#only Jörmungandr could kill that

[spicylove4ever]

A snake so big that a whole city.... is on its back.......

So we are talking.... this big?

.... but in a snake body....... and Makkaro killed and puppeteered that. THAT. And the Guardian survived fighting that. Not to mention Makkaro transported the body of that huge thing.

What are the size/height of the Titans on MoTH?

Shee Khan is the Titan Snake, and it had a whole city on its back. That should give you an idea.

[infinite-hearts-333]

THE BEAST.

Oura Thorn’s powers are based of a character from a movie, but unfortunately that movie is King Kong Skull Island, so expect scary thing. If your not a fan of death, cannibalism, yummy digestive facts and good scary CGI, i wouldn’t recommend reading the part called “THE INSPIRATION” and skip right to “WHAT IS THE BEAST?”.

The space rider au belongs to @onyxonline

THE INSPIRATION.

Alright! Oura Thorn’s power is based of two entities, the SkullCrawler from King Kong, for body, strength and speed, and Jörmungandr, the world serpent for purpose.

SkullCrawlers were my main source of bodily anatomy guide for the Beast. A massive, horrific bulky beast built like a tank and filled with an unstoppable desire to kill. This creature was intelligent, fast and ruthless. Not to mention metal as hell. The stomach acid in this thing was strong enough that the Skullcrawler eats someone, whole, and then regurgitates the bones thirty minutes later! That’s some strong ass acid. It is described by the Gojipedia that :

“Skullcrawlers are subterranean pack-hunting predators with insatiable appetites that are the results of their heightened metabolisms. Because of this, it is suggested that male and female Skullcrawlers will almost always devour each other after mating. They are highly aggressive, as well as incredibly persistent in pursuing their prey.”

And trust me if you haven’t see the movie, you do NOT wanna end up alone with even one of these freaks.

Jörmungandr is a creature of Norse mythology, also known as the Midgard Serpent or World serpent, and is an unfathomably large sea serpent or worm who dwells in the world sea, encircling the Earth (Midgard) and biting his own tail, an example of an ouroboros. In some scripts and stories- Jörmungandr is described as a Lindworm, which is a subspecies of dragon. Jörmungandr was the middle child of Loki, the Norse trickster god and the giant Angrboða. It was foretold that Odin took Loki’s children and removed them from Asgard. For Jörmungandr, they were tossed into the great ocean that encircles Midgard. There, in the ocean, the serpent grew so large that it could surround earth and grasp its own tail. Jörmungandr and Thor, the Norse thunder god, have a on-going feud and see each other as arch foes. During Ragnarök, Jörmungandr and Thor are foretold to fight each other to the death.

As recounted in Snorri's Gylfaginning:

“The sea will flood and the serpent will thrash onto the land. It will advance, spraying poison to fill the air and water, beside Fenrir, whose eyes and nostrils blaze with fire and whose gape touches the earth and the sky. They will join the sons of Muspell to confront the gods on the plain of Vigrid. Here is where the last meeting between the serpent and Thor is predicted to occur. He will eventually kill Jörmungandr but will fall dead after walking nine paces, having been poisoned by the serpent's deadly venom.”

It is said when Jörmungandr releases its tail is one of the signs of the beginning of Ragnarök (the final battle of the world, or the ‘end of the world as we know it’).

WHAT IS THE BEAST?

The Beast is a bipedal Lindworm with only two frontal limbs and a long thick tail for balance. It is covered in thick armoured plates, with jutting spines down the length of its neck, and the back of its head / cheeks, like Thorn does. Equiped with thick horns and a thicker skull, it can about ram down anything in its path with enough momentum. It is thin and nimble, and tanks a lot more than it looks like it can, using the large muscles in its arms and tail to be able to move fast, or catch prey. Its maw is filled with forward facing teeth, like a canine, but its throat and back of its mouth is filled with backwards facing spines, to grip prey and prevent escaping. Its tongue is long and flexible, capable of snagging someone and dragging them straight into their toothy demise.

The Beast only forces it’s presence when it senses an extreme unbalance in the world around it, forcing itself into control to eradicate any ‘pests’ or ‘weeds’ that would corrupt the survival of the world they are on. Although, just like Jörmungandr, eradicating the pest, also means the ‘end of the world’- destroying large amounts of civilisations, and killing many innocents in the process. Luckily, for Thorn, that hasn’t happened, yet. It is an animal- when it is in control there will be no reaching Oura Thorn, they are good as dead until the Beast has calmed- whether that means tearing the entire base apart to find the lack of balance or not.

However, not is all sorrow and death the minute the Beast is free. Like the World Serpent, there are times where the beast can exist and be calm. Though, usually, it will let Oura Thorn continue with their life by then, and fall back into slumber deep within them. Were a rider to disturb the beast before it slept, it would continue to exist, and often take the time to hunt, or look for a new problem for it to fix, ignoring the little critters around it. (Although, there may be a chance that though Oura Thorn, it may recognise you)

CAN IT BE STOPPED??

In terms of wounding the Beast- it’ll be hard, as a creature designed to force balance to any world.

The beast can’t swim very well, the heavily density of its muscles and bones make it sink and therefore, drowning it. Killing it would be hard in terms of combat, with its armoured scales. Its underbelly is less armoured and the skin along it’s neck where it’s spines emerge are a weak point but good luck getting close enough to touch it. And despite its brutal animalistic behaviour, this creature is smart. Tricking it with poison or having it swallow grenades ain’t gonna work here, just like with the Skullcrawlers. The best bet to killing this thing is having its arms and tail pinned, so it can no longer get away, and then hacking at it.

Keep in mind- if you’re not doing anything bad, and stay away from it, it shouldn’t actively seek out space riders to harm. If you get hurt, you’re in the way, lol.

WELL, IF SPACE RIDERS ARE GOOD, WHY DID IT APPEAR IN THE DOCKS?

Excellent question, figurative person!

Now, I’ve covered how the Beast works, if you’d like, go back to the OG post and see if you can figure out why you think Thorn lost control at the docks.

Ready? Alright. So the Beast only takes the reins when it senses ‘unbalance nature’ around it. Obviously it wasn’t the other staff, not the mail, but the cultists that were mailed to the base. But Infinite! They’re just Critters! Why would that upset the beast?

Another excellent question! The Cultist themselves, didn’t upset the Beast- but rather, the red smoke that they were breathing in.

That is the ‘unbalanced nature’ that has caused thorn to struggle to control themselves and keep the beast contained- the red smoke. And well understood with Onyx’s upload on Z’s planet- that stuff destroyed the entire world!! There is a specific reason that the red smoke is such a massive trigger for the Beast, but that would spoil a plot point I’m holding onto that I’ve been subtly hinting at. So you’ll all know laterrrr ~

WILL THORN BE EVER ABLE TO CONTROL THE BEAST?

No, unfortunately that will never be a reality for Ouřa Thorn :<

I love Thorn very much, but I find overly ‘op’ characters to be too unrealistic in my opinion. Thorn will never be able to control the Beast, or gain any other powers than that. The closest thing to ‘control’ Thorn will ever achieve is being so overwhelmed with one, or a mix of emotions, that it influences the Beast’s actions slightly. This can be seen in the dock accident, were instead of being careless and destroying everything, and probably eating the cultists, The Beast was influenced by Ouřa Thorn’s only two thoughts- to protect the other workers, and to ensure no one got hurt.

Thankfully, those two thoughts were just enough in comparison to the tiny amount of red smoke to keep a full rage at bay, keeping everyone safe.

