Jormungandr – The sworn enemy of Thor
In Norse mythology, Jormungandr was depicted as a serpent monster. He was described as a long and enormous beast. This giant serpent was also known as the Midgard Serpent or Midgard Worm. He was the son of Loki and giantess Angrboda, which made him become sibling with Fenrir the monstrous wolf and Hel the goddess of death.
According to the myth, Jormungandr was so huge that he could encircle the whole Midgard and hold the end of his tail in his mouth. Jormungandr was always depicted with darkness and black-pitch background. There seemed to be no living things and peace there, only the monstrous giant serpent in his own world and upcoming danger which were unpredictable.
Jormungandr was cast into the deep ocean by Odin and he was just waiting for his time to come. In the myth, when there come the days of Ragnarok, Jormungandr would rise again to destroy his enemies and the whole universe.
Prior to the combat in Ragnarok, Thor and Jormungandr encountered once. On one fishing trip, Thor could have caught Jormungandr with an ox head as a bait if it had not been for Hymir who cut the fishing line in the most decisive moment.
During the Ragnarok, Thor and Serpent Jormungandr were destined to slay each other. As the days of Ragnarok were looming, Loki, Jormungandr, Fenrir, and their army would make their way to Asgard. Fenrir ran with his jaws opening and eating anything in sight while Jormungandr poisoned the world with its venomous breath. Thor and Jormungandr encountered again and they fought as never before. Thor used his hammer – the Mjolnir – to kill the serpent. The Thunder God, however, could not gloriously survive this mortal battle as he was also poisoned by the deadly serpent's venom, which finished his life.
Every detail in Norse mythology has its own value and so does the story of Jormungandr. Considered with a positive look, Jormungandr was a type of character who was set to be lonesome but he rose to occasion and did incredible deeds. Jormungandr to some extent represents creativity, unpredictability, awe, and incredible might. In the myth, Jormungandr was depicted as a dragon-like serpent who ate his own tail encircling Midgard. Moreover, Jormungandr was one of the reasons that triggered off the Ragnarok - the ending and beginning of the world. From these points, people believe that Jormungandr was emblematic of the cycle of destruction and rebirth, of ending and beginning.
