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Jörmungandr, or also known as Serpent of the World, is a serpentine Beast Jötunn, one of Loki's children, and a major antagonist in Norse mythology as well as a major player in the events of Ragnarök, which was the Norse version of the End Times (though unlike monothestic faiths Ragnarok was seen as the end of a cycle rather than time itself, with a new world destined to be born from the old world's destruction).

Role in Myths[]

Jörmungandr was one of the apocalyptic beasts who would lay waste to the current world and help in killing off the current gods (known as the Æsir), though would also be slain in the process, allowing for new life to form from the ashes of the old. The son of Loki and Angrboða, a giantess who was counted among his wives, Jörmungandr was unfortunate enough to be born as a Beast Jötunn like his brother Fenrir due to being born with monster form where in his case, a draconic serpent.

As with his canine brother, he was banished by Odin to the depths of the ocean in Midgard due to the threat he pose on the Gods as told in the prophecy. Though this act can be considered as self-fulfilling since Jörmungandr would eventually fulfill the prophecy of Ragnarök regardless, it can be argued that the Gods of Asgard hardly having alternative given that like Loki, Jörmungandr inherited his kind's burning hatred towards them for their murder on Ymir, a hatred than not even wisest of Gods of Asgard can quell.

The prophetess Volla prophesied that at the time of Ragnarok, the Midgard Serpent would be slain by Thor in battle, but then Thor himself would perish by the serpent's venom. While in the court of Utgard-Loki, Thor was challenged to lift his cat off the ground, but was humbled when the cat managed to keep at least one foot on the ground at all times. Utgard-Loki then revealed his so-called cat was actually the Midgard Serpent in disguise.

Thor went fishing with an ox-head on the boat of the Jötunn Hymir for the Midgard Serpent. Thor succeeded in catching the serpent, but Hymir grew afraid and cut the line believing he was saving Thor from himself. As the serpent retreated, Thor grew angry with Hymir and struck him. He then departed under the power of his hammer as he told Hymir he ought to be grateful that he was letting him live.

Personality[]

Although not much is known about this serpentine Jötunn's personality beside being animalistic, the Gods of Asgard correctly deduced that Jörmungandr didn't fare better than his lupine brother Fenrir that they casted him to the ocean in Midgard straight away. Though such decision ironically shaped Midgard Serpent into the very apocalyptic beast they feared to become since it was motivated by the grim prophecy pertaining his future, it must be stressed that Jötnar like him harbor strong, genocidal hatred against the Gods of Asgard in the light of their murder on Ymir and that the Gods don't have alternatives, making it justified at the very least.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Jötunn Physiology: As the son of Loki and Angrboða, Jörmungandr was endowed with greater power and physiology which effectively made him far more formidable than typical sea serpents he resembled of.
    • Incalculable Strength: Thanks to his enormous size and importantly, Jötnar lineage, Jörmungandr possessed a great deal of brute force comparable to Thor's own.
    • Supernatural Mobility: Jörmungandr was arguably deceptively fast and agile despite his size, able to keep up with the likes of Thor.
    • Supernatural Durability: As Mjölnir was the only weapon devastating enough to injure him, especially in the hands of his nemesis Thor, one may conclude that Jörmungandr's serpentine body being extremely resilient to damage.
    • Venom: Jörmungandr possessed unique and potent venom more than enough to kill the likes of Thor, something which attributed to Eitr being part of its composition. Some accounts stated that he deployed it through his fangs not unlike regular poisonous snakes while others suggested that he spewed the venom forth in gas-like state as form of long-range attack just as dragons with their fire breath.

Modern Media[]

Jormungandr is a popular Norse monster, though ranking below his siblings Fenrir or Hela as well as his infamous father Loki — nevertheless the "World Serpent" is a common and frequently seen antagonist in many modern takes on the Norse myths, some of the most popular of which include:

  • Marvel Comics, who adapted Thor into a superhero franchise, has depicted Jormungandr as a recurring foe to Thor - both in original comic book format and in more recent cartoons.
  • One of latest updates of For Honor game is introduction of a cult and hero unit named and themed after Jormungandr himself.
  • Jormungandr appears as one of playable characters in online game SMITE.
  • In Norwegian fantasy drama Ragnarok, as shown in Magne's fantasy, Jörmungandr had reincarnated in form of a tapeworm that lived inside the stomach of Laurits Seier, his half-brother and Loki's reincarnation. Laurits first learned about Jörmungandr when he consumed a raw reindeer heart and a horn of ancient mead both provided by Vidar Jutul, a Ragnarök veteran and jötnar warchief, during which he attained visions of the great war between Gods of Asgard and Jötnar army long ago, including the sight of Jörmungandr himself. The tapeworm awakened its true nature once Laurits injected himself with a blood sample belonged to Odin's reincarnation Wotan Wagner, growing in size and progressively regaining more and more his past self's features, something which became apparent after Loki's reincarnated had the growing Jörmungandr removed and subsequently kept as a pet. Eventually, in a bid to form an uneasy alliance with Ran and Fjor Jutul, Laurits revealed reincarnated Jörmungandr's existence during a brutal confrontation and released it at fjord near Edda so it would grow stronger for the upcoming battle ahead. In the fateful second Ragnarök, Jörmungandr was summoned to kill Magne only for the history repeated itself; Magne fried the Midgard Serpent from inside out by hurling energized Mjölnir into his throat leading one of his sharp teeth scratched the back of Thor's reincarnated, leading the two's mutual death.
  • In 2021 video game Tribes of Midgard, Jörmungandr appears as one of the game's bosses, introduced in its Season 2: Serpent Saga update.
  • In The Signal, thirteenth episode of sixth and final season of the historical drama television series Vikings, Jörmungandr is glimpsed by Asa moments before washed aboard and disappeared beneath waves when she and the rest of Ubbe's expedition impeded by the storm on the Atlantic Ocean.
  • In The Sword of Summer (the first book of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard), Magnus and his friends recreate what happened when Thor and Hymir went fishing to lure out Ran so she'd give them Sumarbrander and one of Idunn's apples of immortality for Utgard-Loki.
  • In the 2002 real-time strategy game Age of Mythology and it's remaster, Age of Mythology: Retold, there is an aquatic unit called the "Jormun Elver" available to the Norse civilization (if the player chooses to worship Tyr). The creature is based on the Jörmungandr, and is essentially a smaller version of the legendary monster. The actual Jörmungandr is not implemented as it would have been too large and powerful, so another version was created.

Trivia[]

  • The gender of Jörmungandr isn't consistently described in mythological accounts pertaining the serpentine Jötunn; some refers Jörmungandr as male while others not addressed at all.
    • Curiously, Jörmungandr in Twilight of the Gods is female and even has beautiful human form she seduced Thor with.

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