(However! We do get to watch the Rangers + other critters do there damn best to try help Thorn tame it lol)

WHERE DID IT COME FROM??

There are records of other critters that had Oura Thorn’s power, old talismans and rock craving dating back to eons. Little is understood as to how it started, or why. Some are convinced it’s because of the prototype- the damage that he has caused with the red smoke has awoke a primal magic that is more dangerous than anyone knows.

[infriga]

One Piece 1130 reaction:

okay so some of my theories were immediately proven wrong as expected lol, but what he have learned is interesting.

I'm very curious how authority works in Elbaf, because they revealed something that might otherwise be pretty big when they said they Hajrudin is a prince of Elbaf, but they also said that Dorry and Broggy got to go pick up Luffy instead of him because they had more seniority than him. Loki was also imprisoned by the warriors so his position as Prince didn't grant him any protection from that presumably, though that could be because he, y'know, killed the king. But in the flashbacks with Big Mom on Elbaf we see Hajrudin as a child, and he's not really treated as being particularly special, he's being spoken to as if he was a regular trainee. He formed his own pirate crew who worked for Buggy of all people as mercenaries, and was allowed to join the colluseum on his own without any fuss. Plus he wasn't introduced as a prince of Elbaf at any point even though someone like Elizabello was introduced as the king of Prodence. Also even when celebrating births they celebrated Loki's alongside other children being born in the village. So I wonder if being the king of Elbaf is set up in a way where the royal family still has to earn their authority through their reputation and acts as a warrior over time rather than relying only on their birthright. Maybe the princes have to go out and do impressive things and grow strong as warriors to be acknowledged as ruler. Though Loki seems like he might be stronger than Hajrudin since it took all the warriors of Elbaf to imprison him, yet that didn't earn him their loyalty or respect, maybe because of the acts he's committed being seen as dishonourable like "devoting himself to darkness" and killing his father. Or maybe the royal family in Elbaf are more like figureheads and act as dignitaries or make certain political decisions but otherwise don't hold much authority.

I'm also very curious about Loki. His design wasn't exactly what I expected. He does look like he could be evil, but Oda loves to set up a character to have a bad reputation or look like a bad guy only for them to turn out to be actually pretty great, or misunderstood, or something along those lines. And Luffy coming across Loki so quickly, with Loki being chained up like that, right after we've found out that Nika is also5a mythical figure to giants, and, y'know, is the warrior of liberation, I'm wondering if there's more going on with Loki and he'll turn out to be someone Luffy saves and helps instead. He has started saving princes as well as princesses, if you count Sanji and Momo lol, so maybe he could add Loki to that too. I wonder what the fruit he was said to want was, what purpose it served, and why it was passed down through the royal family. Was it passed down with or without being eaten? Does it tie in to Luffy's fruit somehow? And did Loki manage to eat it yet or did he fail? And we still don't know what Road's deal is or why he was talking like a samurai. Is he connected to Loki somehow? Curioser and curioser.

Possible speculation: could the fruit be related to Norse mythology? Some possibilities are fruits related to Jörmungandr/Níðhöggr, Fenrir, Sol, Sköll, etc, which I think could be potential mythological zoan fruits (since the fruit is said to legendary I'm gonna assume it's a mythological zoan at least for now), how likely some of these are I feel depends on whether Loki will be a good guy or bad guy for the arc.

Or it could go in a completely different direction and the fruit in question could be something entirely different. Oda is known for playing fast and loose with real world mythology after all, sometimes he uses whatever he thinks is cool as an inspiration and then does something completely different from the source material. But it's fun to speculate lol. For example, despite presumably being Loki's brother Hajrudin's name doesn't seem to have anything to do with Norse mythology, and nothing about his design resembles any figures connected to Loki afaik. Though one of his attacks IS named after Odin's spear gungnir, and the "din" part of his name could be based on Odin. But just because Oda references a real world myth, that doesn't mean he's going to have the plot revolve around it. He also isn't opposed to making up new in-game mythological figures, like Nika. For all we know the fruit could be something based within the One Piece world rather than something from real life. So far nothing in Loki's design itself really indicates much to speculate from in either direction tbh.

That said I'd be surprised if the fruit mentioned isn't at least SOME sort of reference to Norse mythology, since he's definitely been referencing it a bunch in the latest chapters and Elbaf is definitely largely inspired by a viking aesthetic, the question is which part of Norse mythology would it reference, and how? Guess we'll find out lol.

[templeofoccultpractices]

Fenrir

Other names: Fenrisúlfr, Hróðvitnir, Vánagandr

Parents: Loki , Angrboða

Siblings: Hel, Jörmungandr

Consort: Angrboða

Offspring: Hati Hróðvitnisson, Sköll

Mythology

*As a disclaimer with mythology. A lot have been lost to time. There are theories and attempts to reconstruct things although we may not truly know. A lot of lore has been Christianized like the Poetic Eddas.*

The Binding of Fenrir

The binding of Fenrir have many iterations and telling. The general story goes that the gods found Loki's children. They feared Fenrir because of his rapid growth. Some instances that Odin feared his fate and trying to delay it. The gods decided that they would bind Fenrir. As in Ragnarok Fenrir would kill Odin.

They threw Jörmungandr into the sea and Hel into Helheimr but they took Fenrir with them to keep an eye on him. Tyr was the only one who approached and fed him. As Fenrir grew the gods decided that he would not stay and tried to trick him into fetters. Fenrir broke every fetter until Skirnir went to the dwarves challenging them to make a chain that he could not break. The dwarves answered this challenge. They made a chain from the sound of a cat's footfall, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, bear's sinews, fish's breath, and bird's spittle. They named this chain Gleipnir.

The gods challenged Fenrir to break Gleipnir but he knew this was a trick. He said that he would do so only if one of the gods would place his right hand in Fenrir's mouth as a pledge to free him if he failed to break the chain. (In Germanic culture, your right hand was used to swear an oath, and oaths were very serious. "oathbreakers" were sent to Náströnd as long with murderers and adulterers.)

Tyr was the one who stepped forward and placed his hand in Fenrir's mouth. But when Fenrir couldn't break free and the gods didn't keep their oath. He bit Tyr's hand off.

Járnviðr

A forest located east of Midgard, inhabited by trollwomen who bore jötnar and giant wolves. 

Gylfaginning

Þá mælti Gangleri: "Skjótt ferr sólin ok nær svá sem hon sé hrædd, ok eigi myndi hon þá meir hvata göngunni, at hon hræddist bana sinn."

Þá svarar Hárr: "Eigi er þat undarligt, at hon fari ákafliga. Nær gengr sá, er hana sækir, ok engan útveg á hon nema renna undan."

Þá mælti Gangleri: "Hverr er sá, er henni gerir þann ómaka?"

Hárr segir: "Þat eru tveir úlfar, ok heitir sá, er eftir henni ferr, Skoll. Hann hræðist hon, ok hann mun taka hana. En sá heitir Hati Hróðvitnisson, er fyrir henni hleypr, ok vill hann taka tunglit, ok svá mun verða."

Þá mælti Gangleri: "Hverr er ætt úlfanna?"

Hárr segir: "Gýgr ein býr fyrir austan Miðgarð í þeim skógi, er Járnviðr heitir. Í þeim skógi byggja þær tröllkonur, er Járnviðjur heita. In gamla gýgr fæðir at sonum marga jötna ok alla í vargs líkjum, ok þaðan af eru komnir þessir úlfar. Ok svá er sagt, at af ættinni verðr sá einna máttkastr, er kallaðr er Mánagarmr. Hann fyllist með fjörvi allra þeira manna, er deyja, ok hann gleypir tungl, en stökkvir blóði himin ok loft öll. Þaðan týnir sól skini sínu, ok vindar eru þá ókyrrir ok gnýja heðan ok handan. 

