Could Ragnarok be considered to have occurred?

Question

According to Wikipedia, The myths of Ragnarok as we know them were compiled in the 13th century, and while describing events in some detail, these were considered to be prophetic, as the events described had not yet occurred.

Moving forward to today, could it be considered that Ragnarok has taken place between the time when the myths were written down and now? The mythological landscape of Europe has largely changed from Norse-influenced to Judaeo-Christian, so could this shift be interpreted as Ragnarok and its aftermath?

score 8 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 03 '16 at 08:10

If you want to. The three years without summer, the Fimbulwinter, a portent of Ragnarök, has been speculated by some to have been a memory of the years 535-536, when temperatures dropped sharply and crops failed.

And while the Ragnarök is indeed the end of the known world, as cybermike noted, the earth will rise again from the sea afterwards, renewed and better than before.

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 22 '16 at 14:11

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No. Ragnarok isn't just the fall of the Norse pantheon, it's the destruction of the entire world. The stories vary, but something apocalyptic like the whole earth being set on fire or the sky splitting apart normally happens.

answered Mar 22 '16 at 14:11

vastra360

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score 3 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 04 '20 at 16:20

As far as I know this heavily depends on whether you consider later additions to the mythology by Christian missionaries to be canon.

The original idea was to describe the end of the worlds that hasn't happened, similar to the Christian Revelation. Otherwise they'd worship dead gods, there'd be no Valhalla, Jotuns, Valkyries, etc. which would basically screw up everything.

However missionaries used those exact thoughts to mix their original mythology with the Christian Bible to explain and introduce a continuity to convert them. Ragnarok already happened, but two people, a man and a woman survived hiding under Yggdrasil, named Adam and Eve.

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 02 '16 at 15:44

It seems to me, as a student of mythology and an artist, that Ragnarök has indeed already happened. Yes the world is "destroyed", but it is then renewed and repopulated by humans. It seems quite clear we live in this post-apocalyptic, repopulated word sans Gods and Giants.

But of course, this is a subjective take.

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited May 10 '18 at 00:25

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Yes, there might be a chance that ragnarok has already happened and we are living in a repopulated world. But according to what I have read, ragnarok is a cycle that will always occur and replenish the old to make way for the new. So according to me, ragnarok will happen again but this time with new figures of worship.

edited May 10 '18 at 00:25

Andrew Johnson

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answered May 09 '18 at 15:58

ChronoKartik

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Could Ragnarok be considered to have occurred?

5 Answers5