Ragnarok : the Age of Fire and Gravel

by Ignatius Donnelly

CONTENTS.

PART I. THE DRIFT.

I.	THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DRIFT	1
II.	THE ORIGIN OF THE DRIFT NOT KNOWN	8
III.	THE ACTION OF WAVES	10
IV.	WAS IT CAUSED BY ICEBERGS?	13
V.	WAS IT CAUSED By GLACIERS?	17
VI.	WAS IT CAUSED BY A CONTINENTAL ICE-SHEET?	23
VII.	THE DRIFT A GIGANTIC CATASTROPHE	43
VIII.	GREAT HEAT A PREREQUISITE	58

PART II. THE COMET.

I.	A COMET CAUSED THE DRIFT	63
II.	WHAT IS A COMET?	65
III.	COULD A COMET STRIKE THE EARTH?	82
IV.	THE CONSEQUENCES TO THE EARTH	91

PART III. THE LEGENDS.

I.	THE NATURE OF MYTHS	113
II.	DID MAN EXIST BEFORE THE DRIFT?	121
III.	LEGENDS OF THE COMING OF THE COMET	132
IV.	RAGNAROK	141
V.	THE CONFLAGRATION OF PHAËTON	154
VI.	OTHER LEGENDS OF THE CONFLAGRATION	166
VII.	LEGENDS OF THE CAVE-LIFE	195
VIII.	LEGENDS OF THE AGE OF DARKNESS	208
IX.	THE TRIUMPH OF THE SUN	233
X.	THE FALL OF THE CLAY AND GRAVEL	251
XI.	THE ARABIAN MYTHS	268
XII.	THE BOOK OF JOB	276
XIII.	GENESIS READ BY THE LIGHT OF THE COMET	316

PART IV. CONCLUSIONS.

I.	WAS PRE-GLACIAL MAN CIVILIZED?	341
II.	THE SCENE OF MAN'S SURVIVAL	366
III.	THE BRIDGE	376
IV.	OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED	389
V.	BIELA'S COMET	408
VI.	THE UNIVERSAL BELIEF OF MANKIND	424
VII.	THE EARTH STRUCK BY COMETS MANY TIMES	431
VIII.	THE AFTER-WORD	437