Monsters Of All Kinds

Jörmangandr, the serpent - Full picture.

Jörmungandr is a serpent, born from Loki as one of his three children with Angrboda, and will be the subject of my very first Monster Monday! This interesting creature and the information on it from Norse mythology is brought to you with help from my Swedish partner.

The reason this creature fascinates me is due to his constant forboding presence as one of the markers of the Norse doomsday, Ragnarök. A sign of inevitability and the end times. Jörmungandr worried the gods with his aggressive nature and strength after Loki presented him to them. Their worry caused the gods to set Jörmungandr free into the ocean where it wouldn't pose a direct threat. But within the ocean, the great serpent grew to a phenomenal size, encircling Midgård (known as the world of humans in Norse cosmology) and biting its own tail.

Before the events of Ragnarök where Thor was destined to fight Jörmungandr, he encountered the legendary serpent on a fishing trip with the giant Hymir. Worried about the dangers of meeting such a powerful beast, Hymir refused to offer Thor any bait. In his hubris, Thor decided to decapitate Hymir's biggest ox and use the head as his lure. Attaching the ox head to a strong line and giant hook, he went fishing. This dangerous escapade proved successful as Thor pulled Jörmungandr from the sea. However, as Thor was reaching for his hammer, Mjolnir, to kill the serpent, Hymir, pale with fear, cut the line and let the serpent sink back into the water.

The events of Ragnarök involving Jörmangundr and his fated fight with Thor were unfortunately less lucky. Despite Thor being able to conquer the serpent that emerged from the sea to poison the sky, Thor's resulting injuries caused him to walk no more than nine paces before collapsing dead, marking both a victory and tragic defeat for the gods.