Ragnarök in popular culture

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References to Ragnarök appear irregularly in modern popular culture.

Contents

[edit] Depictions in modern popular culture

[edit] Comics

  • Ragnarok is the name of the series comprising the final six comics in the Vol. 2 run of The Mighty Thor by Marvel Comics (issues #80-85).
  • The Last Days of the Justice Society, a one-shot comic written by Roy Thomas and published by DC Comics in 1986, involved the heroes of the Justice Society of America merging with the Norse Gods to fight an eternal Ragnarok. Later, in the Armageddon: Inferno comic book limited series published in 1992, the Justice Society was freed from the Ragnarok cycle and returned to Earth.
  • Ragnarok is the topic in an issue of "Tales to Amaze." The premise is that a murderer escaping custody is attempts to hide in mountains outside of Paris. Here he finds a dagger that gives him the power to become Loki after his suicide. Shortly after his transformation, the Loki incarnate attempts to bring about Ragnarok and the end of the world.
  • The Ragnarok Project, in the Hellboy comics (and subsequent movie), was a Nazi occult project (1938-1944) which attempted to release the Ogdru Jahad, extremely powerful, demigodlike aliens, to defeat the Allies during World War II. A reincarnated Grigori Rasputin was the secret architect of the project.
  • Ragnarok - a manhwa (Korean comic book) by Lee Myung-Jin loosely based on the legend.
  • The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok - a manga series based around a child named Loki, who is the incarnation of the God of Chaos from Ragnarok.

[edit] Film

[edit] Games

  • Ragnarork (a portmanteau of Ragnarok and Ork) is the name of a myth in the Fantasy table top game Orc & Goblin, telling of the day the Warlord Ragnar goes mad with his axe and destroys the whole world.
  • The Playstation RPG, Valkyrie Profile, takes place during Ragnarok, with the player assuming the role of Lenneth Valkyrie. Lenneth is sent to Midgard by Odin to collect warrior's souls or einherjar for the final battle.
  • Ragnarok Online - An MMORPG loosely based on elements of Norse Mythology.
  • Riviera: The Promised Land, a sleeper-hit RPG developed by Sting and published by Atlus for the Game Boy Advance, takes place in an era which comes years after the Ragnarok.
  • Ragna Rock is the name of a nightclub (and one of the levels) of the video game Max Payne. The level Ragna Rock makes reference to the club's owner believing the true battle is coming, due to the corruption of New York and the seemingly endless winter storm that is brewing. The game also makes many references to the the mythology.
  • Ragnarok - the name of the Dragon-like airship in the popular 1999 RPG, Final Fantasy VIII.
  • Ragnarok is often a name of a very powerful sword in RPGs, especially in the Final Fantasy series. Ragnarok is also the name of an esper in Final Fantasy VI, which is needed to learn the extremely powerful attack Ultima.
  • Ragnarok is a powerful attack in the Playstation 2 game Kingdom Hearts.
  • Ragnarok is an auto-combo super for Strider Hiryu in the arcade game Marvel vs. Capcom.
  • Ragnarok is the name of a Psynergy attack in the Golden Sun Series
  • Ragnarok is the name of an unlockable assault mech near the end of the game in MechAssault. Its separate variant is known as the Ymir.
  • Ragnaros the Firelord, a variation on Ragnarok, is a boss in World of Warcraft who resides in the high-level dungeon Molten Core.
  • Ragnarok is the name of the Minmatar Titan (The largest and most powerful vessels in the game) in the MMORPG EVE Online.
  • Ragnarok is the name of the national Dagorhir event held every summer.
  • Ragnarok is the name of huge beast in one level of Star Wars: Jedi Academy.
  • Ragnarok is the name of the spaceship commanded by Dr. Weil in Megaman Zero 4 . Also, the group of bosses that Zero fights in the game is collectively known as "The Einherjar".
  • In Megaman ZX, the remains of the Ragnarok have been transformed into a bio-metal, which is used by the final boss.
  • In 1989's PC game Castle of the Winds by Rick Saada, the character fights some of the characters of the Norse mythology and is mentioned that people suspect "the premature arrival of Ragnarök"
  • Ragnarok is a basic psyenergy for Felix in the game Golden Sun II.

[edit] Literature

[edit] Music

  • Burzum - Black metal band bootleg named "Ragnarok (A New Beginning)".
  • The progressive, black metal band Borknagar's name is an anagram of "Ragnarok", with a B thrown in to make it pronounceable.
  • GWAR - Thrash Metal band GWAR's 1995 album RagNaRok is named clearly in reference to the mythological Ragnarök.
  • Amon Amarth. a Death Metal band references Ragnarok in the songs Death in Fire and ...And Soon the World will Cease to Be
  • Týr, a Faroese metal band, released their third studio album in September, 2006 which is a concept album entitled, "Ragnarok"
  • Artist P.O.S. references Ragnarok in the song "Kicking Knowledge in the Face".
  • Lungorthin (band), a black metal band, feature a song titled Ragnarok in their album ...As Nights Get Colder.
  • CLUTCH (band), on the song titled simply "ragnarok", sung about the coming end of the world and the gods of the dead.
  • Steven Reineke wrote an orchestral arrangement called "Fate of the Gods."

[edit] Television

  • The 1989 Doctor Who story The Greatest Show in the Galaxy featured the Gods Of Ragnarok.
  • In Battlestar Galactica the Battlestar Galactica holds off the Cylon Blockade at the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage.
  • In the TV series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, there is a two-part episode in which Loki prematurely brings about Ragnarok, and Hercules must stop him.

[edit] Animation

  • The Real Ghostbusters cartoon series depicted Ragnarok as a typical armageddon scenario in the episode "Ragnarok and Roll."
  • In the anime Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yugi uses a card called Ragnarok during the final battle against Marik. Yami Yugi, the King of Darkness, commands a final assault against the King of the Egyptian Gods, The Winged Dragon of Ra, with his Dark Magician leading the charge with the two Egyptian Gods allied with him.
  • Legend of the Galactic Heroes, an epic anime series, featured a Germanic empire which waged a retaliatory strike against its enemies; that battle was called Ragnarok.
  • Mai-HiME - an anime series with many links to valkyries and the final battle(s) at the end highly resemble the mythology of Ragnarok.

[edit] See also

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