Then said Gangleri: "The sun fares swiftly, and almost as if she were afraid: she could not hasten her course any the more if she feared her destruction." Then Hárr made answer: "It is no marvel that she hastens furiously: close cometh he that seeks her, and she has no escape save to run away." Then said Gangleri: "Who is he that causes her this disquiet?" Hárr replied: "It is two wolves; and he that runs after her is called Skoll; she fears him, and he shall take her. But he that leaps before her is called Hati Hródvitnisson. He is eager to seize the moon; and so it must be." Then said Gangleri: "What is the race of the wolves?" Hárr answered: "A witch dwells to the east of Midgard, in the forest called Ironwood: in that wood dwell the troll-women, who are known as Ironwood-Women. The old witch bears many giants for sons, and all in the shape of wolves; and from this source are these wolves sprung. The saying runs thus: from this race shall come one that shall be mightiest of all, he that is named Moon-Hound; he shall be filled with the flesh of all those men that die, and he shall swallow the moon, and sprinkle with blood the heavens and all the air; thereof shall the sun lose her shining, and the winds in that day shall be unquiet and roar on every side

Völuspá

40. Austr sat in aldna í Járnviði ok fæddi þar Fenris kindir; verðr af þeim öllum einna nokkurr tungls tjúgari í trölls hami.

In the east sat the old woman in Iron-wood and gave birth there to Fenrir's offspring; one of them in trollish shape shall be snatcher of the moon.

Thursatru and Rökkatru

Anticosmic Norse Paganism or Thursian sorcery venerates the Thursian giants. This is a Left Handed Path tradition. In the Thursian tradition Fenrir represents primal forces and chaos.

Definition of Anticosmic

Anti-Cosmic Satanism, also known as Chaos-Gnostic Satanism and Anti-Cosmic Gnosticism, is a belief system that believes that the Demiurge imprisoned humans with Cosmic Chains, holding us back from our true freedom in Chaos and Limitlessness. It believes that through the liberation of our mortal chains, we will once more return to Tohu/Ain - nothingness

The Aesir representing the Demiurge powers. Ragnarok freeing the chains and bringing everything back to the Ginnungagap.

The Thursar, the Old Norse primordial Giants, are seen as the more destructive forces raised against that cosmic order of the creation even into the given final culmination of Ragnarök or Ragnarökkr.

Abby Helasdottir coined the term Rökkatru. This is separate from the Thursian path.

Rökkatru's primary focus was the third pantheon of underworld Gods. These include Hela, Loki, Angrboda, Sigyn, Fenrir, Jormundgand, Narvi and Vali, Surt, Mordgud, and Mengloth, among others.

Working with Fenrir

*Please know basic protections and energy work before attempting any deity work.*

Offerings: Blood (when making oaths), Dragonsblood, Frankincense, Meat,

Rituals

⬩ Some practitioners can do a ritual to Fenrir to initiate under him when ready. This is not recommended for those not ready and or those who have any doubts about it. Breaking this oath as with any oaths for other deities will result in consequences.

⬩ A blót for Fenrir. Offer him the finest of meat.

⬩ Ritual for strength

⬩ Thursian rituals

Altar

Set up an altar/sacred space for performing rituals or giving offerings. Items may include

⬩Altar cloth

⬩Candles (color doesn't matter, black is fine)

⬩Cup or chalice

⬩Incense and incense burner

⬩Offering bowl

⬩Statues of Fenrir, wolf statue. Carvings of his name in runes. ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ

For more information on basic deity work and altar setups check out the deity work post

Experience

In my personal experience in talking to people who worked with Fenrir. I've met a practioner who didn't think Loki was Fenrir's father. That Fenrir is not bound. He doesn't appear to be bound. He answers those who are strong and come in time of need. He is distant and quiet at first but will become more vocal over time.

I have also come across ideas of a priest and priestess of Fenrir. Priestess having deep connections with him. This tied into the concept that priestess had intimate and deep connections to gods and those of primal and primordial nature. Priest had deep connections to goddesses. This concept is in Greek mythology and heiros gamos.

Fenrir the one of primordial fire, chaos and the primal current. The one who is a shapeshifter. Father of wolves. Looks for those who are strong for he sees true strength. A test, a trial for those who are true. He is a serious deity. He sends a storm in his blessing.

For more content follow my main blog to see posts about all kinds of occult/pagan/witchcraft related stuff

If you have any other questions or wish to join a community feel free to join my 18+ occult server

Ask me anything on my blog

[stranger-rants]

Thinking about Jötunn Billy thanks to @thediktatortot.

Billy formed by the sea and washed up ashore as a baby. He’s a tiny, helpless little thing when his adoptive mother finds him. Unable to have children of her own, she prayed for a child to be delivered to her. She visited the shore every day. The nine daughters of Ægir and Rán heard her prayers, forming the baby out of clay and seaweed and salt, molding him in their waves until he is perfect, beautiful, hair golden and eyes marine. When she brought the baby back home, her husband Neil was ‘delighted’… but unbeknownst to her, he was the reason she could not carry children. He had been given a prophesy that his first born son would end his life, so he had a witch curse his wife never to bear children.

Neil tried every which way to get rid of the baby, but Billy survived every trial. First, he tried to return Billy to the sea but he was spat back out. When he was a little bit older, Neil tried to throw him down a waterfall. Billy was carried by fish back to their home. This continued throughout his life, but he grew bigger and stronger and more and more powerful with every hurdle he overcame but Neil grew more reckless and desperate too. Billy’s mother had fallen ill - or rather she had been poisoned by Neil. Neil advised him that the only way to cure her was to acquire a scale from the back of the legendary sea serpent Jörmungandr. Billy would do anything for his mother, and so he accepted the challenge… on the condition that Neil help steer the boat.

Hubris getting the better of him, of course Neil agreed. He could easily stab and kill Billy, throwing him overboard miles away from the shore. His mother didn’t really need the serpent’s scale. It was a mild poison. She would heal in time. Billy and Neil set out on their journey. Billy spoke to the waves, the fish, and the rain, asking where he could find the serpent. Figuring they were far enough out at sea, Neil brought his knife out from under his cloak while Billy’s back was turned. He had been looking at someone or something in the water. Talking to it, when he saw Neil’s reflection on the surface of the water - the knife raised above him. Neil looked down in horror at giant pale eyes and silvery scales. Sensing the danger Billy was in, Jörmungandr lifted himself out of the water and swallowed Neil whole.

Billy was merely asking the serpent for a loose scale when Neil came up behind him. It turns out the prophesy was much less, your firstborn will kill you and more your pursuit to kill your firstborn will kill you.

The end.

[starzgaze]

FILE 07: JÖRMUNGANDR

Name: Ophion ERROR256

Age: 26

Ethnicity: Filipino

Family: Yi Byeom-ho (Step-father)

Giselle Soriano (Biological Mother)

Occupation: Biomedical Engineer, part-time seamstress, archivist

"The pursuit of knowledge isn't for the weak..I mean look where it landed me in" —Ophion

Ophion is a Biomedical Engineer who mostly takes after their mother who's a S-Rank hunter (healer type) but refuses to be evaluated. Though the powerful healing ability runs in their family, their estimated strength for healing only caps at A-rank but is later on changed after taking their mother's advice seriously. They moved in to Korea after their mother remarried Yi Byeom-ho at the age of 10 years old and was bullied for their features. They grew up insecure but it didn't stall their HUNGER for knowledge and continued to learn.

