The Time and Fate of Ragnarok Essay -- Literary Analysis

The Norse tale of Ragnarok presents an interest example of apocalyptic literature as it presents both an end and a notable new source. The world which rises from the cosmic rubble is essentially kindred to that which was destroyed, possessing the same creatures, features and Gods of eons past. Thus through the themes of time and fate Snorri challenges the concepts of what was, is and leave be by providing a framework which allows for the potential reiteration of history. By reviewing the Prose Eddas telling of the the events before, during and after Ragnarok, the relationship between fate, time and history becomes clear. The Prose Edda begins by introducing several key concepts to the later work, beginning with Snorris connection of the Christian Genesis to Norse mythology. He cites the Yankee migration of man away from his origins as the cause of the slow loss of the phone of the Abrahamic God. Snorri uses this loss as the primary reason for the need for alternate explanation s of congenital phenomena and thus the evolution of Nordic mythology (Snorri, 3). Typical exampl...