First will come the winter called Fimbulvetr. Snow will be driven from all directions, there will be hard frosts and biting winds. There will be three such winters on end with no summer between. Before that, however, three other winters will pass accompanied by great wars throughout the whole world. Brothers will kill each other for the sake of gain, and no one will spare father or son, mother or daughter, in manslaughter or incest.

Then will the wolf swallow the sun, and that will bring great disaster to men. Then another wolf will seize the moon and that one too will do great harm. The stars will disappear from the heavens. Then this will come to pass, the whole surface of the earth, and the mountains, will tremble so violently that trees will be uprooted from the ground, the mountains will crash down. The wolf Fenrir will get loose then.

The seas will lash against the land as the Midgard Serpent, writhing in great fury, attempts to come ashore. At that time, too, the ship known as Naglfar will become free. It is made of dead men's nails, so it is worth noting that if anyone dies with his nails uncut, he will greatly increase the size of that ship. In the tidal wave started by the Serpent's attempts to gain the shore, Naglfar will be launched, with Hrym, the giant, steering it.

The wolf Fenrir will advance with wide open mouth, his upper jaw against the sky, his lower on the earth, and his eyes and nostrils will blaze with fire. The Midgard Serpent, meanwhile, will blow so much poison that the whole sky and sea will be covered with it. In this din the sky will be rent asunder and the sons of Muspell ride forth from it. Surt will ride first and with him fires blazing both before and behind. When they ride over the bridge Bifröst it will collapse.

The sons of Muspell will push forward to the plain called Vigrid and the wolf Fenrir and the Midgard Serpent will go there too. Loki and Hrym with all the frost giants will also be there by then, and all the family of Hel will accompany Loki.

Heimdall will blow a great blast on the horn Gjöll and awaken all the gods. The Æsir and all the Einherjar will arm themselves and press onward to the plain. Ódin will ride first with his spear Gungnir and head for the wolf Fenrir. Thór will be at his side and head for the Serpent. Frey will fight against Surt, and will be killed. Then the hound Garm will battle with Týr and each will kill the other. Thór will slay the Midgard Serpent but stagger back only nine paces before he falls down dead, killed by the poison blown upon him by the serpent. The wolf Fenrir will swallow Ódin and that will be his death. Immediately Vídar will place one foot on the lower jaw of the wolf, reach up to grab the upper jaw in one hand, and tear the wolf's throat asunder with his other, and that will be the wolf's death. Loki will battle with Heimdall and each will kill the other. Thereupon Surt will fling fire over the earth and burn up the whole world.