Ragnarok : the Age of Fire and Gravel eBook

Ignatius Donnelly
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 440 pages of information about Ragnarok .

Ragnarok : the Age of Fire and Gravel eBook

Ignatius Donnelly
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 440 pages of information about Ragnarok .

[1.  “Edinburgh Review,” October, 1874, p. 208.]

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“14.  The members of his flesh cleave one to another; he shall send lightnings against him, and they shall not be carried to another place.” (Sym., “His flesh being cast for him as in a foundry,” (molten,) “is immovable.”)

“15.  His heart shall be as hard as a stone, and as firm as a smith’s anvil.” (Septuagint, “He hath stood immovable as an anvil.”)

“16.  When he shall raise him up, the angels shall fear, and being affrighted shall purify themselves.”

Could such language properly be applied, even by the wildest stretch of poetic fancy, to a whale or a crocodile, or any other monster of the deep?  What earthly creature could terrify the angels in heaven?  What earthly creature has ever breathed fire?

“17.  When a sword shall lay at him, it shall not be able to hold, nor a spear, nor a breast-plate.

“18.  For he shall esteem iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

“19.  The archer shall not put him to flight, the stones of the sling are to him like stubble.

“20.  As stubble will he esteem the hammer, and he will laugh him to scorn who shaketh the spear.”

We are reminded of the great gods of Asgard, who stood forth and fought the monster with sword and spear and hammer, and who fell dead before him; and of the American legends, where the demi-gods in vain hurled their darts and arrows at him, and fell pierced by the rebounding weapons.

“21. The beams of the sun shall be under him,” (in the King James version it is, “SHARP STONES are under him”—­the gravel, the falling débris,) “and he shall strew gold under him like mire.”  (The King James version says, “he spreadeth sharp-pointed things upon the mire.”)

To what whale or crocodile can these words be applied?  When did they ever shed gold or stones?  And

{p. 313}

in this, again, we have more references to gold falling from heaven: 

“22.  He shall make the deep sea to boil like a pot, and shall make it as when ointments boil.” (The Septuagint says, “He deems the sea as a vase of ointment, and the Tartarus of the abyss like a prisoner.”)

“23. A path shall shine after him; he shall esteem the deep as growing old.” (The King James version says, “One would think the deep to be hoary.”)

1124. There is no power upon earth that can be compared with him, who was made to fear no one.

“25.  He beholdeth every high thing; he is king over all the children of pride.” (Chaldaic, “of all the sons of the mountains.”)

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Ragnarok : the Age of Fire and Gravel from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.