Jormungand “Great Beast” is a snake or dragon who lives in the ocean that surrounds Midgard, the visible world.
So enormous is he that his body forms a circle around the entirety of Midgard.
He’s one of the three children of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, along with Hel and Fenrir.
The god Thor is his particular arch-enemy.
>> Lifting the cat
Thor goes fishing for the Midgard Serpent in this picture from an 18th-century Icelandic manuscript.
In one, Thor encounters the serpent in the form of a colossal cat, disguised by the magic of the giant king Útgarða-Loki (Loki of the Outyards; not to be confused with Loki), who challenges the god to lift the cat as a test of strength.
Thor is unable to lift such a monstrous creature as Jörmungandr, but does manage to raise it far enough that it lets go of the ground with one of its four feet.
When Útgarða-Loki later explains his deception, he describes Thor's lifting of the cat as an impressive deed.
Two battles between the Midgard Serpent and Thor are recounted in the Eddas...
In one, Thor fishes for Jormungand, and fails to pull him up only when the giant Hymir, terrified that this will bring about Ragnarok, severs the line, sending the snake back down to the depths.
When the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarök does arrive, however, Thor and the Midgard Serpent are destined to slay each other.
Jormungand is usually depicted to resemble the frilled dragon, while other are more serpent like and could relate to water snake species...
In the old days, continental Germans attributed earthquakes to his movements well into the Middle Ages...
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