Ragnarok: the Storm

With the end of days upon them Nears the time of final battle In the halls of high Valhalla Asgard senses its death rattle In the forest crows the rooster In the sky the sun does darken In the cave the hound is howling To these signs the Aesir harken Heimdall blows the Gjallarhorn Dark the rainbow bridge is turning Vivid lightning cleaves Yggdrasil Then the central tree is burning Aesir watch in fascination See volcanoes spew like fountains See the heavens splitting open See the oceans climb the mountains See the continents convulsing See the forests burn to ashes See the sons of Mim awaken In the fatal lightning flashes As the winds consume the wasteland From the south Surtr advances With his minions tearing corpses Bright his sword and sharp his lances Aesir then prepare their weapons Eyes are clear and arms are steady The Midgard serpent Jörmungandr Upon the battle plain is ready With his heavy hammer Mjolnir Strides the mighty god of thunder To do battle with the serpent And to rend the world asunder June 30, 2014 N.B. This poem is an Epyllion, a brief narrative poem with a romantic or mythological theme. It is written in trochaic tetrameter, like some of the ancient Eddas. Glossary: Ragnarök - Final battle and death of the Aesir Aesir - The Norse gods Asgard - one of the Nine Worlds and home of the Aesir Valhalla - a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the chief Norse god Odin Heimdall - A Norse god who blows his horn to signal the beginning of Ragnarök Gjallarhorn - Heimdall's horn Midgard- Middle Earth, or the world of humans Bifröst - the burning rainbow bridge between Midgard and Asgard Yggdrasil - The sacred Norse central tree that holds the Nine Worlds Mim - an Asian renowned for his knowledge and wisdom who has been beheaded. Odin carries around Mím's preserved head and it recites secret knowledge and counsel to him. Surtr- a fire troll with a flaming sword who sets the world on fire. Jörmungandr- The world serpent or ouroboros that surrounds the earth and grasps his own tail. When he lets go, the world will end. Jörmungandr's arch-enemy is the god Thor. Thor - The Norse god of thunder Mjolnir - Thor's hammer and principal weapon