn dress off of me."
"Don't you know that a good widow must wear black?"
With the return of Thor and his hammer Mjolnir, the kingdom of Asgard was safe again, and the gods never stopped to have fun at the Valhalla banquets, telling the story of when Thor dressed like a bride.
Loki, the god of mischief and Norse mythology, took part in many amusing adventures, but he also had an evil side, and from his seeds were born the creatures responsible for the ruin of the Æsir Gods. He had a faithful wife named Sigyn, with her he had two sons, Narfi and Váli. Another famous son of Loki was Sleipnir, Odin's glorious eight-legged horse, conceived in an exotic story to say the least. The god of trickery also had a mistress, Angrboða, a beautiful Jotun who lived in Jotunheimr. With her, Loki gave birth to a dangerous offspring.
One night, Odin, the ruler of Asgard, had a vision. In it, the God saw a great combat between the Æsir and the forces of darkness. Loki's sons would play an important role in this conflict. His last vision was of the jaw of a huge wolf, then his field of vision went completely dark. Odin forced Loki to reveal where his sons with the giantess were, and so the gods set out for Jotunheimr in search of Loki's sons.
After arriving at the home of the giant Angrboða, the gods found the offspring of Jotun. The children, still noticeably young, one of them was a serpent, the other was a wolf cub, and there was also a beautiful girl. When she turned her face away, the gods realized that the other side of her body was like a rotting corpse. This girl was called Hel, and she was a frightening figure. The gods took the children from Angrboða's arms and carried them to Asgard.
The journey back to Asgard took some time, and Odin noticed that the snake seemed to have doubled in size. What was an ordinary snake was already the size of a python. Odin realized that the snake would not stop growing and would become extremely dangerous, so he threw the snake into the great sea that surrounds Midgard. As the years passed, the snake became so large that one day it found its own tail after circling the world. This offspring of Loki became known as Jörmungandr.
In Asgard, all the gods looked askance at Hel. Some were afraid of her. Odin, noticing that the girl preferred to relate to the dead than to the living, appointed her as ruler of the world of the dead. She came to reign over the souls of those who had died an unworthy death and did not reach Valhalla.
The wolf cub, on the other hand, began to be raised among the gods of Asgard and learned the language of the gods. His name was Fenrir. The god Tyr formed a bond with the wolf and became friends. Like Jörmungandr, the wolf kept growing. He quickly became larger than a bull, and before long, was larger than any animal on earth. Fenrir inherited some of the worst traits from Loki, his father. After discussing among themselves, the gods realized that something had to be done. A wolf with that size could be a threat to all the inhabitants of Asgard, and the gods decided to create a plan to neutralize the danger.
The mighty wolf Fenrir kept growling, and so the gods of Asgard were constantly watching him. All the gods looked with great suspicion at the beast, except Tyr, the god who held a bond of friendship with the wolf. The deities of Asgard forged powerful chains to try and bind Fenrir and to hide their intentions. The gods told the wolf they had a challenge. Fenrir, though huge and evil, retained a playful spirit and loved to play games. The Æsir challenged him to get rid of the chains built by the gods, and Fenrir accepted the gag. The gods chained the gigantic beast, but the strong chains were useless against the strength of the wolf.
A new chain was created, even more powerful than the first. The wolf pushed hard, and the chain seemed strong enough to contain the colossal wolf. The gods looked at each other, satisfied, but Fenrir took everyone by surprise. He gathered even more strength and destroyed the chain. The gods were baffled by the sheer strength of the wolf. Fenrir noticed the distress of the Æsir, a sign that they were up to something.
There was no rope or chain capable of containing the creature's strength, but Odin knew that only the dwarves could create such. Odin ordered the elf Skírnir to go to the land of the dwarves, asking them to create something capable of containing the wolf. The dwarves agreed and sent the list of ingredients for such an object. These ingredients were odd, for instance, roots of a mountain, a woman's beard, fish breath, bird saliva, and lastly, the sound of a cat's footsteps.
After having all the ingredients, the dwarves set to work. The gods of Asgard were given a rope that looked like it was made of silk, but the power was not in its appearance. Fenrir was again challenged to try to break those bonds, but the wolf was already suspicious. Looking at the rope of the gods, he suspected a betrayal. Odin assured the wolf that it was all just a joke, but the wolf and Odin never got along, and as the son of Loki, Fenrir could smell the lie on Odin's breath. The wolf said that he would only participate in the game if a god dared to put his hand inside his mouth while the animal was being held, and if there was treachery, he would devour the hand without hesitation.
