Jörmungand (Old Norse Jǫrmungandr pronounced [ˈjɔ̃rmoŋˌɡɑndr], sometimes written Jörmungandr or Iormungandr) is in Norse mythology a gigantic sea serpent, attested in scaldic poems and the Eddas written between the 9th and 13th centuries.
According to Snorri’s Edda, he is the son of the malicious god Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and the brother of the wolf Fenrir as well as the goddess of the underworld Hel. Shortly after his birth, the god Odin throws Jörmungand into the sea that encircles Midgard, since prophecies say that he will cause great damage to the gods during Ragnarök. But he grows so much that he eventually encircles the world and bites his tail, hence his other name, Midgardsorm (Miðgarðsormr), “Midgard serpent”.
In several myths, Jörmungand appears as the rival of the god Thor, whom he meets notably during a famous fishing trip, as described in six texts and pictorially reproduced on four known runic stones. At the end of the prophetic world, Ragnarök and Jörmungand will cause tidal waves by emerging from the seas to fight the gods alongside the giants. He will finally be killed by Thor, but the god will succumb in turn after nine steps, poisoned by the serpent’s venom.
Etymology
Jörmungandr is composed of the Old Icelandic jörmun-, “immense”, and gandr, meaning “monster”, so this name means “immense monster”.
It is only in Snorri’s Edda that he is named Miðgarðsormr, which means in Old Icelandic “world serpent”, or “Midgard serpent”, with ormr meaning “serpent”. He is sometimes only called Ormr, or Naðr, “serpent, dragon”.
Characteristics
Jörmungand is described as a gigantic and hideous sea serpent or dragon, capable of spitting deadly venom, and with a terrifying gaze if we refer to the myth of Thor’s fishing trip. His size is such that he surrounds the Earth and bites his tail. During the prophetic battle of Ragnarök, it is said that as he emerges from the sea he will cause tidal waves. The scaldic poem Húsdrápa names Jörmungand by the kennings men storðar “collar of the world”, and stirðþinull storðar “stiff cord of the world”.
The scaldic poem Ragnarsdrápa names Jörmungand by the kennings endiseiðr allra landa “frontier fish of all lands”, þvengr “strap” or hringr “ring” of the ocean, hrøkkviáll drekku Völsunga “twisting eel of the Völsung drink” (the Völsung drink is poison, referring to the myth of the hero Sinfjötli), and vrangr œgir vágs “twisting stirrer of the waves”. The skald Eysteinn Valdason designates Jörmungand by the kenning seiðr jarðar “fish of the earth”, and Gamli gnævadarskáld by grundar fiskr “fish of the ground” (these kennings are used to designate snakes, but take on a completely different dimension when they refer to Jörmungand, the world serpent).
According to Snorri’s Edda, he is the son of the malicious god Loki and the giantess Angrboda, thus the brother of the monstrous wolf Fenrir and Hel, the goddess of the underworld. His relationship with Loki is also attested in the eddic poem Hymiskvida and the scaldic poem Þórsdrápa where the kenning faðir lögseims, “father of the serpent,” designates Loki.
Still young, Jörmungand is raised in the world of the giants, Jötunheim, but he is thrown into the sea by the god Odin since prophecies foretell that he will bring misfortune.
Myths
The stories concerning Jörmungand come from the Eddas. Snorri’s Edda, composed in the 13th century, tells in prose and with great detail all the myths known concerning Jörmungand, and also preserves various scaldic poems, one of which dates back to the 9th century and describes the same myth. Otherwise, the Hymiskviða and the Völuspá, from the poetic Edda written in the 13th century but composed of older poems, also mention myths related to Jörmungand. Of the four known myths, three are centered on the encounters between Thor and this sea serpent which end up killing each other.
Birth
Chapter 34 of the Gylfaginning, in Snorri’s Edda, tells that the god Loki and the giantess Angrboda have three monstrous children; the wolf Fenrir, the world serpent Jörmungand, and Hel, whom they raise in Jötunheim. Now, the Aesir gods know from prophecies that Loki’s offspring will cause their misfortune. So Odin demands that these children be seized, and he throws the young serpent Jörmungand into the sea. But it grows so fast that it soon encircles the human world, Midgard, until it bites its tail.
“He threw the serpent into the deep sea that lies around all lands, but it grew so much that, living in the middle of the sea, it now surrounds all lands and bites its tail.”
