Meaning of Jörmungandr | Babel Free

Definitions

The World Serpent or Midgard Serpent, an offspring of Loki, which is thrown into the ocean by Odin but grows to encircle the world, and is finally slain during Ragnarok by Thor, who then succumbs to its poisonous breath.

Norse

Equivalents

Examples

“The dragon Jörmungandr, for instance, was said to encircle the entire world of Midgard (where people live). To complete the circle, he bit his own tail.”

“The ultimate symbol of evil, the Midgard Serpent or Jörmungandr, was the offspring of the trickster Loki and the sorceress Angur-boda, who also gave birth to Hel (the queen of the dead) and the Fenris Wolf (see page 239).”

“Thus the Aegypto-Greek Ourobouros or Norse Jörmungandr (Midgard serpent) surrounds the cosmos, biting its own tail in a symbol of perpetuity and infinity, never ending, always regenerating.”

CEFR level