Ragnarök
/ˈræɡnəˌrɒk/
lit. “fate of the gods”
The Norse end of the world — the gods fall in a final battle, and the world burns and is reborn.
Origin
Foretold in the Poetic Edda: the wolf Fenrir devours Odin, Thor kills the world-serpent Jörmungandr and dies of its venom, the sun turns black, and the earth sinks into the sea — before a new green world rises. Wagner's Götterdämmerung is the operatic version.
Modern usage
Used for any apocalyptic or world-ending event — a market crash, a relationship implosion, a final season. Familiar to gamers via God of War and to filmgoers via Thor: Ragnarok.
In the wild
Q4 was full Ragnarök for the ad market.— tech press
Tags
Related
Norse Mythology
Thor
The thunder god — red-bearded, hot-tempered, swinging the hammer Mjölnir.
Norse Mythology
Loki
The trickster god — clever, shape-shifting, untrustworthy.
Norse Mythology
Odin
The one-eyed All-Father — god of wisdom, war, and poetry.
Biblical & Christian
Apocalypse
A catastrophic end of the world.