— Gylfaginning, chapter 34
The cat to lift
Chapter 46 of the Gylfaginning, in Snorri’s Edda, tells that Thor and his companions are hosted in the castle of the giant-king Útgarða-Loki, who in order to humiliate them proposes challenges of seemingly easy appearances but that inexplicably they fail. Among these challenges, Thor must lift a cat. The god puts all his strength into it but despite his efforts, he only manages to lift one paw of the feline. It is learned in chapter 47 that the next day, Útgarða-Loki reveals to them that he subjected them to visual illusions. In reality, the small animal was the immense Jörmungand himself, whom the king of the giants had made to appear as a cat. Rather than a humiliation, it was therefore an exploit that impressed all the giants. Indeed, Útgarða-Loki tells him:
“The fact that you lifted the cat seemed no less remarkable to me. To tell you the truth, everyone who saw that you managed to lift one of its legs off the ground was afraid, because this cat was not what it appeared to be to you: it was the Midgard serpent, which surrounds all lands and whose size is barely large enough for its tail and head to touch the earth. But you lifted it so much that you were only a short distance from the sky.”
— Gylfaginning, chapter 47
Thor’s Fishing Trip
The myth of Thor’s fishing trip is recounted in several texts, with some variations. It is first described in the scaldic poems Ragnarsdrápa composed in the 9th century by Bragi Boddason and Húsdrápa composed in 983 by Ulf Uggason. Additionally, we only know three stanzas from the skald Eysteinn Valdason and one stanza from Gamli gnævadarskáld from the 10th century that also describe the fishing trip, thus attesting to the antiquity of the myth. All these stanzas are preserved in Snorri’s Edda, which also summarizes the myth, in prose with more details, and Snorri describes this encounter as a direct vengeance of Thor for the episode where he is tricked into believing that Jörmungand is a cat to lift. Finally, another detailed account is found in the eddic poem Hymiskvida.
The eddic poem Hymiskvida tells that Thor goes fishing with the giant Hymir, taking with him the head of a bull from his host to use as bait. Thor demands that the giant take him further offshore but the latter refuses. Then the giant catches two whales while it is the Midgard serpent itself that bites Thor’s line. Thor is indeed named by the kenning “killer of the serpent” in stanza 22, referring to the Ragnarök myth where he kills Jörmungand. The god manages to pull the enormous serpent on board and strikes it with his hammer Mjöllnir, causing the monster to sink. Unhappy, Hymir starts the return journey and continuously doubts Thor’s strength, which eventually leads to Thor killing him.
In Snorri’s Edda, the author recounts that Thor, disguised as a boy, goes on a fishing trip with the giant Hymir, and tears off the head of a bull to use as bait. Then Thor rows far offshore despite Hymir’s protests who fears the Midgard serpent. Thor then prepares a strong line and attaches the head of the bull to the hook. The hook catches in Jörmungand’s palate, and the latter struggles so much that Thor’s feet go through the boat’s floor. Thor manages to pull the serpent out of the water, and it spits its venom. As Thor is about to strike the serpent with his hammer, Mjöllnir, the terrified giant Hymir cuts the line and lets the serpent escape.
Thor still throws the hammer at him without killing him. Furious, Thor throws the giant overboard, then he returns to the shore on foot. Snorri Sturluson specifies that “some” say that Thor decapitated the serpent, perhaps referring to the version of the scaldic poem Húsdrápa (stanzas 3 to 6). This poem briefly mentions this fishing trip and seems to describe in stanza 6 that, with a punch, Thor decapitates the serpent. Snorri disputes this version, saying that Jörmungand is still alive in the ocean. Snorri’s version is likely that of the scaldic poem Ragnarsdrápa, in which he quotes that the serpent cannot be killed as it reappears later at Ragnarök. The Ragnarsdrápa describes the fishing trip in stanzas 14 to 19.
In addition to the large number of preserved texts that reference it, the popularity of the myth is also confirmed by the fact that it is depicted on four known carved stones from the Viking age.
Ragnarök
In Norse eschatology, it is prophesied that a great and final battle will take place during which the giants, led by the god Loki, will attack the Aesir and humans on the plain of Vígríd. This event is called Ragnarök. All chains will break, and the wolf Fenrir, like his father Loki, will be freed and will be accompanied by Jörmungand, who will cause a tidal wave on the land. During this battle, the majority of the gods and all humans except one couple will perish.
In the eddic poem Völuspá, Jörmungandr is described in stanza 50 as “seized by the fury of the giants” and whipping the waves. His battle against the god Thor is described in stanza 56. Thor kills Jörmungandr during the battle, but he perishes in turn after nine steps:
56.
