‘Ragnarok’ is a Netflix TV series from Norway about two half brothers Magne and Laurits, who have to discover who they really are and fulfill their destiny. So far 2 seasons of the series have been released.
The idea of the series is simple – what if old Nordic gods were alive now and had to fight the giants again, just like they did in the ancient times. Also, the history likes to repeat itself so they are all inevitably heading towards the end of the times, the Ragnarok. In Old Norse language it means ‘Doom of the Gods’ and stands for the end of the world as we know it. It’s like taking Shakespeare’s play and modernizing it, as theater director’s often do.
Here, the old Scandinavian myths had been modernized and transported into our current world. Giants become members of the rich family destroying the world by their greed and lack of compassion towards people. Gods are like humans but with special skills and powers who want to use them to protect others. When Magne and Laurits first come to the small Norwegian village of Edda with their mother, Magne starts to change and becomes stronger and stronger. He is touched by an old woman and it looks like his third eye awakened. He becomes invulnerable and discovers his real self – he is a reincarnation of Thor, god of thunder. He feels called to protect his family and his new home.
That’s the beginning of his hero’s journey that will most likely culminate in season three so we do not know yet what will happen to him. Well, unless we are familiar with Norse mythology. But before we see how his story will end, let’s look closer at his current place. After realizing who he really is and killing one of the giants he decides he wants to give up his powers and pray in a church to become himself again. But later he realized that he cannot deny his real nature. ‘All I can do is be me. Whoever that is.’ He reads these words on the grave of his friend and understands that he has to continue to fight for what he believes is right.
He needs help though and also his hammer, Mjölnir. He would be the only person able to handle it and he would never miss his target. And the hammer would always come back to his hand. He then becomes ready to fully accept himself. But by the end of season 2 Magne is questioning the morality of gods and the eternal clash of good and evil. ‘If the good can only win by killing, they have already lost. They’ve become evil themselves.’ And it’s that journey, not the destination, that matters.
As the old woman told Magne: ‘You have always had it in you. I’ve just opened your eyes’. And we all need to find out who we really are and what we are really capable of.
