Way up north, in a land of mighty gods and grumpy giants, lived a very mischievous god named Loki. Loki had some rather unusual children. One was a super-strong wolf, another was a gloomy queen of a shadowy place, and the third... well, the third was a tiny baby snake named Jörmungandr.

Now, the boss of all the gods, Odin, heard whispers that these children might cause a bit of a ruckus later on. He was especially worried about this little snake. So, Odin decided to find new homes for them. For little Jörmungandr, he had a big idea. With a mighty heave-ho, Odin tossed the tiny snake into the great, wide ocean that surrounded the world of humans, called Midgard.

Splash! Jörmungandr landed in the cool water. And guess what? He loved it! He ate yummy fish, and he grew. And grew. And GREW! Soon, he wasn't a little snake anymore. He was a GIANT sea serpent, so long that he wrapped all the way around Midgard, like a big, scaly belt. He even bit his own tail to make a perfect circle! Because he circled the whole world, people started calling him the World Serpent.

One day, Thor, the god of thunder with his mighty hammer, decided to go fishing. He wasn't just after any fish; he wanted a really big catch! He went with a giant named Hymir, who wasn't very brave. Thor used a whole ox head for bait – yikes! He threw his line deep into the ocean.

Suddenly, TUG! The line went tight. Thor pulled and pulled with all his might. And who do you think was on the other end? Yes! It was Jörmungandr! The serpent’s giant head rose out of the water, water streaming everywhere! Thor grinned, ready for a tug-of-war. But Hymir, the giant, got so scared he screamed like a seagull and quickly cut the fishing line! Snap! Jörmungandr slipped back under the waves with a flick of his tail. Thor was very grumpy about that; he had almost caught the World Serpent!

Many, many years passed. Then came the time for the biggest, most epic battle ever, called Ragnarök. It was the twilight of the gods. Jörmungandr, now an enormous, world-circling serpent, rose from the ocean depths. He thrashed his tail, making giant waves, and sprayed yucky venom everywhere.

Thor, brave as always, stepped forward to face him. It was a mighty fight! Thor swung his hammer, Mjolnir, with all his strength, and Jörmungandr snapped his giant jaws. Finally, Thor hit the giant serpent so hard that Jörmungandr was defeated. But as Jörmungandr fell, he breathed out one last cloud of his strong venom, and it covered Thor. Thor took nine steps, and then he, too, fell down. They had both fought their bravest fight.

And that’s the story of Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, who grew from a tiny snake into a creature so big he could hug the whole world, and who had an epic showdown with the mighty Thor.

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