The gods looked at each other, and the wolf confirmed his suspicion. But Tyr, the god who always fed Fenrir and with whom the animal had a certain friendship, offered to put his hand in the wolf's mouth. Fenrir agreed to be bound again by the gods. The wolf struggled against the bindings, but with all of his might, he could not break the mighty rope made by the dwarves. Fenrir noticed the god's satisfaction and looked at Tyr, the only one who didn't look cheerful. Then the wolf realized that he had been betrayed by the gods and even by his only friend. Fenrir closed his jaw as hard as he could, pulling Tyr's hand away. The god endured the pain without groaning. The brave Tyr was celebrated for his sacrifice.
Fenrir was firmly bound to a rock. The gods of Asgard were finally relieved to have neutralized such a threat. The wolf cried out in fury, insulting the gods and saying he could have been their friend, but in the face of that betrayal, they were now his greatest enemies. Fenrir vowed that he would seek Odin on the battlefield during Ragnarok and have his revenge.
The gods of Asgard had traveled to visit the place of Ægir, a sea deity much worshiped by sailors. The banquets in his place were legendary, as a formidable mead was served. But Ægir was in no mood to organize a great feast for the gods. He made up an excuse. "I would love to welcome you with all my hospitality, but since you are many, I won't be able to produce the mead you desire so much. To satiate the gods, you would need a huge cauldron. Without it, it is impossible."
Tyr, the God of War, whose father was a huge giant named Hrungnir, knew that his progenitor had a huge cauldron that would satisfy Ægir's needs. Tyr and Thor decided to go in search of the giant. When they arrived at the giant's home, the gods of Asgard were greeted by Tyr's mother. The god asked his mother to lend him the huge cauldron, but she replied that Tyr should please Hrungnir, as it would be the easiest way to get what he wanted. The giant Hrungnir invited the gods to a meal. Thor was famous for being a great glutton and confirmed his reputation by devouring a whole ox.
Faced with this, the giant said, "I'm going out to fish for some whales. I don't want to be known as a host who failed to feed his guests." Thor wanted to go with the giant on his fishing trip, but Hrungnir didn't care. "This is not a job for the tiny residents of Asgard." The God of Thunder felt challenged and claimed that he was a better fisherman than anyone else. The giant pushed a boat into the water, and they set out to fish. The gods headed out to the open sea in search of larger prey. Hrungnir quickly caught something, and considering the strength required, the giant thought it would be something exceptionally large. A large whale jumped out of the water with the hook in its mouth, and the giant challenged Thor to catch something bigger. But Thor replied that he could fish for something even bigger and paddled off into deeper water.
"You are crazy, Æsir! This is the territory of Jörmungandr, the Serpent of the World." Despite Hrungnir's warning, Thor was not afraid and used a bull's head as bait to start his fishing trip. The god felt he had caught something big, and the boat began to be pulled by the creature. The gigantic serpent emerged, as Thor had succeeded in capturing Jörmungandr. Desperate, Hrungnir shouted for Thor to cut the fishing line, otherwise they would be taken to the bottom of the ocean. But Thor had already met Jörmungandr once when he visited the Palace of Utgarda-Loki. Thor was defeated, but he had sworn to himself that he would eventually defeat the colossal serpent.
The fight between the god and the serpent continued, and Hrungnir feared that they would be taken to the bottom of the ocean. Thor tried to bring the creature within reach of his hammer. Just as the god was about to strike the beast, Hrungnir cut the fishing line, and Jörmungandr escaped at the last moment. Thor was furious and would have smashed Hrungnir's head in had he not fed Tyr, after all, they still needed the cauldron. After filling their stomachs with whale meat, the gods set off with the cauldron. With the cauldron, Ægir made plenty of mead for the gods, who had a great time during their stay in the sea god's palace. But while all the gods were having fun, Thor couldn't forget Jörmungandr and vowed that he would kill that dark creature. They were destined to meet again in Ragnarok.
Baldr was the son of Odin and Frigg, the supreme gods of Asgard. The god was beautiful, kind, and charismatic, and therefore loved by all. Baldr spread happiness wherever he went. The days of the gods and whoever was with him were perfect, but as night came, Baldr's happiness dissipated. While he slept, his sleep was plagued by nightmares. His beloved wife Nanna comforted him when he awoke frightened. No god knew the meaning of his nightmares.
