Forces of Nature
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is an unfathomably large sea serpent who dwells in the world sea, encircling the Earth (Midgard), biting his own tail, an example of an ouroboros.
As a result of it surrounding Midgard, it is referred to as the World Serpent. When it releases its tail, Ragnarök (the final battle of the world) will begin. Jörmungandr is said to be the middle child of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboða.
According to the Prose Edda, Odin took Loki's three children by Angrboða – the wolf Fenrir, the goddess Hel, and the serpent Jörmungandr – and removed them from Asgard (the world of the Æsir). The serpent Jörmungandr was tossed into the great ocean that encircles Midgard.
There the serpent grew so large that it was able to surround the Earth and grasp its own tail. The old Norse thunder-god, Thor, has an on-going feud with Jörmungandr in their epics and the two can be seen as archfoes. During Ragnarök, Thor and Jörmungandr will fight each other to the death.
