Who, under the form of a monster, will swallow up the moon.”
Voluspa (Pfeiffer’s tr.).
As this terrible calamity occurred the whole earth trembled and shook, the stars, affrighted, fell from their places, and Loki, Fenris, and Garm, renewing their efforts, rent their chains asunder and rushed forth to take their revenge. At the same moment the dragon Nidhug gnawed through the root of the ash Yggdrasil, which quivered to its topmost bough; the red cock Fialar, perched above Valhalla, loudly crowed an alarm, which was immediately echoed by Gullin-kambi, the rooster in Midgard, and by Hel’s dark-red bird in Nifl-heim.
“The gold-combed cock
The gods in Valhal loudly crow’d to arms;
The blood-red cock as shrilly summons all
On earth and down beneath it.”
Viking Tales of the North (R. B. Anderson).
Heimdall gives the alarm.
Heimdall, seeing these ominous portents and hearing the cocks’ shrill cry, immediately put the Giallar-horn to his lips and blew the long-expected blast, which was heard throughout the whole world. At the first sound of this rallying call Æsir and Einheriar sprang from their golden couches, armed themselves for the coming fray, sallied bravely out of the great hall, and, mounting their impatient steeds, galloped over the quivering rainbow bridge to the spacious field of Vigrid, where, as Vafthrudnir had predicted so long before, the last battle was to take place.