Þá kemr inn mœri
mögr Hlóðynjar,
gengr Óðins sonr
við orm vega;
drepr hann af móði
Miðgarðs véurr;
munu halir allir
heimstöð ryðja;
gengr fet níu
Fjörgynjar burr
neppr frá naðri
níðs ókvíðnum.56.
Then arrives the glorious
Son of Hlódyn,
The son of Ódinn goes forth
To slay the serpent,
In wrath he kills
The guardian of Midgardr;
All men shall
Desert their abode;
The son of Fjörgyn,
Weary, retreats
Nine steps from the viper
Without fearing shame.
The same events are described in prose in the Gylfaginning section of Snorri’s Edda, presumably inspired by the verses of Völuspá, which are quoted in the work. The arrival of Jörmungand is described in chapter 51:
“Then the ocean will surge onto the lands, because the Midgard serpent, seized by its ‘giant’s rage’, will reach the shore. […] The Midgard serpent will spew so much venom that it will spray the entire air and sea. It will be absolutely terrifying and will advance alongside the wolf (Fenrir).”
— Gylfaginning, chapter 51
The text continues to explain that when the god Odin battles the wolf Fenrir, Thor will not be able to come to his aid because he will be fighting Jörmungand:
“Thor will ride beside him, but he will not be able to assist him, because he will have his hands full when he fights against the Midgard serpent. […] Thor will kill the Midgard serpent and will take nine more steps before falling dead to the ground, due to the venom that the serpent will spit upon him.”
— Gylfaginning, chapter 51
Archaeological Evidence
The myth of Thor’s fishing trip is depicted on four stones from the Viking age, testifying to its popularity.
The Altuna runestone in Sweden, dated around 1050, is the clearest. It depicts Thor holding his hammer Mjölnir in one hand and a fishing line in the other, at the end of which a sea serpent is depicted, with Thor’s feet crossing the boat’s floor. The other stones depict two people fishing an unidentified animal, but it can be inferred that it is the same myth.
The Gosforth Cross in England, dating from the 10th century, allows us to assume that it is indeed the fishing of Jörmungand since a bull’s head is depicted at the end of the line.
The Ardre VIII stone (Gotland, 8th century) as well as the Hœrdum stone (Denmark, between the 8th and 11th centuries) also seem to depict this battle.
Alternatively, the scaldic poem Húsdrápa, dated to 983, consists of a poetic description by the skald of woodcarvings depicting myths, including that of Thor’s fishing trip. However, this described piece of art has not been found.
Theories
Comparative Mythology
A world serpent without a name is also known in Germanic folk legends from the Middle Ages, outside of Scandinavia. Earthquakes were attributed to their writhings. Alternatively, the struggle between a god and a serpent- or dragon-shaped monster is found in several Indo-European mythologies; for example, the battles between Indra and Vṛtrá; Krishna and Kaliya; Zeus and Typhon; Apollo and Python; the Hittite storm god against the monster Illuyanka; Marduk and the primordial sea monster Tiamat; and Ra and Apophis.
The possible influence of the biblical Leviathan on the myth of Jörmungand has also been discussed. The Leviathan was understood by Christian theologians as a personification of the devil, who was destroyed by Christ. A. Kabell even estimates that Jörmungand was influenced by Jewish biblical apocrypha from the 8th century. However, it appears certain that the battles of Thor against Jörmungand and of Christ against Leviathan influenced each other during the Christianization of Scandinavia, as evidenced by the Gosforth cross, which mixes pagan and Christian myths, and the linguistic equation between the Midgard serpent and Leviathan in late Icelandic translations of Christian texts.
Symbolism
Jörmungand would have symbolized the vast and mysterious ocean as well as its dangers and magnified the movements of the waves, evoking the rings of a serpent.
In Popular Culture
Music
- It is depicted facing Thor on the album Twilight of the Thunder God by the band Amon Amarth, and the lyrics of the eponymous song mention it.
- A song by the metal band Skálmöld is named Miðgarðsormur (“Midgard Serpent”).
Comics and Manga
- The serpent Jörmungand has been taken up by Marvel comics which also feature the god Thor (first appearance in 1952 in Marvel Tales no 105). The battle between Thor and Jörmungand is described in Thor #272 – 273 (June-) and a second time in The Mighty Thor #380.
- Jormungand (2006-2012) is also the title of a manga written by Keitarou Takahashi, reproduced in anime since 2012.
