Tag: #Sea-Serpent

The World Serpent Jörmungandr

The World Serpent was termed Jörmungandr in Norse tales. What did the old  Norse pagans believe the World Serpent represented?

The Serpent represented the Aether, life force of the Cosmos. Scandinavians named it the “Ond“, the life force given to the Earth and all organic creatures.  This Ond creates Megin, the essence of a living, entity not an empty husk. Each person has this Megin essence in us. It gifts us with strength, vitality and power. Ond is the substance that animates matter we call it the soul. This serpent or life force slithers throughout the Earth, some specific areas have more of it like ley lines and places of Pagan temples. Many torn down by Christians and replaced by Churches. This World Serpent life force even flows out of the Earth’s core. The Serpent life force wraps around the Earth to protect it. The symbol of the serpent around the egg represents this in Scandinavian folklore.

The Ancient Orphic Greeks viewed the serpent wrapped around the cosmic egg would hatch Greek deities such as Zeus, Eros, Phanes, they would go on to create more Greek deities.

Jacob Bryant’s Orphic Egg (1774) in public domain. Wikipedia.

330px-Orphic-egg

 

According to Norse mythology in The Prose Edda, the final battle between the sea serpent and Thor will occur at Ragnarök, at a future date. At this time, Jörmungandr will rise out of the sea and poison the sky. Thor will slay Jörmungandr and then walk nine paces before falling dead, having been poisoned by the serpent’s venom.

When you see pictures of Thor or any other pagan or Christian figure slaying the serpent symbolize, ancestral pagans being dominated by Christianity. They created many tales and images like the one below to hammer home this message so to speak.

Remember Snorri Sturluson was a Christian not a Pagan or Heathen.

 

Thor_und_die_MidgardsschlangeArt above: Thor and the Midgard Serpent, Emil Doepler painting in Public Domain.

Conclusion: The World Serpent, serpents or medieval winged dragons, remember they symbolise the Cosmos life force not evil. Illustrations like Thor slaying Jörmungandr or St. George killing the winged dragon depicts Christianity oppressing ancient Pagans and their life force of the Cosmos and the Earth.

 

Written by Nifty Brýn Buckles©2018-2020 All Rights Reserved

 

Sources and Reference:

  • Sørensen, Preben M. (2002). “Þorr’s Fishing Expedition (Hymiskviða)”. In Acker, Paul; Larrington, Carolyne. The Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Mythology. Williams, Kirsten (trans.). Routledge. pp. 119–138. ISBN 0-8153-1660-7.
  • Featured image in Public Domain, artist unknown
  • Snorri Sturluson; Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist (transl.) (1916). Prose Edda. The American-Scandinavian Foundation.