Artwork Explained: Ragnarok

In light of us celebrating the talented artist who created our newest design dropped on Lunafide last week, we thought it would be an awesome time to celebrate one of his other designs on the blog this week. The artwork we will be exploring today is the intricate and eerie Ragnarok apparel range, inspired by Norse Mythology's version of the apocalypse. 

Ragnarok is the catastrophic destructive end of the entire cosmos and absolutely everything in it. Not even the God's would survive the Ragnarok. Norse mythology is made up of smaller tales and myths all leading to the very last story, the Ragnarok. The prophecy of the Ragnarok influenced almost every tale in Norse mythology and had a big effect on how the vikings lived their lives. 

This particular design mainly illustrates and celebrates the creatures who played a prominent role in the Ragnarok and these terrifying creatures can be found throughout the design. Fenrir the great and giant wolf who was the offspring of the trickster God Loki was prophesied to consume the sun and fight against the king of the Aesir Gods Odin and then swallow him whole. Then Odin's son Vidar would avenge the loss of Odin and stab the wolf in the heart. Fenrir can be seen prominently featured on the front of the design and throughout.   

The Nidhogg, or Níðhöggr in Old Norse is a terrifying Dragon/Serpent who gnaws at the roots of the Norse Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. He can also be seen depicted along with Yggdrasil throughout the design, especially on the bottoms and sleeves in the range. 

Nidhogg was a power-ravenous monster and was and is still sometimes referred to as the Malice Striker. This is a fitting name for Nidhogg considering he rules over certain dark criminals and is dedicated to destroying peace and virtue. The prophecy states that the Nidhogg was kept trapped at the roots of Yggdrasil and that when Ragnarok comes the serpent will be free again leading the Giants to attack the Norse Gods.

Incase you missed Pyros' artist spotlight, here it is:

"I am extremely fascinated with culture, history, art and occult symbolism and their relationship with art. It was this fascination and passion that drove me to studying theology and also fine art. I make sure that every work of art that I create is inspired by a mythological story, character or symbol that intrigues and inspires me.

I spend most of my time researching and planning designs through reading mythological history books and articles in order to understand the story from many different perspectives and create art that brings the story to life.

I consider myself a unique person with a complex personality. I meditate, read tarot cards, observe science, and read lots of books.  I try to make sure that the person observing my art feels this complex personality, and understand my vision and unique perspective.I also try to take my obsession with ancient art and revive them with a fresh look that is still historically correct to create something that we can all appreciate."- Pyros 

We hope you love this design just as much as we do!

-Lunafide Team 💛