Myths and Legends

“This can’t be happening; this really can’t be happening!” Jan screams internally. 

Jan looks at his phone to see that the month is June and that the temperature should be rising but it’s only declining. Jan, a historian of Scandinavian culture immediately recognizes one of the signs of the end of the world, Ragnarök, happening right before his eyes. As he came to this realization, he calls his ex-wife in a panic induced state to warn anyone and everyone of the coming catastrophe. “Come on Ingrid, pick up!” he shouts to himself.

Suddenly Ingrid answers the phone, “What do you want Jan?”

“Listen to me Ingrid, the myths are true! Ragnarök is happening, winter never cut into summer before!” 

Ingrid cuts off Jan, “Jan, this is the effect of global weather changing. It’s normal! This is why you lost your job, believing in fairy tales and obsessed with myths. You’re crazy Jan.” Ingrid suddenly hangs up on Jan as he slowly lets his phone drop down to his side while he laughs in desperation.

 

                In the following two years, winter has not let go of its grasps around the world. Most people believe that it was a strange global phenomenon but that didn’t stop people from returning to their most basic instincts as food was becoming scarcer and scarcer. As Jan wanders the streets, amidst the riots, he could only laugh as the prophecy of Ragnarök becomes clearer by the day, yet he’s still confused as to why nobody believes him. Jan calls his ex-wife again in a bid to warn her of the coming danger, “Ingrid, it’s been three years since last summer! The prophecy states that Fimbulwinter will begin after the death of Baldur. We are in Fimbulwinter Ingrid, people are slaughtering each other for necessities.” 

Ingrid replies, “You’ve gone crazy Jan. It’s not the end of the world Jan! Nothing is happening! Listen, I need to go, my son needs me now and we don’t need any more of your ramblings.” 

Jan lets go of his cell phone as he stares out to the sun and moon to see it simply disappear. “So Skoll and Hati did it. They finally caught the sun and moon.”

 

Not long after the sun and moon disappeared, Jan witnesses’ terrible earthquakes and tsunamis as the world’s oceans are becoming more and more violent. As Jan walks out of his apartment, he could faintly hear the howls of the dead. “It’s happening! It’s time for death and rebirth!” Screams Jan at the top of his lungs. He hears the most haunting of sounds that one cannot describe, on his right side. As Jan turns, he faces a half decomposed ancient Viking readying his spear. Jan looks into his pale blue eyes as he suddenly feels a cold sharp pain in his abdomen that almost instantly turns warm. Jan falls to ground unconscious and bleeding, as his eyes start to blur and fade into darkness, he wakes up in a white room bound to a bed. Jan attempts to move around but soon realizes that he’s in a strait jacket, he’s not dead after all but is being hospitalized for severe delirium and psychosis. As he looks around, the white room, he notices several figures in the room with him. 

“Looks like the meds kicked in, he’s no longer a raving mad man right now.” says one figure. “Yeah, but don’t let your guard down. The guy killed several people while proclaiming to be some warrior from Hel that sailed on Naglfar.” says the second figure. As the two men leave the room, Jan could not help but to laugh manically at his circumstances.