Ragnarok Analysis

The end of time is one of the most recurring themes in ancient mythology. Although several iterations of this theme are extremely similar some iterations feature significant differences to most others. Among these distinct myths is the Norse myth of Ragnarok. This contrasting ideologies that this myth features have been the basis for several works of literature and art. An example of these works, Thor: Ragnarok, together with the original Norse Mythology of Thor illustrate the Norse’s belief in the cyclical nature of inescapable fate as the Norse hero follows his archetypal path. One of the contrasting features of this myth in comparison to those of other cultures is the Norse’s belief in an unavoidable fate. This

However, Thor does not play the same role in which he battles the giant serpent that would bring the end of times, he instead battles the cinematic universe’s representation of death, the goddess of the underworld, Hela. Furthermore, the antagonist, Hela, is most likely an allusion to the serpent Jormungandr, whose sole purpose was to bring an end to the tree of life Yggdrasil. Another theme that assimilates the final battle in both works is the role of Fenrir. Fenrir is a giant wolf that battles one of the most powerful gods, Odin. The film alludes to this by placing one of the cinematic universe’s most powerful characters, the Hulks in the spot of Odin. Hulk battles Fenrir while the final battle is taking place. Alike Odin, Hulk also holds Fenrir’s jaw open at some point in their battle, but unlike Odin, Hulk is triumphant in killing Fenrir. A final theme from the movie’s final battle is the presence of an undead army was inspired from the myth. In the myth Heimdall uses his mystical horn to awaken the dead to aid the Aesir in battle. In the film, the awakening of the dead occurs when Hela is searching for an army to assist her in the destruction of Asgard. This undead army was made up of all of the Asgardian warriors who had perished in previous battles. These themes served to assimilate the final battle in the myth to the battle in the

The film preserves the Norse’s idea than only a few gods survive this event by only confirming the survival of Thor, Loki, and Heimdall. However, given that in the cinematic universe Asgard is a mythical kingdom rather than a land exclusively for gods and warriors, more than 100 Asgardians survive the cataclysmic events. Another element in the movie that is similar to the myth is that these survivors had been hiding from the chaos in a vault sealed by enormous doors with a tree carved into them, implying that they were hiding in Yggdrasil. Furthermore, this implication means that these remaining people will be the ones who will continue the existence of humanity alike the pair of human survivors in the original myth. At the conclusion of the film the main antagonist disappears as she is giant boulders are being hurled at her by Surtr. Given that the antagonist, Hela, is the physical impersonation of death, her apparent death may have been intended to imply that death will not come to our heroes for some time. The incorporation of these elements in the film serve most likely to demonstrate to the audience that hope still prospers after such cataclysmic events.

All of the aforementioned elements and themes put to use in the film Thor: Ragnarok served to illustrate the Norse belief in the cyclical nature of inescapable fate, as the Thor follows his heroic archetypal path. These