✧✦✧✦

This became the catalyst for them to absorb some... very questionable knowledge and forcibly become an archivist, a position that was left by the 'Absolute one' to be taken supposedly by one of the rules but they were killed before anything or anyone could take in the position. Ophion was unfortunate enough to be the one to take this position and both comprehensible and incomprehensible knowledge went inside of their mind from the past and the future. This was proven by a small note that was left for whoever taken the position from the 'Absolute one' that they should continue to archive anything especially THINGS that isn't expected or is an ERROR in the system.

(this part is stilll errrrrr kinda wonky mostly because I'm not sure when in their life it should happen especially how it should affect their relationship with Jinwoo)

also extra how ophion is with sjw

[snicklesnek]

Silly Game Time: Who are some of your favorite reptile characters? And what do you like about them?

They could be fully a real reptile (snakes, lizards, crocodilians--heck I'll even let you include amphibians like frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders if you want), partially reptile (like naga a partially humans and dragons are partually anything else), humanoid from fantasy or sci-fi (kobolds or silurians, etc.), or something else entirely. All that matters is that they're reptilain or reptoid.

There's an npc that's been with the party since probably session 2 or 3 of a DND campaign I'm in named Lute. He's a 2 ft tall kobold bard that's constantly crying and overwhelmed by whatever situation we're in, and is inexplicably an absurdly talented bard. I think he's only supposed to be level 3 while the rest of the party is level 5, but he's rolled at least 2 or 3 nat 20 performance checks.

I'm also just a big reptile and amphibian enjoyer in general. Snakes are adorable, lizards and newts are goofy little guys, and axolotls are immortal.

That said, the Jörmungandr from norse mythology is sick as hell. Basically, if you're unfamiliar with the story, Loki had 3 children with a giantess. One was a wolf named Fenrir, another the goddess Hel who nursed those who died of illness or old age, and Jörmungandr, a snake that the gods tossed into the sea, where it grew to be big enough to wrap around the earth and swallow its own tail. It became mortal enemies with the god of thunder, Thor, and it is said they will have their final battle during Ragnarök. I just feel like they perfectly describe the entirety of norse mythology with how nonsensical their story is, while simultaneously being kind of awesome. Like, they're a literal snake born from the god of mischief and a giantess that was thrown into the ocean and somehow grew to be bigger than the world itself? But also it's the one being capable of rivaling Thor, and may well kill him when the time comes.

[wickedsrest-rp]

Name: Leviathan Species: Human / Demon Occupation: Owner of Mephisto’s Repository Age: ??? (Looks about 34) Played by: Elliott Face Claim: Can Yaman

"There are plenty of good deeds only devils can commit. Keep an open mind, baby."

The being had been birthed with the rest of the universe, snapped into existence with no sense of what or where it was, screaming from what could have passed for a mouth, or… mouths. Then came a static hum that ripped through its neural pathways, soothing and coaxing it into a deep, dreamless sleep. One that went on for ages while the galaxies formed themselves into swirling smatterings of light in the inky, black void, the formless creature floating weightless and aimless through the stars. Until an unseen force called out to it, wreathing it in a brilliant glow and pulling it from the eternal slumber. Lights danced in front of what might have been eyes, swirling and stretching until a hole had appeared—a hole to somewhere new. The creature let itself slip into the illuminated, gaping maw, realizing with mild interest that it was no longer floating, but falling. Below it, an expanse of something blue that waved this way and that grew larger. And with a deafening crash, the massive beast slammed into its very first ocean. Dormant instincts kicked to life, and sapience was its reward.

That was a long time ago, but the creature could still recall the first cool, salty embrace of seawater that had wrenched it from its hibernation. It had made something of itself since then, mastering the abilities that had been bestowed upon it and using them to contact worlds with sentient life—in other words, entertainment. One world in particular had piqued the being’s interest, and as a result of the many trips it would make to that dimension, it had earned itself many names. Kraken, Cthulhu, Cetus, Scylla, Jörmungandr… and its favorite and perhaps the most recent—Leviathan. None of them were true, of course, none of them were the name that had been whispered in its mind on the day of its birth, but they would suffice. 

The humans—as they called themselves—were needy little things. And Leviathan, well, it was a generous benefactor. Of course there was something delightful about finding new, exciting ways to turn their own words against them. The way their self-satisfied grins would slip into a look of horror, or anger, or best of all, misery… Leviathan would subsist on that alone, if it could. This game went on for centuries until finally, stories of sea demons like the Leviathan fell out of favor with the majority of the population. And with this new rise of skepticism came a distinct lack of entertainment for the creature, or demon as it had been titled, which simply wouldn’t do. So it did what must be done and began the long, arduous process of acclimating itself to this new generation of humanity.

Things tend to get boring when life stretches out limitlessly in front of you. How many new experiences could the world possibly offer? Leviathan was thinking this to itself as it strangled the presumptuous woman that had summoned it from its home dimension, to demand power and everlasting life. Things the demon could give, to be certain, but her tone was sour; the vitriol with which she commanded the otherworldly being to bend to her will because she’d dialed the right interstellar phone number didn’t sit quite right in the pit of Leviathan’s stomach. So it killed her and her husband, and stared down at the little babbling child that was being offered in exchange for their own longevity. New experiences… it certainly hadn’t ever given this a try, it thought as it picked up the child and braced them against its now-human hip. A hand pressed to the babe’s chest, their ribcage glowing as the language as ancient as Leviathan itself was etched into bone, bonding them. Giving the child a small bit of the power that Leviathan harbored, just for the hell of it. Just to see what would happen. 

That was around thirty years ago. As the child grew, so did their power, and interestingly… Leviathan’s seemed to wax and wane. Assuming a human identity to better raise the tainted little hellion, the demon found itself shackled with emotions it had never previously experienced, realizing too late that in binding the child to itself, it had built a bridge between them that ushered the flow of demonic power in both directions. After Leviathan helped a human friend of its child defeat the greater demon that controlled their family via a cult, this bridge had to be destroyed in order for it to safely escape from this reality. It took back the power it had given the child and fled, knowing that more of its own ilk would be scrambling to ‘correct’ the behavior of the demon-killer. 

They found it, and did indeed design a method of punishing the breaking of this unspoken rule. There was no precedent for such a crime, for the greater demons had never thought of any of their actions as crimes, but they had also never feared for their own existence. Leviathan was sent back to Wicked’s Rest with a new, secret purpose. If it broke the deal it had been forced into, the punishment would be the shackles of a mantle that Leviathan had no interest in accepting, valuing its own freedom above all else.

Character Facts:

Personality: Predatory, dissolute, insensitive, volatile, impulsive, confident, protective, persuasive, charming

It has assumed the legal identity of one Chuck Jones and will refer to itself as such with strangers and acquaintances. Only those who know it quite well will call it Levi or Leviathan. Same goes with the pronouns. To most, the demon is ‘he’ or ‘they’, and it has no problem with that. It may refer to itself this way even around those that know of its true nature. 

Even in this dimension and in a human disguise, Leviathan retains its understanding of every single dead and living human language, and can respond to someone in any tongue spoken to it. This also includes the vast library of demonic tongues that have existed long before humans.

