Jörmungandr en · PROPN
Pronunciation
- /-ˌɡænd-/
- /-mʊn-/
- (US) audio
- /ˈjɔɹmunˌɡɑndɹ̩/
Etymology
Borrowed from Old Norse Jǫrmungandr.
Meanings
-
(Norse) The World Serpent or Midgard Serpent, an offspring of Loki, which is thrown into the ocean by Odin but grows to encircle the world, and is finally slain during Ragnarok by Thor, who then succumbs to its poisonous breath.
Thus the Aegypto-Greek Ourobouros or Norse Jörmungandr (Midgard serpent) surrounds the cosmos, biting its own tail in a symbol of perpetuity and infinity, never ending, always regenerating.
2010, Valerie Estelle Frankel, From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey through Myth and Legend, page 70:The dragon Jörmungandr, for instance, was said to encircle the entire world of Midgard (where people live). To complete the circle, he bit his own tail.
2006, Stephen Krensky, Dragons, page 28:The ultimate symbol of evil, the Midgard Serpent or Jörmungandr, was the offspring of the trickster Loki and the sorceress Angur-boda, who also gave birth to Hel (the queen of the dead) and the Fenris Wolf (see page 239).
2006, Ruth Binney, Nature's Ways: Lore, Legend, Fact and Fiction, page 234:
Relateds
hoop snake · amphisbaena · Kraken · ouroboros · Theli · Shesha · Leviathan
Synonyms
Midgardsormr (mythological serpent) · Midgard Serpent (mythological serpent) · World Serpent (mythological serpent) · Miðgarðsormr (mythological serpent)
Translations (7)
el Γιόρμουνγκαντ (World Serpent) · sv Midgårdsormen (World Serpent) · ru Ёрмунганд (World Serpent) · pl Jormungand (World Serpent) · el Γιόρμουνγκαντερ (World Serpent) · fa یورمونگاند (World Serpent) · da Midgårdsormen (World Serpent)