EncyclopediaRagnarok
Ragnarok (räg'nurok") [key], in Norse mythology, the doom of the gods. According to prophecy the end of the world would follow a severe ice age, in which human civilization would be destroyed. Then the gods of Asgard, led by Odin, would clash with the devastating forces of evil and chaos, led by Loki and the giants. After a fierce battle the universe itself would be destroyed by fire and a new golden age would appear, ruled by the surviving gods, including Balder. See Germanic religion.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
More on Ragnarok from Infoplease:
- Ragnarok - Ragnarok [twilight of the gods]. The day of doom, when the present world and all its inhabitants ...
- Balder - Balder Balder , Norse god of light; son of Odin and Frigg. He was the most beautiful and gracious ...
- Loki - Loki Loki , Norse giant (or deity) who personified evil. He hated the gods of Asgard and ...
