world serpent of Norse mythology

Jörmungandr

Jörmungandr, also called the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is a colossal sea monster in Norse mythology that encircles the Earth while biting its own tail. Its feud with the thunder god Thor makes it one of the key figures of Ragnarök, the end of the world in Scandinavian tradition.

The myth

According to Norse tradition, Jörmungandr was the middle child of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and the brother of Fenrir and Hel. When the Æsir learned of the dire prophecies surrounding these children, they decided to remove them from their world. The serpent was cast into the great ocean that encircles Midgard, where it grew so vast that it could surround the Earth and grasp its own tail. This is the origin of its name, the "world's bind" or "cinta del mundo" in the Scandinavian languages.

The best-known story pits the serpent against Thor. At the court of the giant Útgarða-Loki, Thor was challenged to lift a huge cat. He could raise only one of its four paws off the floor, and it was later revealed that the animal was the serpent in disguise, which made his feat one of the most impressive of the god's deeds. In another episode, Thor goes fishing with the giant Hymir and baits his hook with an ox head. The serpent takes the bait, but Hymir panics, cuts the line and the beast escapes.

Another tradition says that after devouring everything it found in the sea, the serpent ended up consuming itself. According to these accounts, this process gave it knowledge of past and future. Its fate is fixed: at Ragnarök it will rise from the ocean and poison the skies. Thor will fight it and kill it, but the god will fall after nine steps, slain by the serpent's venom.

Legacy

Its image of a serpent biting its own tail inspired the ouroboros, a symbol used in alchemy, philosophy and modern art for the endless cycle of destruction and creation. The root of its name, linked to Odin's magical staff, appears in the name Gandalv, which Tolkien borrowed for his character Gandalf.

Ancient sources: The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson, records its origin as the son of Loki and Angrboda and its casting into the ocean by the gods.

In art

Music, opera and dance

Twilight of the Thunder God · Amon Amarth, 2008

Film and television

Ragnarok: The Viking Apocalypse · Mikkel Sandemose, 2013

Literature and theatre

Hymiskviða
Ragnarsdrápa · Bragi Boddason

Trivia

Útgarða-Loki's cat. Thor tried to lift a colossal cat at the court of the giant Útgarða-Loki and managed only to raise one of its paws. Later it was revealed that the animal was the serpent itself in disguise.

A snapped line. Thor hooked the serpent with an ox-head bait, but the giant Hymir cut the line and the beast escaped back into the deep sea.