Way out in a super hot, fiery land called Muspelheim, where everything glowed red and orange like a giant campfire, lived a huge fire giant named Surtr. He had a sword that wasn't made of shiny metal, oh no! His sword was made of pure, sizzling fire, brighter than the sun!

Surtr stood guard at the edge of his fiery world, waiting. He wasn't waiting for a pizza delivery or for his favorite TV show to start. He was waiting for a very, very important day – the day when the whole world would have a big, noisy, and rather messy change.

For a long, long time, everything in the world of gods and humans went on as usual. The sun shone, the moon glowed, and the gods in Asgard had their feasts and adventures. But then, things started to get a bit strange.

First, a super-duper long winter arrived. It snowed and snowed and snowed for three whole years! Brrrr! Even the squirrels wore tiny woolly hats.
Then, two giant wolves who had been chasing the sun and moon in the sky finally caught them! Gulp! The world went dark and spooky.
The earth started to shake and rumble like a giant’s tummy after too much stew. Mountains wobbled and great big cracks appeared in the ground.

The god Heimdall, who had eyes that could see for miles and ears that could hear a feather drop, knew this was it. He grabbed his big, shiny horn called Gjallarhorn and blew a mighty, long blast: TOOOOOT-TOOOO-ROOOOOOO! This was the signal! The big, world-changing battle, called Ragnarok, was about to begin!

When Surtr heard that horn, his fiery eyes gleamed. "At last!" he rumbled, his voice like a volcano. He grabbed his flaming sword, and with a mighty WHOOSH, he and his army of fire giants marched out of Muspelheim. They crossed the rainbow bridge, Bifrost, which cracked and groaned under their fiery feet.

The gods of Asgard, like Odin the wise Allfather, Thor with his mighty hammer, and Frey the brave, gathered their armies. Loki, the tricky god, also showed up, but he was on the side of the giants, along with a giant wolf named Fenrir and a huge sea serpent called Jormungandr.

What a battle it was!
Odin, the king of the gods, fought bravely against the giant wolf Fenrir.
Thor, the god of thunder, had a tremendous fight with the giant sea serpent Jormungandr. They were so evenly matched that after a long struggle, both fell down, completely exhausted.
Frey, who was a kind god of sunshine, faced Surtr himself. Frey was very brave, but he had once given away his magic fighting sword. Against Surtr’s blazing fire sword, Frey didn't stand a chance, and he too fell in the battle.

Finally, with many heroes gone, Surtr the fire giant swung his incredible flaming sword high above his head. He brought it down, and fire spread everywhere! Whoosh! Sizzle! Pop! The flames covered the whole world, burning up the old lands and seas. It looked like the end of everything.

But wait!
After all the fire and smoke cleared, something amazing happened.
Slowly, slowly, a brand new world began to rise out of the sea. It was fresh, green, and beautiful, with sparkling rivers and tall trees.
A few of the gods had survived the big battle. And two humans, a man named Lif and a woman named Lifthrasir, had hidden safely inside a giant tree called Yggdrasil. They came out, blinking in the new sunlight, ready to start a new story in this fresh, new world.
Even some of the gods who had been lost, like the gentle Baldur, came back to live in this peaceful land.

So, even though Surtr and his fire brought an end to the old world, it wasn't really the end. It was just the beginning of something new and hopeful. And Surtr, the fire giant from Muspelheim? His big job was finally done.

1164 Views