"Then it shall come to pass that the earth will shake so violently that trees will be torn up by the roots, the
[1. Anderson, "Norse Mythology," p. 416.]
{p. 143}
mountains will topple down, and all bonds and fetters will be broken and snapped."
Chaos has come again. How closely does all this agree with Hesiod's description of the shaking earth and the universal conflict of nature?
"The Fenris-wolf gets loose."
This, we shall see, is the name of one of the comets.
"The sea rushes over the earth, for the Midgard-serpent writhes in giant rage, and seeks to gain the land."
The Midgard-serpent is the name of another comet; it strives to reach the earth; its proximity disturbs the oceans. And then follows an inexplicable piece of mythology:
"The ship that is called Naglfar also becomes loose. It is made of the nails of dead men; wherefore it is worth warning that, when a man dies with unpared nails, he supplies a large amount of materials for the building of this ship, which both gods and men wish may be finished as late as possible. But in this flood Naglfar gets afloat. The giant Hrym is its steersman.