The wise Odin knew that in the realm of Hel, the place where the souls of the dead who did not die an honorable death on the battlefield went, there was an oracle capable of deciphering those nightmares. Odin, disguised as a wanderer, went to the realm of the dead. After using the runes, the oracle answered, "Helheim is preparing to receive Baldr. When sorrow ravages Asgard, here in the realm of Hel, there will only be joy with the arrival of the spirit of the kindly Baldr."
Saddened, Odin returned to Asgard and told Frigg the sad fate of his beloved son. Frigg was determined to prevent Baldr's fate. Knowing that Baldr was loved by all, the goddess demanded that everyone swear to never hurt Baldr, and so nothing could hurt the god. Even objects, plants, diseases, and weapons were pledged not to harm Baldr. Loki, the god of trickery, was envious and jealous of Baldr, but even he was compelled to take the oath, and so Baldr became invulnerable to everything.
The god was safe. Baldr's invulnerability was cause for a joke among the gods. They threw objects at Baldr, but everything was deflected. Thor hit him with his powerful hammer, but Baldr felt nothing, and everyone in Asgard was happy to know that the beloved god was protected. Everyone except Loki, who was determined to find a vulnerability in Baldr.
One day, in hiding, he overheard a conversation from the goddess Frigg, who told a friend that she had managed to get everyone to take the oath, everyone except the mistletoe, a totally harmless plant. But in Loki's evil mind, the mistletoe was not so harmless. After collecting some mistletoe, he addressed the gods who were still having fun trying to attack Baldr. Only the blind god Höðr felt sad that he was excluded from the fun. "How could he throw something at Baldr when he didn't even know where he was?"
The ingenious Loki created a dart made of mistletoe and addressed Höðr, telling him that he shouldn't let his blindness stop him from playing. Loki turned invisible and guided Höðr to where the other gods were. Baldr was happy to know that Höðr would also participate in the game. Helped by Loki, he threw the mistletoe dart with all his might at Baldr. Höðr expected to hear the laughter of the gods, but a great silence fell over the place. Baldr had been mortally wounded. As the god's body fell to the ground, the desperate gods mourned his death, and as was prophesied, the world of the living was plagued by sadness after the departure of the beautiful and beloved Baldr.
Loki, the god of deceit, had a great amount of wickedness inside him, and he seemed unable to contain such malevolence. Therefore, he planned to kill Baldr, the most beloved of the Gods. The gods sent Hermod, the messenger of the Gods, to the realm of Hel, the world of the dead. The goal was to have his brother Baldr back in the realm of Asgard. Hermod received positive news that the goddess Hel wanted to return Baldr back to the realm of the Æsir Gods, but only if all beings mourned the god's death and wished for Baldr's return. The gods were pleased with that news, as Baldr was loved by all. All beings were summoned to confirm their desire to have the beloved god back. Everyone confirmed their desire to see Baldr again, but the gods learned that a giantess living in the mountains did not want the god's return. Because of her, Baldr could not return, making all the gods sad.
But it wasn't long before the gods discovered that the heartless giantess was Loki in disguise. Loki had already committed every mischief and then some, but the most recent exceeded the limits of the gods' patience. The Æsirians reached a consensus: Loki should be punished. Loki fled from the wrath of the gods and hid in the mountains near a well where salmon swam. Loki took the form of a salmon and mixed with the fish so as not to be found by the gods. Odin, the Father of All, was able to see the whole world from his throne. He quickly discovered Loki's hiding place.
The trickster god knew that the gods would eventually find his hiding place, so he thought about how they would try to capture him. "A bait and hook would be to underestimate the intelligence of the Gods." Loki pondered and discovered that a combination of strings could form a mesh capable of catching fish. Loki created this instrument and the first ever fishing net. After understanding how it worked, he designed strategies to escape from the nets. Seeing that the gods were approaching, Loki threw the net into the fire and jumped back into the pit. The gods saw Loki jump into the river, but they didn't know how to capture him. Kvasir found the traces of the net, which did not burn completely, and understood the purpose of Loki's invention. The gods created more nets, using them to try to capture the trickster.
Loki tried to escape in every way from the numerous nets thrown by the gods. Sometimes he would jump out of the water. Thor thought that if a bear could catch some salmon on the fly, so could he. When Loki, in the form of a fish, jumped up once more, Thor was ready to grab him. Loki was snatched by Thor and dragged by the gods to a cave where he would receive his deserved punishment. He was bound and imprisoned by the viscera and sinew of his own son. The gods wished to kill the god because of what he had done to Baldr, but Loki had made a blood pact with Odin. Despite their different origins, they were like brothers. Odin did not allow the extermination of Loki, but simple imprisonment was too mild a punishment for the traitor. So Skadi took a snake with a toxic saliva and placed it in a stalactite over Loki's head. When the snake salivated, its venom fell on the traitor, burning his skin and causing him enormous pain.
