If you missed my last article on Charon, you can find it here.
Jomungandr (I don’t know how to make the little dots on the o as I did in the title. My son showed me, and I forgot, and he isn’t with me now), also spelled Jormungandr, is the Norse Midgard serpent. Jomungandr is an ouroboros, a snake eating its own tale. He surrounds the earth, which is Midgard, with his tale in his mouth. He is going to be highly involved in Ragnarok, like killing gods kind of involved.
Jomungandr’s father is Loki, the trickster god, and his mother is Angrboda, a jotunn from Jotunnheim. His sister is Hel, who rules Helheim (first called Niflheim), one of the places for the dead in Norse mythology. One of his brothers is Fenrir, a giant wolf who is chained until Ragnarok. Odin didn’t like that Loki had kids with Angrboda and decreed that Hel, Fenrir, and Jomungandr be separated from her. When Odin flung him into the ocean, Jomungandr continued to grow until he was so big he circled the earth until he was eating his tale. There was a prophecy that the three children would rise up against the gods and Midgard and slay us, which is why these safety measures were taken. It seems to have just put off the inevitable, but I am ok with Ragnarok not happening in my lifetime. Along with Hel and Fenrir, Jomungandr has Nari, who was killed to tie Loki to a rock, and Sleipnir, Odin’s personal steed, as siblings.
Thor (god of thunder) is his arch-enemy. Thor tries to fish him up to kill him, but before he can be pulled up, Hymir cuts the line so that Thor doesn’t capsize his boat in his foolish endeavor, and so Ragnarok can’t start. Though, when Ragnarok does happen, the serpent and Thor are slated to kill each other. Thor was just supposed to be fishing with his friend, not trying to kill Loki’s child. I am not even sure why Thor wanted to kill him. It could be because he was tricked into trying to lift him when he was trying to earn a place to stay for the night at Utgarda-Loki’s home. Why Thor would be mad at Jomungandr when it was Utgarda’s fault for deceiving him is beyond me. Or maybe Thor thought if he killed Jomungandr, Ragnarok would be averted, not just delayed.
Aside from killing Thor during Ragnarok, Jomungandr starts Ragnarok by releasing his tale from his mouth. In doing so, he will cause problems in the waters of the world. Jomungandr will then flop up onto the lands, causing flooding, and he will fill the atmosphere with his poison. The very same poison that will kill Thor. It is said this will happen after the breakdown of our relationships, traditions, and society. I type this as I look around.
What do you think of Jomungandr, and what is prophesied that he will do? When Ragnarok happens, there will be a line worse than a traffic jam in New York City at rush hour to get into Niflheim (Hel), Valhalla, and Folkvangr (Freya’s realm of the dead). I mean, I think the realms of the dead are still going to be there, right? How can you destroy the realm of the dead? It was repeatedly pointed out in my research that Ragnarok isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is just an agent of rebirth. Everything dies at some point and is reborn somehow, in some way.
Given that Jomungander is one of the beings to bring around the destruction and rebirth of all life, I think he fits well in Smite. Have you played as him? How did you like it? Give me your opinion on any part of this article in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