It has the ability to create verbal and written contracts with those who are willing—in exchange for whatever it deems appropriate at the time, though there is some speculation that it is collecting souls just like the old stories say. This has been turned into a rather successful business model, which Leviathan runs out of a shop of oddities called ‘Mephisto’s Repository’. On its face, it is a tourist trap that sells ‘cursed’ items, but for those who are in the know, there is a red door that leads to the back where magic deals are struck.

Despite being as old as time itself and definitely infinitely wise (definitely), Leviathan has been significantly influenced by humans and their culture and has unconsciously adopted many of their habits and quirks. It appears deeply unserious when compared to its own kind, which has always been a source of irritation for other greater demons. Leviathan doesn’t think of it as embarrassing though, it just thinks humans are neat!

Just because someone asks for something doesn’t mean Leviathan will give it. It may be all-powerful (right?) but it’s still a demon, and will still require hefty sacrifices for hefty requests. Or it may flat out refuse. Why should it have to be constantly working for the benefit of others? That doesn’t seem fair.

It LOVES mangoes and mango-flavored foods. It goes wild for that shit. If you catch it on a really good day, a mango flavored treat might just be enough to strike a deal.

[emeraldxphoenix]

information on my Loki and how they link into the original Norse mythology below the cut

While I mostly follow the MCU set up for Loki and Asgard, I do incorporate some elements of Norse mythology into Loki’s backstory, which will be standard unless otherwise stated:

Parentage

Very different from the mythology. Loki was rescued stolen as a child during the sacking of Jötunheim, and raised by Odin and Frigga as a prince of Asgard. Their father was Laufey, king of Jötunheim, and their birth mother remains completely unknown to them while they live on the timelines. 

In my verse associated with the Loki TV series, the god searches the timelines after his ascension and discovers that his birth mother was a witch named Fárbauti, a witch from Nornheim.

Note that the surname Loki claims as theirs varies depending on the verse and point in their life, but in all later verses they take up the name Friggason, after the only parent they respect and want to be associated with.

Sigyn

I love Sigyn far too much to leave her out of Loki’s story. Sigyn is trickster’s lover and fiancee, and mother to two of their children. When Loki is bound in the mouth of a cave under the dripping of a serpent’s venom, Sigyn faithfully stays by their side to catch the venom in a bowl so it will not harm them (as per mythology). However, (unlike mythology) Loki’s escape from their binding does not result in Ragnarok, but in the escape of the serpent, who consequently kills Sigyn. Loki blames themselves for Sigyn’s death for the rest of their life.

Children

Since Hela and Fenrir are already accounted for in the MCU, I will not be including them as Loki’s children, but I will include their four others:

Jörmungandr, the world serpent. Conceived accidentally (and not in their Asgardian form) with the giantess and witch Angrboda, Loki does their best to keep this child a secret. Only Odin knows of Jörmungandr, and he elected to banish the serpent to Midgard before he could grow large enough to be a threat. He is still alive, but Loki has no contact and rarely thinks about him.

Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse. Note that Loki is Sleipnir’s mother, not father. In order to trick a travelling builder into losing a wager, Loki shapeshifted into a mare to lure away the builder’s horse, Svadilfair, and prevent him from completing his work. As a result, Loki birthed Sleipnir, a horse with significant speed and stamina, who can cross realms with ease. Due to his usefulness and the desire to keep this story quiet, Odin takes Sleipnir as his steed. Although Sleipnir was only a dumb beast, Loki remains bitter that he was treated in this way.

Vali, Loki’s eldest twin son with Sigyn. As punishment for Loki’s misdeeds, Odin transforms Vali into a wolf. Although the spell was intended to be for a short time only, the punishment backfires when Vali in wolf form kills his brother. Vali then continues to attack other Asgardians, and is killed as a consequence. Loki stole the body away to put to rest in private, fearing Vali would not be permitted a normal Asgardian funeral. Loki never forgave Odin for his part in this.

Narfi, Loki’s youngest twin son with Sigyn. Narfi was killed by his brother, Vali, after Odin turned him into a wolf. Loki stole the body away to put to rest in private, fearing Narfi would not be permitted a normal Asgardian funeral. Loki never forgave Odin for his part in this.

[atrumvox]

Fenrir: The Terrifying Son of Loki in Norse Mythology

Fenrir, the giant wolf of Norse mythology, is one of the most powerful and menacing figures in Viking culture. As the son of the trickster god Loki and the giantess Angrboða, Fenrir is destined to play a crucial role in Ragnarok, the end of the world according to Norse beliefs. In this article, we will explore Fenrir's origins, his connection with the gods, and his role in the final destruction, delving into the symbolism that surrounds this legendary creature.

The Origins of Fenrir

Fenrir, also known as Fenrisúlfr, is one of the three offspring of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. His siblings are Hel, the goddess of the underworld, and Jörmungandr, the giant serpent that encircles the world. From birth, Fenrir demonstrated extraordinary strength and rapid growth, to the point where the gods began to fear his destructive potential. Despite the gods' attempts to raise and control Fenrir in Asgard, his untamable nature and growing power made him increasingly dangerous.

To prevent the prophecies, which indicated that Fenrir would be responsible for Odin's death during Ragnarok, the gods decided to bind him with chains. They began with two chains called Leyding and Dromi, but Fenrir easily broke them, demonstrating his immense strength. Finally, the gods commissioned the dwarves to forge Gleipnir, a magical chain made of mystical materials like the sound of a cat's footsteps and the breath of a fish. This chain, despite its fragile appearance, was indestructible and specifically designed to restrain the wolf.

The Capture and Imprisonment of Fenrir

The gods presented Gleipnir to Fenrir as a challenge to his strength, attempting to trick him into allowing himself to be bound. However, Fenrir, suspicious of their intentions, agreed to be bound only if one of the gods placed their hand in his mouth as a sign of good faith. The god Týr, known for his bravery, volunteered, fully aware that he would lose his hand. When Fenrir realized he could not break Gleipnir, he bit off Týr's hand, marking a pivotal moment in Norse mythology.

Fenrir was then chained on a remote island, with Gleipnir tied to a heavy rock to prevent him from moving. The gods also placed a sword in his mouth to prevent him from biting, leaving him there until the day of Ragnarok. However, this imprisonment was not permanent: the prophecies foretold that Fenrir would eventually break free at the end of time, unleashing a series of catastrophic events.

Fenrir's Role in Ragnarok

Ragnarok is the apocalyptic event in Norse mythology during which the entire world will be destroyed and renewed. Fenrir plays a central role in this catastrophe. According to the prophecies, the giant wolf will break free from his chains and join the giants and other forces of chaos to confront the gods of Asgard. In the final battle, Fenrir will kill Odin by swallowing him whole, but he will be killed in turn by Odin's son, Víðarr, who will avenge his father's death. This duel between Fenrir and Víðarr represents the ultimate confrontation between chaos and order.

Symbolism and Interpretations of Fenrir

Fenrir represents many things in Norse mythology. He symbolizes uncontrollable chaos, a force that even the gods cannot fully tame. His imprisonment reflects the gods' attempt to control destiny and maintain order, but also the recognition that chaos is inevitable. Týr's sacrifice to restrain Fenrir highlights the theme of necessary sacrifice to uphold the cosmic balance.The legend of Fenrir remains a powerful symbol of the conflict between order and chaos, influencing numerous works in modern culture. The figure of Fenrir appears in literature, films, and games, often depicted as an unstoppable destructive force that challenges the established order. This symbolism keeps his legend alive, making him one of the most iconic figures in Norse mythology.

Fenrir, the wolf son of Loki, embodies one of the most fascinating and dramatic myths of Norse mythology. His story of power, betrayal, and inevitable destiny offers deep insights into the beliefs and values of the Norse people. Fenrir is not just a symbol of destruction but also represents the indomitable force of chaos and the eternal cycle of life and death. His legend continues to live on, demonstrating the enduring influence of Norse mythology on contemporary culture.

[theguyinthemathexamples]

This kinda reminds me of Jörmungandr, aka the World Serpent or Midgard (basically the Earth in Norse Cosmology) Serpent.

(some spoilers ahead)

Y'know, that one snake in Norse Mythology that is said to circle around the world? The one who people say to be the guardian of the edge of the world, leading to you going back to where you started if you traveled around the world?

Yea, that snake.

Jörmungandr is regarded as an/the "Ouroboros", which is often used as the symbol of the "eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth". If you're not aware, an/the Ouroboros basically looks like a snake biting its own tail.

Fun fact: The skin shedding of the serpent is said to symbolize the movement of the soul into another body after death, while a snake biting its own tail is considered a fertility symbol. Maybe there's a random ancient book or common saying in Teyvat for that, who knows.

Ouroboros is, as some of you may know, is said to be the "great imaginary serpent" in Ekanomiya, a made-up deity that was worshipped alongside Orobashi, who is basically the big ass skeleton you see in Yashiori Island.

Maybe they were worshipped by Ekanomiya's ancestors due to a rumour going around that they were Your "child", who knows.

And now, as few of you may know, Ouroboros is the constellation name for our good ol' boughkeeper, Dainsleif.

Now, some of you may be asking from behind the screen (yes, I became self aware too), "What does Dainsleif have to do with this?" And honestly, I have no idea either.

Maybe it was because I came across it while making this and just decided to bring it up, maybe it was an idea I had of him being born after Khaenri'ah received an unknown "divination" that an event called "Ragnarök" was going to happen in a few dozen years.

MAYBE THAT'S WHY HIS PARENTS LITERALLY NAMED HIM "Dead Legacy" LMAO-

ahem

Ragnarök is basically a phenomenon wherein the "final battle of the world" will begin. Considering the Tsaritsa is going to wage war on Celestia soon, maybe that's when we'll release our tail and step in. (iykyk)

Though, at the time, maybe it only happened because of that one fishing thing with Thor. The story in a nutshell goes like this: Thunder God™ wants and goes further out to sea, even though the giant who was controlling the boat said no to. Thunder God™ uses big ox head as bait because giant didn't want to give him any bait and actually manages to reel Big And Long Serpent™(aka us, in this case) out of the water, much to giant's horror. Thunder God™ grabs hammer to kill Big And Long Serpent™ but doesn't succeed because giant cut the fishing line, returning it to its original position around the world.

Maybe we could twist the story to fit with Teyvat. As in, like, Thunder God is now Ei, and the giant controlling the boat either be Sasayuri(that one hot friend of Ei's with the tengu mask) or Makoto, though I'm leaning into it being Sasayuri. We stop biting our tail, (probably) causing a quick Ragnarök event (aka the Cataclysm) to happen a few months or years after which results in her sister and friends getting drafted 🤗🤗

Yes, we will ignore the other stuff Thor did to Jörmungandr for the sake of Teyvat.

A Creator!reader who curled around Tevyat from above,sleeping and resting while also protecting thier most beloved creation. They were known as "The watcher",and all the texts around them focused on thier watchful and protective gaze. No one knows what they look like,because they have no true form.

Creator,no,watcher reader who saw the twins enter the world. Who decided to decend to keep a closer eye on the traveller.

Creator reader who has eyes everywhere. From the gatekeeper (the one who stopped the traveller from leaving),to the fairy they sent to keep eyes on the traveller. They can see you.

No matter where you are.

[oneshortdamnfuse]

It’s not just HOW Ragnarok (Netflix) introduced Jörmungandr that is so wild to me, but that they introduced Jörmungandr at all that gets me. Like, the World Serpent is the ONLY being capable of defeating Thor and the fact that Magne’s brother of all people brought it into the world makes me insane like the narrative power that that has moving forward oh my GOD The DRAMA! The CONFLICT! Legendary.

[a-d-nox]

jörmungandr, the world serpent (asteroid 471926)

paid reading options: astrology menu & cartomancy menu

enjoy my work? help me continue creating by tipping on ko-fi or paypal. your support keeps the magic alive!

Jörmungandr is the son of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Jörmungandr and his siblings, Hel and Fenrir, were living in Jotunheim when a prophecy was brought forth to Odin that one of the children of Loki would cause devastation in the future. With this knowledge Odin ordered that they be removed from the enemy land of the giants while they were young; Jörmungandr was hurled into the sea by Odin, Odin had hoped that the ocean would destroy the serpent. Jörmungandr grew to be an extremely large serpent as he consumed the sea - he was so large that he could encircle the entire world. Jörmungandr is often thought of as the original ouroboros. Jörmungandr is considered the archenemy of Thor. Thor's hatred of the creature stems from a myth in which Thor and company visited the land of the giants - the gods came to the gates of a castle but could not open the gates. The bars were luckily widely spaced in the land of the giants, so they were able to slip in - the king of the castle was put off by their unexpected arrival and said to them if they wanted hospitality, they would have to complete three tasks. Lift the king's cat from the ground - Thor was incapable of completing the task, he was only capable of lifting a paw from the ground. The next task was to drink the entirety of the castle's drinking horn - Thor who normally could handle his drink was not capable of completing this task again. Thor was irate and demanded that he fight one of the king's fiercest warriors as the final task. The king stated he could fight the castle's nurse who was an old woman - he failed this task too. The king confessed to them that he had used magic to trick the gods: the cat was Jörmungandr who Thor nearly pulled from the ocean, the horn was linked to the ocean and Thor nearly drained the ocean, and the old woman was actually the personification of age which no one has ever beaten. Thor was angered by this and went to swing at the king, but the king and his castle disappeared; from then on the king and Jörmungandr were considered enemies of Thor. Some believe this king was Loki in disguise who was attempting to free his son from his confinement. In one myth recounted in Prose Edda, Thor fishes for the serpent and fails to pull him up and kill him. During Ragnarök all three of Loki's children would join the chaos and battle against the gods - Jörmungandr would be killed by Thor at this battle, but Thor is thought to have died from one of Jörmungandr's poisonous bite. IN MY OPINION Jörmungandr in a chart can symbolize a) unknown and unexpected transformation, b) where you are large than most things, c) where people constantly try to end you, d) your connection to the ocean, and/or e) how banishment changes you.

i encourage you to look into the aspects of jörmungandr along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of jörmungandr AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede jörmungandr!

OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: loke (4862), odin (3989), wodan (2155), donar (2176), thora (299), hela (699), and hel (949).

have ideas for new content? please use my “suggest a post topic” button! 

return to nox’s guide to metaphysics

return to the masterlist of norse myths & legends

[glouris]

What I tell myself when I get sad about Heimdall being gone, tinfoil hat edition

First of all, please note that I’m delusional and this should be taken as a collection of cool little details and theories, not as proof that the mf will be back in the next game. You never know of course, but don’t let me set you up for disappointment. 

So. Weirdly enough, Heimdall seems to have parallels with, you’ll never guess it, Garm. Kratos’ confrontations with them go very similarly: he is put against them because of Atreus, who persuades Kratos not to kill them, attempts at pacifying them go poorly, and Kratos does kill them after all. By choking them. Both lie on their sides afterwards. 

While Kratos and Atreus are chasing Garm, his appearances are followed by Atreus asking about the spear, or them discussing Heimdall - it’s a constant back and forth. And, as far as I remember, Garm is the only boss in the game, apart from Heimdall himself, that uses the spear as a mandatory gimmick. 

Garm’s ability to make realm tears made me wonder why we never see Heimdall travel by Bifrost. We see regular einherjar soldiers do it, but Heimdall only travels with Hugin. Why? He’s supposed to be the closest to Bifrost, be able to use it in its full capacity and then some. Is he being restricted, or is it just a minor plot inconsistency? Either way, Garm’s realm tears could have paralleled Heimdall’s Bifrost, especially when in some interpretations the mythological Heimdall is the personification of Yggdrasil - the man is THE realm travel. I guess the gow version is still a master of realm shifts. And Bifrost's guardian. 

What I’m getting at with all that Garm deal is that if this parallel is not something that I just clowned myself into and is a legit thing, then shouldn’t Garm’s resurrection and his transformation into Fenrir be foreshadowing for Heimdall’s return? Or not, and the parallel is only about Atreus carelessly causing something, which Kratos then ends. I really don’t know.

Then again, the situation with another pair of wolves, Sköll and Hati, happens because Heimdall steals the moon holding relic from Helheim. Their episode is followed by his, as well as the fight with him happens right after you summon Sköll to clear a path into Heimdall’s boss arena. A bit too much coincidental plot intersections involving Heimdall, legendary wolves and Helheim for my taste.

And, my personal favorite - the gow 2018 horn mystery. Full clown makeup here, but I think it would be cool if that was Heimdall, somehow. Giants called him “ᚺᛟᚱᚾᛒᛖᚱᛁ” (“horn bearer” in my sloppy translation) on Atreus’ mural, and he was prophesied to sound Gjallarhorn to open all paths and start Ragnarok. He didn’t get to, as we all know. But you see, the Giants seem to have this tendency of being right even when they are wrong. The prophecy said that Tyr, the god of war, will unite the realms and lead the armies against Odin. Tyr didn’t get to, but Kratos, another god of war, did. The prophecy said that Atreus’ father will die in his hands. Kratos didn’t, Odin, the All-Father, did. 

If Heimdall was meant to sound the horn, perhaps he will, perhaps he did. When Jörmungandr is called with the horn, the water drops, revealing new paths. Kratos was carrying Atreus to Freya when they heard the horn, and was going to Helheim afterwards (again with the Helheim, I swear) to get what they need to save the boy. If it was really Heimdall, then that falls right into what the prophecy said: sound the horn, open the path (water drops after the serpent moves, new paths are open, + the boat by Freya’s house is washed ashore, where Kratos reveals to Atreus that they are gods), start Ragnarok (save Atreus, who’s always the one that puts the events into motion - Baldur’s death, Sköll and Hati chasing his arrow, Kratos fighting Heimdall and getting Gjallarhorn, which then calls Surtr… you get it. Heimdall is the one that pointed it out too, and was right). Plus, there’s definetly a mural behind him on his promo, so idk maybe it’s not THAT far of a reach. He has to have this mural there for something, right? 

So yeah, I’m somewhere at my bargaining stage of grief. I’ll be accepting that he’s not coming back only when Santa Monica throws it in my face by not even mentioning him in Atreus’ game.

[thorraborinn]

In Norse beliefs, what does the snake symbolise? (Not Jormungand)

I can see why someone would think there would be a straightforward answer to this, but there really isn't. With how often snakes and dragons and stuff are depicted in Norse art they probably conveyed some kind of meaning that was understandable to others at the time, but we can only make guesses. Snakes occur in the literature a lot, but usually the meaning of their appearance is "there was a snake there." While they do seem to sometimes indicate other meanings as well, it isn't consistent through the literature and you have to examine how it's being done in context each time.

Old Icelandic literature mostly only talks about venomous snakes, so there is a constant underlying assumption that if a snake is mentioned, it's dangerous. Swedish folk tradition (it seems also Norwegian, but less well-attested as far as I can tell) also has strongly positive associations with non-venomous snakes, but I'll cover literary depictions in Old Icelandic first and briefly describe folk tradition at the end.

The most archetypal snake isn't Jörmungandr, but Fáfnir. Jörmungandr is usually just Jörmungandr and nothing else; Fáfnir is much more likely to be invoked when there's, like, a regular snake, or some gold, or something else that isn't actually Fáfnir. To be clear, we don't know that he was always pictured as a "snake" and not a "dragon" or something else. The word ormr means everything from an earthworm up to the dragon that killed Beowulf (Old English wyrm). There are other words they could use to specify (höggormr 'adder; poisonous snake,' snákr 'snake'; naðra 'adder, viper') but the latter two are used mostly in poetry, and since Norse literature rarely talks about non-poisonous snakes, there's little need to distinguish ormr from höggormr in this context. Fáfnir is symbolically polyvalent -- he can just as easily be made to stand for greed (for the Rheingold) as for knowledge/wisdom (extracted from him by Sigurðr in Fáfnismál; and eating his heart gives Sigurðr further knowledge, specifically the ability to understand the speech of birds).

Óðinn transforms into a snake in the process of stealing/reclaiming the mead of poetry. It doesn't seem a stretch to say that Norse people might have associated serpents with knowledge not normally accessible to humans, and which might be risky to acquire, such as that also associated in the myths with waking the dead in order to question them. But I'm not seeing enough that we can dispense with the "might" in that sentence.

Elsewhere in Norse literature, such as the rune poems, kennings refer to gold as "bed" or "path" of "a serpent." It can be hard to tell whether there was a widespread understanding of snakes resting on gold (maybe referring to them being subterranean?) or whether they're using poetic language to invoke Fáfnir and/or gold-hoarding lindworms (such as the one slain by Ragnarr loðbrók, whence his name loðbrók, taken from the shaggy pants he wore to protect him from the serpent's bite). Either way, because Nordic poetic language allows interchange between members of a category, any snake you see in the woods can be referred to through reference to Fenrir, and they other way around, so that serpents and gold are always connected in poetic language.

The presence of ormar can indicate decay; it can be hard to tell whether the authors in these cases are talking about snakes or worms, or maybe it's both. They frequently appear in this context together with frogs, lizards, and maggots. They're used in this way in Ólafs saga helga to imply a relationship between paganism and darkness/infestation when an idol is broken and found to be full of vermin. It might be relevant that the serpent was used as a symbol of the devil in medieval Christianity; in this way we can compare it to Ögmundar þáttr dytts in which an idol of Freyr is smashed and onlookers see an actual demon leave it. The Ólafs saga helga example is probably the most straightforward use of a snake to symbolize something else that I found.

In Völsunga saga, Guttormr (etymologically, his name probably isn't gutt-ormr '(something)-serpent,' but since the etymology was likely opaque to Norse-speakers they may have thought it was; Ormr is a not-uncommon male personal name) is fed snake and wolf meat, seemingly to make him acquire attributes of snakes and wolves in order to prepare him to murder Sigurðr. In Völsunga saga, Gunnarr is executed by snake pit. After living for 300 years, Örvar-Oddr is finally killed by a snake (fulfilling a prophecy). So we can easily propose an association of snakes with death, characterizations of snakes based on their deadly bite; though we can't quite call any of this symbolic because you can't ever write the actual snake out of the meaning of its own appearance.

Trolls have poisonous snakes as the reigns for their horses (which are wolves). Snakes are the "[fish] of the [land]" (where [fish] and [land] can be substituted by any specific example of a fish or land-based geographical feature, e.g. "cod of the mountain" or "herring of the field." There is a sword in Egils saga called naðr 'adder' and skaldic language refers to swords as things like 'snake of battle.'

Probably not very relevant, because it's a single isolated attestation referring to a single, specific snake, in a translated saint's saga, but in Barlaams saga ok Jósafats (the Old Icelandic translation of the Christianized version of the story of the Buddha), someone is compared to "that serpent which is called asp" because (according to the saga) they close their ears rather than listen to something they don't want to hear. i.e., the person doesn't listen to or heed things that they don't personally like.

The story of the Red and White dragons symbolizing the Welsh and the Saxons that appears in British history was known to Norse-speakers and is part of Merlínuspá.

You would think that there would be some textual discussion of serpents used in art given its frequency, but I have found only one example, in Þiðreks saga of Bern, where a highly decorative horse saddle is described as having been made with elephant bone and inscribed with an image of a naðra ('adder'). It's disappointing how little contemporary discussion of art there is in general.

We should probably mention Níðhöggr. He's described with both the words dreki 'dragon' and naðr 'adder' in Völuspá; this demonstrates the semantic bleed between words in Old Norse that isn't replicated by the words we're using in English. Apparently he can fly, so we'd more likely call him a dragon than a snake. But since dragons and snakes don't have a hard contrast in ON, we can still learn about snakes from observing this dragon. But we've already established most of the important stuff -- he's (mostly) subterranean, he's probably poisonous, he strikes (höggva), he is indicative of decay.

I am almost undoubtedly missing something important or interesting. I don't have a way to research this other than to put whatever words for 'snake' I can think of into the Dictionary of Old Norse Prose and skim the results. To save time I mostly skipped over translations of Biblical material but that might be a mistake, but seeing as I am not trying to do a whole research project on this, that's the best you're getting from me.

It's worth mentioning that Scandinavia is not exactly known for being full of poisonous snakes. They do have the European adder, and maybe there were more species during the Medieval warm period, I don't know. But a lot of the serpents mentioned in Norse mythology are geographically located far away. Völsunga saga where a lot of serpent-based lore comes from takes place in a sort of general "far away" southern Europe (traditionally, around Worms, Germany). Iceland doesn't have any snakes, so their danger may have been exaggerated in the minds of authors and audience of the texts we're looking at.

From medieval times into modern times, and definitely extending back before our earliest evidence for it, snakes had a very different characterization in Sweden. Non-poisonous snakes (especially grass snakes) were cared for, given offerings of milk, and treated like members of the family. They are called tomtormar ('tomte-snakes'?), husormar ('house-snakes'), or gårdsormar ('yard/farmstead-snakes') and the tradition seems to overlap heavily with recognition of the tomte or nisse. They brought good luck, and killing the house snake would bring grave misfortune. As far as I know, the first attestation of this is as early as St. Birgitta's account of the peoples of the Swedish countryside from the 1300's. Interpretations of this seem to vary widely, with some people arguing that it's a remnant of a pre-Christian snake cult and others arguing that the Christians who documented it exaggerated the practice and especially its religious connotations. Extremely similar practices are observed all around the Baltic; in Of Gods and Men, Algirdas Greimas wrote a bit about what he himself called the "snake cult" in Lithuania with its major holiday on January 25, which corresponds to old Midwinter (more or less the same way it does on an Icelandic calendar, where Midwinter can fall on any day from Jan 19 to 25). You can read more about tomtormar on Swedish Wikipedia; if you use Google Translate be aware that it has trouble with some folklore words like "tomten" (might translate to "Santa Claus") so keep an eye on the left side of the screen as well.

As with much of what I've talked about here, this isn't an example of symbolism. It certainly creates a potential for it, but we're still missing that important link between a body of associations or meanings and them being invoked through a symbolic usage of a snake. The snakes here don't symbolize good fortune any more than your mail carrier symbolizes the mail.

So to summarize, we have few instances of snakes that are both clearly symbolic and interperable, but we do have an idea of what Norse people thought about snakes. They lay on gold, and so are a potent symbol for greed -- Fáfnir has enough personal history for us to characterize him individually by his personal greed. They have access to the underground and probably to knowledge not accessible to humans; but they are also fierce, deadly creatures and it could be dangerous to gain that knowledge; yet there are some that are not dangerous and still have access to the world outside the human sphere. It might also have been considered possible to take on aspects of a venomous snake's nature the same way that a human could acquire traits of wolves, bears, boars, etc. Meanwhile, Christian symbolic usage of snakes was already well-developed by the time it came to Scandinavia; they represented demonic forces and this symbolism was well-positioned to induct heathenry into it and to frame it as also demonic. I'm sure there's more, but that's what I've got for now.

[kratioed]

EDIT UPDATE 10/14/2023: I noticed another thematic pattern besides the central theme of children murdering their fathers/mothers throughout Godhood. In Norse Mythology, Angrboða is the mother of three legendary monsters while Laufey is the mother of Loki, the Mischievous God. In GOW, Callisto is the mother of Kratos and Deimos, The Ghost of Sparta and the false prophesied of the Marked Warrior. Loki and his monster children share a special motif together as Bound Monsters: Enemies of Gods and destined to break free from their restraints in some ways to cause mayhem during Ragnarök. Kratos and possibly Deimos fits the description as Bound Monsters. Olympians and Æsir Gods, especially Odin, were foretold about their doomsday and both pantheons predestined themselves the moment they forestall their prophecy. Deimos was bounded as Thanatos' prisoner when he's mistaken as the "Marked Warrior," was made into an enemy of Gods, and was broken free from his restraints when rescued.

Despite his death, he still partaken into obliterating the God of Death while Kratos, obviously, delivered the final blow. Even though he wasn't the prophesied warrior, his character almost fits the motif. The events before the Norse Saga would have ended the same if his role were in reverse. And going over the timeline where Ascension took place before God of War (2005); Kratos was bounded and tortured in chains after the Furies captured him until he broke free from his restraints afterwards. He was also bounded by his oath until Orkos died in his request so both can break free from their bonds with Ares.

In other words; Kratos broke free from of his restraints to kill Ares, but is destined to overthrow Olympus with the army of titans for sworn vengeance while he spread chaos throughout the Greek world. Similar to how Loki was tortured in his bounds until he broke free from his restraints while destined to lead an army along with Surtr to overthrow the Æsir Gods for sworn vengeance with most of his children, Fenrir and Jörmungandr, causing natural disasters throughout the lands during Ragnarök.

In conclusion; Callisto gave birth to two monsters that one of whom made another monster with Faye who later on made more monsters with Angrboða. Which makes them analogically and symbolically "Mothers of Monsters" in both senses. In ironic twist of fate, we can say that Callisto is the first "Mother of Monsters" since she is a monster herself through Zeus' curse.

And what's even worst is that despite Kratos' outlook from 2018, he also made a bloodline of God killers through Loki as they're destined to anguish before most of them meets their deaths; which is tessellated in Bound Monsters. and the only person who could break the circle of Bound Monsters is Calliope. Still sad she was quickly abandoned back in Elysium before we get to know more about her character...so yeah. While we're not following the complete accuracy in GOW, I just hope nothing too bad happens to our main (father and son) duo, but I doubt it. Can't wait to see how Atreus would play out in Ragnarök! Just wanted to write this down before it comes out sooner or later. it's possible that Atreus would have taken a different path similar to the OG Norse Mythos if Kratos had died as prophesied...thought it's interesting to write this down.