Loki had a wife named Sigyn, who stayed by her husband's side while he endured his punishment. The faithful Sigyn tried to ease Loki's suffering by collecting in a bowl the poison that fell from the snake's mouth. As time passed, the bowl would fill, and Sigyn would go out to empty it. When this happened, the poison would fall back on Loki's skin, and he would cry out in pain. The devoted wife returned as quickly as possible to her post, where she tried to ease her husband's suffering. Each drop of poison that fell on Loki only increased his desire for revenge. The god vowed to repay the gods of Asgard for all the suffering imposed upon him at their reunion during Ragnarok.
In Midgard lived the men descended from Ask and Embla, the first human couple created by the gods. Humanity lived under the protection of the gods, who always shielded the species against the forces of chaos. Thor, the exterminator of giants, prevented the land of men from being conquered by Jötunn. With the protection of the gods, humanity prospered, always paying the sacrifices to the gods. These men were used to dealing with the harshness of winter, always preparing themselves to face all the difficulties that a long and icy winter could impose. But even men knew that the region of the gods would not last forever and that the divinities of Asgard would have to struggle to face the forces of evil during Ragnarok.
In Midgard, the summer was coming to an end. Everything indicated that men would have a huge harvest ahead, but a cold wind began to blow, and the totally unexpected frosts destroyed much of the crop. The leaves of the trees quickly took on the colors of autumn and began to fall much earlier than expected, a sign of the approach of a harsh winter. Even with the crops ruined, the men tried to prepare themselves in the best possible way to face the winter, but despite all humanity's determination, sufficient preparation for the coming nightmare was impossible. After all, Fimbulwinter had arrived, bringing a long winter with it. Three winters would follow without any summer between them.
Men and their farm animals took refuge from the intense cold in their shelters, where they tried to survive in the freezing cold. The nights seemed longer and longer. Every night, men feared that the sun would never rise again. Their food stocks ran out, and forced by hunger, they had to eat all the chickens that gave them eggs and even their pets. Those who risked facing the cold, looking for an animal to slaughter, became easy prey for the pack of Fenrir's children. The men started to fight among themselves for the few existing resources. Brother fought against brother, children challenged fathers. Chaos settled among men. The hatchets of war were always drenched in blood. The lack of food forced many people into cannibalism. The few remaining human beings were quickly falling apart. In Asgard, the Æsir gods noticed the signs.
That the ultimate combat between the gods and the forces of chaos was approaching. This cataclysmic event would become known as Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods.
After three practically uninterrupted Winters, chaos reached the kingdom of men. Few survived the bloody anarchy that followed. The conditions prophesied for the beginning of Ragnarok materialized. Two wolves who claimed to be Fen's children crossed the skies, chasing the Sun and the Moon. The wolf Hati was chasing the Moon, while Skoll was chasing the Sun.
The deities that personified the two stars managed for a long time to escape the wolves, but they couldn't escape Fen's offspring forever. The wolves finally reached their prey and swallowed them. Without sun and moon, the world plunged into darkness. The end was near.
Great earthquakes shook Yggdrasil, the tree of the world. Cracks opened in the ground and mountains collapsed. The rock where the powerful wolf Fenrir was washed away. The giant wolf was finally free, thirsting for revenge. Jörmungandr, the snake of the world, moved in the waters, causing huge waves. These tsunamis devastated the few coastal cities that still resisted. The colossal serpent unleashed its terrible poison by contaminating the water. From the smallest living beings like the plankton to the largest whales, all died intoxicated by the terrible serpent.
Loki, who was imprisoned and subjected to terrible torment, was freed from his bonds. Like his son Fenrir, Loki had only one wish in his heart: to destroy the gods of Asgard. The god of lies descended to Helheim, the kingdom where the souls of those who died an unworthy death would go. There, Hel was sovereign, the queen of the world of the dead. She handed over the command of an army of the undead to her father. This army was composed of the corpses of those who died a shameful death. These Nordic zombies were eager to achieve the glory they did not achieve while they were alive.
Níðhöggr, the dragon who gnawed at the roots of the tree of the world, dug a huge tunnel through which the armies of the dead would march to the land of men. Great flames of fire signaled that the army of Muspelheim was on the march. The giants of the flaming lands were led by Surtr the black. The huge giant burned everything that was in his way using his flaming sword. The ice giants of Jötunheimr embarked on ships towards Vríð, the chosen place to be the battlefield between gods and forces of chaos.