Television
On Netflix
There is a series on Netflix released in 2020 called Ragnarök. It features a teenager, Magne, who discovers he is the reincarnation of the god Thor. His half-brother Laurits turns out to be Loki, and the wealthiest people in Edda, the Jutuls, are actually giants who want to do everything to annihilate the gods.
In season 2, Laurits, alias Loki, has a tapeworm in his stomach that eats everything he eats, which makes the teenager constantly hungry. One day, he is seized with violent pains after injecting himself with the blood of Wotan, alias Odin, and sort of gives birth to a serpent. He ends up taking it home, then is forced by the Jutuls to leave it in the Edda river, the Fjor, so that it can grow big enough before having to serve during the great battle of the gods to kill Magne, alias Thor.
In season 3, Laurits keeps giving him food to eat, because there is nothing in the Edda River. One day, Fjor Jutul tells Laurits that the role of the Midgard Serpent in Ragnarök is to kill Thor, thus Magne, which means it must be taught to eat humans. Fjor brings his new assistant, Marianne, near the river and pushes her in to feed her to the serpent. It is later said that the young woman’s body was found to be torn and mutilated. Another day, Fjor drives his car and meets an elderly couple. He says he does not know how to read a map and asks the elderly couple to accompany him to where the Serpent is. It is assumed that he pushes both of them into the river to feed them to the creature.
Laurits goes to visit his son and gives him food to eat. Jörmungand does not want to eat anything and Laurits screams and orders him to eat. He asks him what he wants as food and the Serpent sends a torn and bloodied leg onto the bridge. Horrified, Laurits understands that Fjor has given humans to eat the Serpent, and leaves.
To put his plan into action, Fjor proposes to Magne that he race with boats on the water. The young man agrees. On the day, they race. Magne is about to win, but suddenly, his boat breaks down. Fjor continues, as Magne calls him. He finds himself alone in the middle of the water on his boat, then decides to fish. He casts the line.
Suddenly, the line is violently pulled downward by something huge and heavy. Magne keeps pulling, and when he pulls upwards, a gigantic serpent emerges from the water, struggling. Both impressed and terrified, the young man instinctively sends his hammer, and then Jörmungand dives back into the water. The hammer goes underwater, and when Magne reaches out for it to come back, the Serpent leaps up and swallows the hammer. In shock, Magne returns to the Jutuls, surprised that he is still alive.
When Magne has hallucinations of Ragnarok, he sees himself on the battlefield, at the end, facing the Serpent. He sends his hammer and kills the creature, but Jörmungand falls back on him and one of its sharp teeth pierces Magne’s back. As the Serpent is venomous, Magne takes nine steps, as in the writings, before falling while taking his last breath.
Video Games
Jörmungand has inspired several creatures or technologies in video games, which borrow variants of its names, including:
- Final Fantasy VII (1997),
- The Ocean Hunter (1998),
- Age of Mythology (2002),
- Battlestar Galactica Online (2004),
- Final Fantasy XII (2006),
- World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (2008),
- Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008),
- Magicka (2011),
- Pokémon X and Y (2013),
- Final Fantasy XV (2016),
- For Honor (2017),
- God of War 4 (2018),
- Smite (2019),
- God of War Ragnarök (2022)
Collectible Card Games
In the Kaldheim expansion of the Magic: The Gathering card game, released in 2021 and inspired by Norse mythology, the legendary creature Koma, Cosmos Serpent is inspired by Jörmungand.
Amusement Parks
The Thor’s Hammer attraction opened on June 22, 2013, at TusenFryd in Norway. Several mythological beings, including Jörmungandr, Fenrir (a giant wolf), and Surtr (a giant), make appearances during the ride.
References
- Snorri Sturluson; Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist (trans.) (1916). The Prose Edda. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. Gylfaginning ch.LI , p. 109.
- “Gand, seid og åndevind” (PDF).
- Snorri Sturluson (1916) Gylfaginning ch. xlvi, xlvii, pp. 65, 67.
- Snorri Sturluson (1916) Gylfaginning ch. xlviii, pp. 68–70.
- Clunies Ross, Margaret (1989). “Two of Þórr’s Great Fights according to Hymiskviða” (PDF). Leeds Studies in English. 20: 8–10.
- Meulengracht Sørensen (1986) p. 260, (2002) p. 123.
- Meulengracht Sørensen (1986) p. 272, (2002) p. 132.
- Lindow, John (2002) [2001]. “Bound Monster”. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-19-515382-0.
