Author Description

Intro -- Halftitle Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication Page -- Preface -- Contents -- List Of Figures -- List Of Abbreviations -- 1. Introduction -- Ragnarök-tradition And Reception -- Ragnarök And Other Terms For The 'end Of The World' -- Outline Of Research History -- Problems And Purpose -- 2. The Historical And Social Contexts -- Natural Environment, Way Of Life, And Society -- Central Places And Their Significance -- Social Groups -- The Social Contexts Of The Ragnarök Myth -- Skalds And Their Praise Poetry -- Seeresses And Their Predictions The Ragnarök Myth In Popular Tradition -- The Milieus Of The Eddic Poems -- 3. V͡luspá: The Prophecy Of The Seeress -- Eddic Poems -- V͡luspá: Text, Setting, And Date -- The Question Of Christian Influence -- Characteristic Features -- Interpretation Of V͡luspá Stanzas 38-66 -- 4. Poetry And Mythographies -- Eddic Poems -- Skaldic Poetry -- Snorri's Edda -- Saxo And Saga Texts -- Ragnarök In The Sources-a Summary -- 5. Ragnarök Illustrated -- Problems Of Interpreting The Iconography -- Discussion Of The Iconographic Material -- 6. The Comparative Contexts -- The Christian Context -- Early Islam Near Eastern Conceptions -- Celtic Remnants Of A Cosmic Eschatology -- Greek And Roman Conceptions -- Iranian Traditions -- Ancient Indic Traditions -- European And West Asian Traditions -- 7. The Signs Of The End And The Final Battle -- Signs Heralding The End Of The World -- Cosmic Upheavals -- Frightening Monsters And Demonic Adversaries -- Fettering And Unleashing Of Demonic Beings -- The Great Battle Of The End -- 8. Destruction And Renewal -- The World Succumbs -- A New World Arises -- What Does The Comparative Material Tell Us? -- 9. The Ragnarök Myth-distinctive Features And Origins The Distinctive Character Of The Ragnarök Myth -- The Origins -- A Distinctive Myth With Indo-european Roots -- Bibliography -- Index Anders Hultgard. Electronic Reproduction. Oxford Available Via World Wide Web.