Jörmungandr or Miðgarðsormr, sometimes referred to as the Midgard Serpent (or World Serpent) is a sea serpent of Norse mythology, and the child of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Its siblings are Fenrir, a monstrous wolf, and Hel, a female being presiding over the similarly named realm of the dead in Niflheim.
History[]
Background[]
Jörmungandr was the child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. According to legend, Odin took Loki's three children Fenrir, Hel, and Jörmungandr, and tossed Jörmungandr into the great ocean that encircles Midgard. The serpent grew so large that he was able to surround the Earth and grasp his own tail. It was said that when he releases his tail, the world will end. It is one of several events that herald the coming of Ragnarök. As a result, he received the name "Midgard Serpent" or "World Serpent".
An Eternal Enemy[]
Jörmungandr's arch-enemy is the god of thunder Thor and myths have preserved the stories of at least three instances in which the two meet. The first is where Thor encounters the serpent in the form of a colossal cat, disguised by the magic of the giant king Útgarða-Loki, who challenges the god to lift the cat as a test of strength. Thor is unable to lift such a monstrous creature as Jörmungandr, but does manage to raise it far enough that it lets go of the ground with one of its four feet. When Útgarða-Loki later explains his deception, he describes Thor's lifting of the cat as an impressive deed.
The second is during Thor's fishing trip with the giant Hymir. After refusing to provide Thor with bait, Thor kills Hymir's ox and uses its head as bait instead. Thor then prepares a strong line and a large hook and baits it with the ox head, which Jörmungandr bites. Thor pulls the serpent from the water, and the two face one another, Jörmungandr dribbling poison and blood. Hymir goes pale with fear, and as Thor grabs his hammer to kill the serpent, the giant cuts the line, leaving the serpent to sink beneath the waves.
Ragnarök[]
The last meeting between the serpent and Thor is predicted to occur at Ragnarök, when Jörmungandr will come out of the ocean and poison the sky. Thor and Jörmungandr engage in a titanic battle that shook the world with each strike from Thor's hammer creating ruptures in the earth and Jörmungandr's body crashing down and crushing entire mountains from its fall. Eventually, after a long and arduous battle, Thor finally managed to kill Jörmungandr with a mighty blow to the head, and then walk nine paces before falling dead, having been poisoned by the serpent's venom.
Discovery[]
While Jörmungandr has been slain, its corpse was made aware of by the Federal Bureau of Control. The Midgard Serpent was found in the eastern glacial ranges of Greenland by Greenpeace activists making a documentary on the effects of global warming. Upon descending into a crevasse that had opened up on the southern end of the Kangerdlugssuaq glacier, they discovered a network of tunnels within the glacier which had long since been smoothed out, eventually reaching a series of larger chambers which seemed to host a tremendous serpentine body. After another hour of exploration the team left the glacier and headed to an unnamed nearby town. Within hours most of the team felt symptoms of a wide array of illnesses resembling everything from swollen lymph nodes to fast necrosis of the skin. By nightfall the entire team was dead. An FBC operative on leave caught wind of the story and sent notification to high command.
Scientists and operatives of the Federal Bureau of Control examined Jörmungandr's "tomb" and saw that it was completely smooth, though a few patches, specifically on the paths nearest to the head and tail of the artifact, are marked with some form of ancient Nordic script. All attempts to translate the script have ended in failure, and the dialog appears to pre-date the settlement of the island by Erik the Red at the turn of the 11th century. No historical records exist of any previous settlement in Greenland, so the source of the script is currently a mystery. Nevertheless, the Federal Bureau of Control made its enclosure as a form of containment while also studying the deadly toxins for beneficial means as well as making sure it does not leak out into the world and threaten civilians.