By: John D. Pepe
Ragnarok in Old Norse means “The Doom of the Gods.” It is essentially, in Norse mythology, the end of the world. Ragnarok is a series of future events in which there is a great battle and the foretelling of the death of major gods and heroes, like Odin, Thor, Tyr, Heimdall, and Loki, along with the occurrence of various natural disasters including the subsequent submersion of the world in water. It is the ushering out of the gods and the positioning of man in the center of the Universe. Sound familiar: Noah and the great flood and Revelation in the Bible. A rebirth story of sorts.
I think that the movie, although it utterly failed to capture the mythical story of Ragnarok (like Heimdall and Loki slaying each other and Thor killing his greatest enemy Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent of the World, and then dying of its poison after the fight), was a fun and humorous adventure. In particular, Chris Hemsworth’s comedy chops were worth more than the price of admission.
Although it was an entertaining, more on the humor side of the fence tale, in the end, the message, which was imparted by Odin to Thor, was that Asgard is not about a physical place. Asgard is an emotional place, a place that is in our hearts. Asgard is its people.
This is how I view the church of Christianity. The church isn’t a building or structure, it is the people who come to worship the Lord, and that worship could take place anywhere. But being Christian means being Christ like. It is more about how we treat others, believers or not. It is about our kindness, love, and tolerance of others that make us Christians, not the building we go to on Sunday. If we do that, then Jesus is always in our hearts, just like Asgard.
God Among Geeks 
Hey J.P.
Great breakdown of myth and movie. It is all about translating the old story for a new audience. Plus rights and marketing stuff. I agree that there is a great parallel with Asgard and the church. Lots of good tie ins for gleaming more pieces. How would the audience have reacted to everyone dying? Could this all be carried over into Infinity Wars?
Thanks,
Gary
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GA
I think that is part of the problem with following the Norse legend-you lose your protagonist. I think we may have gotten a prelude to Infinity Wars at the end. I’m looking forward to your pieces on Thor.
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Thanks for the like Kevin!
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dear JDPEPE
I liked your post on Thor: Ragnarok-“where does Asgard Lie?” I like how you compared odins message about asgard not being a place but the people and how going to church is about worshiping the lord. my question is what do you think thor missed on the most in the movie.
From, geo
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dear JDPEPE
I liked your post on Thor: Ragnarok-“where does Asgard Lie?” I like how you compared odins message about asgard not being a place but the people and how going to church is about worshiping the lord. my question is what do you think thor missed on the most in the movie.
From, geo
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Geo,
Thanks for reading. I’m not 100% sure what you’re asking but I’m gonna try but here goes my answer: In Norse mythology Thor was the god of thunder and his hammer Mjollnir (Old Norse for Lightning) represented lightning. I think the movie writers missed that part or were combining the two concepts by destroying Mjollnir and then allowing Thor to channel lightning through his physical being.
But for the Scandinavians of old, Thor, the brawny thunder god represented what a noble and warrior should be. He was the indefatigable defender of the Norse gods and their home Asgard. And I think in many ways the writers of the movies have captured the essence of that myth.
I think in the movie (obviously he can’t die like in the real telling of Ragnarok of legend) we see a maturing of Thor. He final is ready (some might argue forced) to take leadership of Asgard (or particularly its people), which I believe it is something that he has been reluctant to do in the past (go back to the original movie and his last seen with Odin says it all-“He is not ready to lead” and he knows it). But finally he takes up that mantle, no longer needing to rely on Mjollnir and even becoming like Odin in that he loses an eye (which is very symbolic of him now taking the place of Odin as Asgard’s rightful ruler).
I hope that helps to answer your question. And, again, thanks for reading.
JDPEPE
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