Heimdall, the herald of the gods, had no more doubts. Ragnarok had begun. The god finally blew the Gjallarhorn, and its sound was heard throughout the universe. Everyone was afraid of this alert. The end of the age of the Æsir gods was approaching. The great battle would begin.
Heimdall's horn announced that the day of the final battle had finally arrived. The forces of chaos, led by Loki, were eager to end the reign of the Æsir gods, using all available means to achieve this goal. The gods of Asgard knew that the great battle was inevitable. For millennia, they prepared for the great day.
The gates of Valhalla opened, and thousands of warriors left the Great Hall and formed the great army of Odin. This army was formed by the bravest warriors who, during their lives, fought bravely on the battlefield. These were taken by the Valkyries to the halls of Valhalla, where they waited for the opportunity to show again all their courage, fighting alongside the gods during Ragnarok. All the gods capable of wielding a weapon joined the combatants.
The huge army of Muspelheim's giants set off for Asgard, trying to destroy the gates that protected the dwelling of the gods. Suddenly, the Bifröst bridge collapsed, and part of the great army fell into the waters. The Asgardians celebrated while the giants drowned in the river. But the gods knew that their destiny was not to hide behind the powerful walls made by the giant builder. Their destiny was to face with honor the forces of darkness in an open field. Odin, riding his glorious eight-legged horse, gave orders to start the attack. The army of the gods advanced against its enemies.
When the armies clashed, the impact was so powerful that it made Yggdrasil, the tree of the worlds, tremble. Thor, the champion of the gods, wanted to crush the heads of thousands of giants and slaughter hundreds of enemies at a time. The ice giants were led by Hrím, in the final battle, facing with great courage the hordes of Odin. Loki guided Hel's armies of the undead, composed of those who died an unworthy death. Freyr, the god of Vanir, fought bravely, riding his golden boar next to the Asgardians. The brave god attacked Surtr, the powerful leader of the fire giants of Muspelheim. Freyr gave everything he had, but it wasn't enough to defeat Surtr, who shot down the Vanir god with his flaming sword. Before dying, Freyr repented for giving his magic sword to Skírnir. With it, everything could have been different. Freyr was the first of the gods to fall on the battlefield, and many others would follow.
Týr, the war warrior god who sacrificed his hand so that the gods could arrest Fenrir, the wolf, would also fall after facing Garm, the powerful wolf of Hell who defended the world of the dead. But before his death, Týr still managed to stick his sword into the heart of the infernal beast.
The battlefield shook when Jörmungandr, the world serpent, presented itself for battle. The creature expelled a cloud of poisonous gases capable of slaughtering the warriors of the gods. When he saw the serpent, Thor was filled with enthusiasm, for he had long been waiting for the decisive fight against his old rival. The struggle between Thor and Jörmungandr was epic. The giant snake tried to swallow the Asgardian hero, as he deviated from its knocks and counterattacked with powerful blows from his hammer. The god of thunder managed to incapacacitate Jörmungandr, and the latter fell wounded. Thor delivered a deadly blow to the serpent's head. The gods and warriors of Asgard vibrated with the victory of their champion. However, Thor's blow was so strong that Jörmungandr's pockets of poison broke, spreading a poisonous cloud around Thor. Thor bent to his knees and fell dead. Without their great champion, the battle against the forces of chaos became even more difficult for the gods.
Fenrir, the huge wolf, son of Loki, devoured all those who opposed him, but what he most desired was to find Odin, his mortal enemy. The supreme god of Asgard knew that his destiny was to fight the dreaded wolf, son of Loki, and didn't run away from the clash. Odin's horse Sleipnir neighed and advanced against Fenrir, but Odin's fate was not to come out of this dispute alive. Fenrir opened his huge mouth and devoured the father of all. The gigantic wolf humiliated the gods after his victory against the wisest deity.
The provocation filled the heart of Víðarr, son of Odin, with hatred. Such fury gave him great strength. Víðarr attacked Fenrir, and this one tried to take him over. Víðarr put his feet on the wolf's tongue and his strong arms pulled his teeth away. His strength was so great that he opened Fenrir's jaw in half. The gigantic wolf died. Even with the death of his sons, Loki was satisfied with the carnage as he watched the gods fall one after the other.
