Norse mythology is a mythology different from most modern religions today. It is a collection of stories about the supernatural full of surprises and twists. One of the most endearing themes among the Scandinavian stories that comprise Norse mythology is that of lightness and darkness. Encounters with many characters will not only reveal their strengths and triumphs, but will also reveal their weaknesses and downfalls. The duality of good and evil can be seen everywhere in Scandinavian culture. In the end, any type of optimistic constructs that are seen in Norse mythology will eventually end in darkness and despair. Odin, the highest and most powerful god, has proved time and time again to be a god just as flawed as the giants and humans.
[...] Loki reports back to Freyia and Thor, and they devise a plan to get Thor's hammer back. Thor ends up dressing up like Freyia at the wedding and then killing Thrym for stealing his hammer (Larrington). Loki's helpfulness proves him to be a good ally among Freyia and Thor, because Freyia does not want to get married to Thrym and Thor is in dire need of his magical weapon. His resourcefulness puts him on the good side of the Aesir, for at this point they can trust him. [...]
[...] In Ragnarok, both Skoll and Hati catch up to their respective entities and devour them, yielding a sunless and moonless sky, and complete darkness in the cosmos (Sturluson). The story of Baldr's death leading to the beginning of Ragnarok proves to be rather dark as well. Baldr is Odin's son, and is also known as the God of Light. Odin hears something about the upcoming death of Baldr and travels to the grave of Seeress, who was a prophet. She comes back from the dead temporarily to reveal that Baldr will be killed by his brother, Hod, which will signify the approach of the ominous Ragnarok (Larrington). [...]
[...] Conversely, one person deciding not to cry for Baldr shows the darkness that emanates in Norse ideology. It seems to be an effortless task to grieve for someone's death, especially for the death of the highest God's son, but the fact that Thanks takes it one step further and refuses to cry, knowing the consequences of her actions, denies Norse mythology of any hope thereafter. The rest of Ragnarok is a series of matchups of Gods and Giants that end up in everyone being killed, except for Odin's two sons, Vidar and Valli, and Thor's two sons, Modi and Magnir. [...]
[...] In that moment, the God of Light dies. This event alone is quite significant, because if the God of Light dies, what hope does the rest of Scandinavian civilization have? To add to the misery, he is killed by his brother, which in and of itself is pretty shocking. Even though the intentions of Hod are not malicious, the intentions of Loki to direct such an attack are. This would make sense that this is the signal for Ragnarok, because the son of the highest God dies at this time. [...]
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