The End of the World in Scandinavian Mythology: A Comparative Perspective on Ragnark

The Old Norse texts on Ragnark, in the first place the 'Prophecy of the Seeress' and the Prose Edda of the Icelander Snorri Sturluson, are well known and much discussed. However, Anders Hultg@ard suggests that it is worthwhile to reconsider the Ragnark myth and shed new light on it using new comparative evidence, and presenting texts in translation that otherwise are available only to specialists. The intricate question of Christian influence on Ragnark is addressed in detail, with the author arriving at the conclusion of an independent pre-Christian myth with the closest analogies in ancient Iran.

People in modern society are concerned with the future of our world, and we can see these same fears and hopes expressed in many ancient religions, transformed into myths of the future including both cosmic destruction and cosmic renewal. The Ragnark myth can be said to be the classical instance of such myths, making it more relevant today than ever before.