Jörmungandr- Norse DragonDragon"Encircler of Midgard"

Child of Chaos

Jörmungandr was born in the iron forests of Jötunheim, one of three children of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. His siblings were Fenrir, the wolf destined to devour Odin, and Hel, who would rule the realm of the dead. The Völuspá foretold the ruin each would cause, and Odin gathered the Æsir to deal with the threat before it could mature. Fenrir was bound with the magical fetter Gleipnir. Hel was cast down to Niflheim. Jörmungandr, Odin hurled into the great ocean that encircles Midgard.

There, in the cold darkness beneath the waves, the serpent grew. He extended through the waters until his body wrapped entirely around the world, and his jaws found his own tail. By gripping tail in teeth, Jörmungandr formed an unbroken ring around Midgard, which is why he bears the name Miðgarðsormr, the Midgard Serpent. The ocean that was meant to imprison him became merely the space through which his coils pass.

Thor's Fishing Expedition

The Hymiskviða and Snorri in Gylfaginning both recount the story. Thor journeyed to the hall of the giant Hymir under the guise of seeking hospitality, but his true purpose was to test himself against the World Serpent. When Hymir refused to provide bait, Thor tore the head off Hymir's largest ox, Himinhrjóðr, and carried it to the sea.

The two put out in Hymir's boat, Thor rowing with such power that Hymir grew frightened of how far from shore they traveled. When they reached the waters where Jörmungandr dwelt, Thor cast his line baited with the ox head. The World Serpent took the bait, and Thor hauled upon the line with all his divine strength. The sea churned, the boat nearly capsized, and finally Jörmungandr's head broke the surface. The serpent spewed venom as Thor raised Mjölnir to strike the killing blow.

Hymir, terrified by the rising monster and the boat filling with seawater, cut the fishing line with his knife. Jörmungandr sank back into the depths. Thor's blow fell on empty air. He hurled Hymir overboard in fury, but the World Serpent had escaped. The Altuna runestone in Sweden (U 1161), carved around 1000 CE, preserves this moment: Thor standing in the boat, the line taut, the serpent's head rising from the water.

The Cat in Útgarðr's Hall

In the hall of Útgarða-Loki, Thor was challenged to lift a great grey cat. The feat seemed trivially easy for the strongest of the gods. Thor strained with all his might and could only raise one paw from the floor. His face reddened, his back bent, but the cat would not budge further.

When Útgarða-Loki revealed the truth of his illusions, he admitted that the cat had been Jörmungandr in disguise. Thor had nearly lifted the World Serpent from the ocean floor. Every giant in the hall had watched in terror, knowing what it would mean if the serpent were torn free from the waters.

The Loosening

The beginning of Ragnarök is signaled by Jörmungandr releasing his tail. For ages beyond count, the serpent has held himself in a ring around Midgard. When he lets go, that boundary dissolves. The Völuspá describes the world shuddering as the serpent rises: earthquakes split the land, tidal waves swamp the coasts. Fenrir breaks his fetter. Loki escapes his bonds. The ship Naglfar breaks free from its moorings. Every restraint the gods placed upon their enemies fails at once.

Jörmungandr will emerge onto land for the first time since Odin cast him into the sea, spewing venom that fills the sky, and advance toward the plain of Vígríðr.

The Final Battle

Thor and Jörmungandr will meet on the plain of Vígríðr, Mjölnir against venom. The Völuspá tells the outcome with characteristic economy: Thor will fight the serpent, kill it, and die.

Thor will strike Jörmungandr with Mjölnir and the serpent will fall. The creature that has encircled the world since the gods were young will finally be destroyed. But the serpent's death throes will spray its venom across the battlefield, drenching the god who killed it. Thor will stagger back nine paces before he too falls dead, poisoned by the creature he was born to destroy.