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Comparative Analysis of Norse Ragnarök in AOT

Disclaimer: Not every Norse gods and Giants have the same direct parallel. It is important to note that Norse, unlike Greek mythology is a very fragmentary documentation. Which means consistency is not the key. This story, unlike its Greek counterparts which were sometimes written, has been passed down orally from generations. That’s why characters sometimes interchange. For example, there are many sources claiming Thor and Loki are blood brothers, and there are also many claiming Odin and Loki are blood brothers. For simplifications, the Ragnarök almost always uses the second claim. example are the wolves Garmr and Fenrir. They both almost have the same backstory and seem to always have a grudge on Tyr, the war god, so some sources claim these two are one. But the source I am using interpreted them as two distinct creatures, therefore I will also claim are not the same. There are a lot of Gods and Giants with this kind of dilemma in Norse mythology, but I won’t go deeper than that because the focus of this text is is the legend of Ragnarök. Secondly, since this is the case, Norse familiar ties must be out of the question. Familiar ties are only important in other classic Norse stories, but in Ragnarök it didn’t really mattered much. This is because Norse stories have a tendency to diverge in too many directions and to be easily "thought of together," or to be grouped as members of a unitary structure. For simple reasons, I will only compare Norse Ragnarok characters to their backstories, quirks and personalities. Familial ties will be out of the question. Thirdly, the God Baldur, unlike the other characters, is specifically not supposed to be symbolized by anyone. In Viking stories, Baldur is usually presented as a passive, innocent sufferer, a catalyst. A martyr that is always dead no matter what prose or interpretations. Although some present him as a warlord. Regardless, his death and loss have always trigger big or heavy events, such as Loki’s imprisonment and Ragnarök. He is simply the dead sacrifice that must always be made. Now, back to the story

The signs of Ragnarök

While Ragnarok has not yet happened, according to Norse mythology it is inevitable and has already been set in motion by the series of events that surrounded the death of Baldur, Odin’s favored son.

The blind god Höd, deceived by the evil Loki, killed Balder by hurling mistletoe at him, the only thing that could hurt him.

Perhaps the key part of this story is that the trickster god Loki, responsible for the death of Balder, was imprisoned following the death of the most noble and beloved of the Norse gods. He is chained to two boulders with a venomous snake suspended above his head, dripping venom on his face. 

This is one of the first signs of Ragnarok

Up until this point, while Loki was fond of making mischief, he has a relatively friendly relationship with the Norse gods. This break between Loki and the Norse gods may be a prerequisite for Ragnarok. 

Sounds familiar? 

Zeke, like Loki is a well known trickster that both Gods and Giants do not trust so easily. He killed Erwin, a beloved military figure and appeared to have radicalized Eren’s unstable mind to his cause. 

Loki’s imprisonment and the reason behind it sounds similar to Zeke’s ultimate betrayal to the Marleyan cause, his subsequent join in Paradis forces and eventual lock up for instigating a coup de tat. His eventual escape became one of the reasons Eren broke the walls, thus starting Ragnarök in the first

Second sign: Fenrir’s imprisonment

The shackling in Asgard of Loki’s son, the great wolf Fenrir, also appears to be a prerequisite for the end of days. He was imprisoned in Asgard by the Norse gods using magical chains made by the dwarves for biting his mentor, Tyr’s hand

Actually no. They didn’t imprisoned him just because he bit off Tyr’s arm. According to the prose, the other gods were becoming afraid that he was growing so large (he was a giant after all) that one day he might eat them all. So they locked him out of fear

Like how Eren was locked after the Liberio attack by his superiors. He betrayed his superiors (bit off Tyr’s hand) and massacred an entire foreign district all by himself.The military, feeling that their power over the Attack Titan is waning, locked him and planned to have him eaten despite his ever growing role in the conflict

The stars, too, will disappear, leaving nothing but a black void in the heavens. Yggdrasil, the great tree that holds the cosmos together, will tremble, and all the trees and even the mountains will fall to the ground. The chain that has been holding back the monstrous wolf Fenrir will snap

and the beast will run free.

Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, that dwells in the sea and encircles the world of men, will rise 

covering the earth in water and spitting his venom all over the world, poisoning the land, sea and air.

Now here’s where the present comparison ends. From now on, these will be the predictions loosely based on the true events of Ragnarok and previous character comparisons

These convulsions will shake the ship Naglfar free from its moorings. This ship, which is made from the fingernails and toenails of dead men and women, will sail easily over the seas. 

Its crew will be an army of giants, the forces of chaos and destruction

Its captain will be none other than Loki (Zeke), the traitor to the gods, who will have broken free of the chains the gods have given him. He will be joined on board by his daughter Hel, the goddess of the realm where the dishonourable dead dwell, and the dead themselves (Yelena and the volunteers)

Loki’s forces will join an army of giants led across the Bifrost bridge into Asgard, the land of the gods (Marley) by Surtr, who has a sword that flames brighter than the sun. 

He will use this sword to set the realm of the gods, and all the nine worlds, on fire

My guess is that, the debate of how Eren and his titans will cross over the seas, into the continent is by making a humongous ship made out of titanized crystal. Zeke, swearing by his oath no matter what, will protect his little brother from the 104th crew (looking at you, Armin) and Marleyan shifter crew that will try to prevent him from crossing over

Since Fenrir= Eren, Jormungandr= Godzilla Titan, then I can only assume that Surtr, a giant infamous for having a humongous sword is the Warhammer Titan

As Eren and his titan co tries to cross the seas, Magath’s forces begins to line up. 

An ominous horn will be sounded to summon the divine sentry of Asgard