Ragnarok Legends [RAROK]

u'In Norse mythology, Ragnarok ("fate of the gods") is the battle at the end of the world. It would supposedly be waged between the gods (the \xc6sir, led by Odin) and the evils (the fire giants, the Jotuns and various monsters, led by Loki). Not only will some of the gods, giants, and monsters perish in this apocalyptic conflagration, but almost everything in the universe will be torn asunder. In the Viking warrior societies, dying in battles is a fate to admire and this is carried over into the worship of a pantheon in which the gods themselves will one day be overthrown at Ragnarok. Exactly what will happen, who will fight whom, and the fates of the participants in this battle are well known to the Norse peoples from their own sagas and skaldic poetry. The V\xf6lusp\xe1 (Prophecy of the V\xf6lva (female shaman)), the first lay of the Poetic (or Elder) Edda, dating from about 1000 AD, spans the history of the gods, from the beginning of time to Ragnarok, in 65 stanzas. The Prose (or Younger) Edda, written two centuries later by Snorri Sturluson, describes in detail what would take place before, during, and even after the battle. What is unique about Ragnarok as an Armageddon tale is that the gods already know through prophecy what is going to happen: when the event will occur, who will be slain by whom, and so forth. They even realize that they are powerless to prevent Ragnarok. But they will still bravely and defiantly face their bleak destiny.'