battle-of-the-doomed-gods

In ancient Norse mythology, the Ragnarok is equivalent to the end of the world as we know it. This doomsday event was predicted in multiple Norse poems and prose writings, and it literally translates to “doom of the powers” or “twilight of the gods.” In the Norse poems, a volva, or priestess, prophesies about the final battle between the gods and evil forces. During the war, Odin and Thor, two major gods, are killed. Several other minor deities die too. After the battle, the sun becomes black, the stars vanish, and people flee their homes as the earth sinks into the sea.

Norse mythology doesn’t consider the Ragnarok to be the end of all things, however. In the poems, the earth eventually resurfaces. A few gods survive the catastrophe, and they meet to begin re-cultivating the land. Two human beings survive the Ragnarok as well, and they repopulate the earth with their descendents. A new sun lights up the sky, the next generation of gods is in power, and people live in peace.