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] 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.
  • In the anime Zoids, Van Flyheight, the protagonist of the first series, lost his father when his father's zoid used a powerful attack called the "Ragnarok Fang," as revealed in the Zoids Chaotic Century manga.

[edit] Comics

  • Ragnarok is the name of the story arc 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 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. Used by Isaac and Felix, it uses 7 psyenergy points to create an energy sword that will cleave into their opponents. After having enough Earth Djinn set to Isaac or Felix in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, it will transform into Odyssey. It now uses 18 psyenergy points and it summons two energy swords that stab the enemy diagonaly to hold it for the last impact: a huge green/yellow energy sword that after stabbing its target will explode and fragment into pieces.
  • 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.
  • Ragnarok is the full upgraded relic great sword in the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI.
  • Ragnarok is a server in the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI.
  • Ragnarok: The Search For Aasgard (and Ragnarok DM) are Doom level-packs currently in development by TeamTNT.

[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."
  • There are several metal bands called Ragnarok, one from Brazil(Heavy Metal), one from Spain(Folk/black metal), one from Norway(black metal), and one from the UK(Folk/black metal)

[edit] Television

[edit] See also

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