![]() Surprisingly, Nidhogg is not referenced as playing any major role in the world-ending events of Ragnarök. Squirrel! Fuzzy Messengers from the Ancient Underworld? The Little-Known Archetype in Mythologyĭepiction of Ratatoskr, the messenger squirrel, from 17th century Icelandic manuscript ( Public Domain ) The Curse-striker and Ragnarök, a Limited Role?. ![]() The Norse Legend of the World Tree - Yggdrasil.The wrathful nature of the words also contributed to the poisoning of Yggdrasil. Thus, Ratatoskr being a squirrel was likely due to his role in the mythology those who conveyed hateful messages between feuding parties were thought to be dishonorable hence the choice of an insignificant creature. Mythologies are often representative of cultural ideals. Instead, they relied on a squirrel named Ratatoskr to convey messages of malice and insult between them.Īt face value, this part of Nidhogg’s story in Norse mythology seems rather benign and even a little odd. Nidhogg and the eagle despised each other, yet never left their respective perches to challenge one another directly. Yggdrasil, the world tree, containing the nine realms of Norse mythology, by Oluf Olufsen Bagge, 1847 ( Public Domain ) Nidhogg versus the Eagle: A Feud Aided by a SquirrelĪt the top of the tree of life was an eagle who went unnamed throughout Norse mythology. Going to Hel and Back: The Realm of the Norse Goddess of the Underworld.This is because many who study Norse mythology do not believe that this deeper portion of Helheim is of Norse origin! They argue that the ideals behind such a realm are not represented in other aspects of their mythology and posit that Nastrond may have been added later by Christian scholars. Nastrond is, however, a debated component of Norse mythology. There, Nidhogg would feast upon their soul until the coming of Ragnarök, when the dragon would be freed from his imprisoning roots. Deeper still was a place known as Nastrond, where the souls of the wicked – murderers and oath-breakers – would be sent after death. If one had not died honorably in battle, they might find themselves in Helheim. Hel’s realm was one of several possible destinations for humans after death. Other sources claimed Nidhogg lived close to the realm of Niflheim, the frozen wasteland home of Hel and her army of the dead. From here, he devoured the roots, hoping to destroy the tree and tip the cosmos into chaos. Nidhogg dwelled in Hvergelmir, one of three wells among the roots of the tree. Yggdrasil, the World Tree, is a towering tree containing the nine realms of Norse mythology. The “curse-striker.” A beast constantly engaged in a battle of wits with eagles, communicating with them by… a squirrel? All this and more is part of the mythology of Nidhogg in Norse legend. An ancient evil that nibbles away at the structure of the universe itself. It is said that Nidhogg feeds on the blood of those who haven't entered Valhalla or have committed terrible crimes, that his wings are covered in corpses, and that he will fly to Midgard during Ragnarok after biting through the roots in order to feast on the dead.A dark dragon, feathered, with corpses strewn about its body. This dragon was said to live beneath Yggdrasil, better known as the world tree, where it would continually gnaw on its roots in an attempt to destroy it and bring about the downfall of the gods during Ragnarok, which he will survive.Nidhogg's name is a reference to the legendary dragon of the same name in Norse mythology.Little can be seen of the dragon in the promotional material, but it is clearly dark red in color. At some point before the events of School of Dragons, Nidhogg was trained by Ruffnut.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |