spear, opposes the wolf Fenrir ; Thorr matches himself against 
the Midhgardhsormr which he had already previously assailed 
when out fishing in the deep wild sea ; Tyr attacks the dog 
Garmr; Freyr opposes Surtr; and Heimdallr Loki; the Ein- 
heriar, we may suppose, are matched against the Frost-giants ; 
and either host has a strong reserve-force ; on the one side, 
Yidhr and Tali, on the other, Hel and Nidhoggr. 
The battle goes hard with the gods ; Fenrir, whose upper 
jaw reaches heaven and his lower earth, swallows Odhinn, a 
reduplication of the swallowing of sun and moon by the other 
wolves. Thorr, “ the Extended/* whose bright potency fills 
the Oversea, pitted against the Serpent-undersea, crushes the 
monster*s head with his club, and thus slays the “worm **; but, 
staggering back nine * paces, falls dead, suffocated with the 
outpoured floods of venom. Tyr and Garmr, and Heimdallr 
and Loki, mutually slay each other ; and after a terrible contest 
Surtr beats down Freyr and fires the world. At this moment 
the reserve of the gods hasten forward to the rescue. Yidhr 
with colossal strength seizes the Wolf by the jaws, and rends 
him till he dies. But the whole contest is too terrible for man 
and nature to endure. Ghosts flock in crowds to the Under- 
world, f mountains are hurled down, all fetters and bonds break, 
universal fear prevails ; the trembling Yggdrasil is set on fire, 
and the earth sinks down consumed whilst the dread flames 
roar up against the very heaven. 
The previous analysis will have made this grand picture easily 
comprehensible. Darkness (Fenrir) veils the sun (Odhinn), 
but is in its turn rolled away by divine might in renewal and 
recreation (Yidhr). So sings the poet ; — 
“ The Wolf will The Father of men devour ; 
Him Vidhr will avenge ; He his cold jaws J 
Will cleave In conflict with the Wolf/* § 
The brightness of kosmic order in the heavens, with its 
thunder strength and lightning splendour (Thorr), and the 
fury of the chaotic storm and wild raging sea (the Midhgardh- 
sormr) encounter, destroy each other, and pass away together, 
and the sea is not any longer. The bright brow of heaven 
(Tyr) encounters the chthonian darkness (Garmr), and they 
* The number 9 contains a kosmical allusion to the nine worlds. The 
nine paces which Thorr retreats, show that he ceases to exist in any world. 
Similarly, Heimdallr is said to be the son of nine mothers, i.e., his influence 
extends throughout all the worlds. 
f £i All men will their homes forsake” ( Voluspa , 55), i.e., die. 
X Those who regard Fenrir as a symbol of subterranean fire have omitted 
to notice this expression. § Lay of Vafthruclnir, 53. 
