M&L Episode 88: Doom
In this episode of Myths and Legends, we go into the Norse Myth of the end of the world, otherwise known as Ragnarok.
“This week, on Myths and Legends…you’ll see how an interest in arts and crafts might just make you an undying legend.
~Jason Weiser, Myths and Legends
Episode Recap
This episode wraps up the end of Norse Mythology, known as the apocalypse Ragnarok. It starts with the story of Baldur’s death, the youngest Norse God who died because Loki, whether knowingly or unknowingly, has a spear thrown at Baldur with the one thing his mother Friga did not coerce to make an oath to never harm Baldur: mistletoe. Baldur, the God of Light, dies from the poison of the mistletoe, and out of grief and rage, Odin imprisons Loki in a deep, dark cave with the World Serpent’s above him dripping acid-like venom onto Loki’s skin for eternity, or at least, that was the plan.
Centuries later, when Odin travels to the cave where Loki is imprisoned, he realizes in horror that Loki has escaped, and Odin knows that Ragnarok, the destruction of all worlds that Odin himself prophesied, was about to begin. Odin hurries back to Asgard and tries to prepare for the apocalypse, but no one really believes him…until they hear the giant wolf Fenrir howl and all the light in the world disappears. The battle between the Aesir and the Giants (led by Loki) is long and devastating, with Odin being eaten whole by Fenrir, Heimdall fatally stabbing Loki and Loki in return gives Heimdall a small but fatal scratch on his hand and Loki waits for the fires of the fire giant Surtur to consume him, and Thor dies from the World Serpent’s venom sprayed on his skin after smashing the snake’s head in with his hammer. Vordir, Odin’s son with a hobby of taking old shoes and repurposing them, realizes his hobby could turn the tide of the battle in their favor: Vordir puts on a shoe he crafted and runs up to Frenrir and, with the shoe being the only thing strong enough to withstand Frenrir’s bite, Vordir grabs Frenrir by the mouth and breaks Frenrir’s jaw, killing the gigantic wolf before the wolf collapses on top of him.
In the end, the battlefield and the rest of Asgard is consumed by Surtur’s flames, and all nine worlds, including Midgard/Earth are burned and covered in ash, leaving the worlds in silence. The end…or so you expect. Vordir rises out of the ash, and his brothers (including Baldur, whose death started the entire war), along with Thor’s sons. With the survival of the young gods in a new age, they decide to start anew and create an age without resentment and where grievances are not left to grow and cause another Ragnarok.
Episode Takeaway
The story this episode teaches how life can still grow out of destruction and create a better age, and to not let grudges and resentments build until they can grow enough to destroy everything around it. It takes the worlds being swallowed by flames for the ash-covered survivors to realize that the end also means a new beginning. This is a lesson everyone should learn, since it shows how important it is to let fears, grudges, and resentments go before they consume everything, including yourself. However, if the end of the world does happen, it just means a new and better world is going to grow in its place.
“Kenmun” by Mathew Meyer
Monster of the Week:
The Kenmun from Japanese Folklore is a “small ape-like creature” that lives in the mountains of Japan, has a dome of magical oil in their head, and likes to force travelers to sumo-wrestle them. To keep them from making you sumo-wrestle, you must insult them by loudly acknowledging their strong odor that reeks of yams, or have an octopus (kenmun’s mortal enemy) in your backpack.
“You might be tempted to sumo-wrestle that tiny strange hairy man with a glowing head in the forest, and you should’ve known that was a bad idea before I even finished that sentence.” ~Jason Weiser, Myths and Legends