Heimdall, the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge, advanced through Hel's army of the dead, opening a path to Loki. Heimdall and Loki met in a duel, and the plasticity of the combat made it all look like a deadly dance. Loki and Heimdall struck each other several times. The duel did not have a winner because both died.
The giant Surtr set fire to the world with his sword, and the flames swallowed everything. There were no fighters left on the side of the living, nor the side of the dead, only ashes on the earth. The flames reached Asgard and threw their palaces into rivers of fire. The level of the ocean waters rose to form a huge flood. There was nothing left on Earth. The era of the Æsir gods was over.
The waters that consumed the land eventually retreated, and the plants sprouted again. A new sun arose to ward off the darkness that had taken over the Earth. Yggdrasil could not withstand the damage caused by Ragnarok and fell, but inside the great ash tree, there was a secret surprise. The gods had hidden a couple of mortals so that the human race could resist the events of Ragnarok. Their names were Líf and Lífþrasir. Through the love of this couple, the world was again repopulated. The kingdom of Asgard had disappeared, but the new kingdom, Éljá, would take its place.
The six gods took their places in Éljá. The sons of Odin, Víðarr, who killed Fenrir, and his brother Váli. Thor's sons, Magni and Móði, became responsible for the hammer of the god of thunder, defending this new kingdom. In the world of the dead, Baldr, the dearest of the gods, together with Höðr, rose to occupy the last places. There, they recalled the old traditions and discussed the future, trying not to repeat the mistakes of the past. The gods found the golden pieces used in the games of the gods and, just like their fathers, started a new round of the ancestral game. A new cycle began.
Asgard was home to the major gods of Norse mythology, known as the Æsir. These gods had no shortage of enemies of different strains, but they all had one thing in common: the fear for Thor, the champion of the gods. With his mighty Mjölnir hammer, he could protect the citadel of the gods, but Thor had a restless spirit, always ready to embark on an adventure. He constantly traveled, looking for new challenges. During Thor's absence, Asgard was vulnerable to its enemies. At a meeting, the gods decided that a powerful wall would have to be built for protection purposes. But some gods argued that building such a wall would take years.
Then, a strong traveler emerged from the woods, claiming to be a great builder, ready to build the wall in record time. As a reward, he wanted the beautiful goddess Freya as his wife. The gods swiftly rejected such an outrageous proposal, but the much clever Loki noticed that the builder's proposal wasn't that bad. "You shall think with me, friends," he says. "He can build this massive wall in just a year, which is impossible. Put it this way: if he doesn't finish the wall within that time frame, he'll get nothing. Well, the task is insurmountable. When time runs out, he will have built a fair share of the wall, and it will be up to us only to finish what is missing. We will be saving a great deal of effort." The gods looked at each other and agreed it was a good idea.
Now convinced, the gods presented the builder with that proposal. He was deeply pleased and left to get his tools. The builder started his work. He was quite wrong and managed to stack the stones easily. He also had the help of a powerful horse who brought him the stones from distant quarries. Time passed, and the wall was quickly gaining form. The deadline was around the corner, but the gods noticed that there was very little left for the builder to finish. Odin was furious with Loki. "Look what you have done! The wall is almost finished, and we will certainly lose our beloved Freya to this man, and this is all your fault! I told you he wouldn't be able to build this wall, and I'll make sure he doesn't!"
Loki realized that without the help of his powerful stallion, the builder wouldn't have the required stones to complete the task. He devised a plan to keep the great horse away from the building site. The wicked god, using the power of metamorphosis, became a beautiful mare, intending to seduce the great horse. The powerful Svaðilfari was dazzled by the god in disguise. The builder tried to contain his horse's impetus, but he was too strong and ran away, chasing the divine mare. The desperate Loki ran as fast as he could and disappeared on the horizon with the stallion on his trail.
The builder, without the help of his horse, failed to finish his work on time and rebelled against the gods. He ripped off his cloak and revealed his identity. He was a giant. Furious, he shouted, "You gods of Asgard, you're nothing but cheats! You'll meet your end!" The furious giant set out to attack the gods. Thor, otherwise known as the exterminator of giants, fought against him and crushed his head with his hammer. The gods completed the rest of the wall, and Asgard was safe.
However, a long time passed before Loki's return, who disappeared while attempting to escape the mighty horse. It took some time, but the god returned at last. He brought with him an exotic eight-legged colt, who pursued Loki wherever he went. Loki offered the colt to Odin and assured him that when he grew up, he would become the fastest and most powerful horse that ever lived. There was only one demand: no one could ever ask him the origin of the majestic horse, which would become known as Sleipnir.