The End of the World

Theme: Fire

Because fire posed a danger to many civilizations as well as a useful tool, many myths dealing with the apocalypse mention fire or burning. The Norse story of Ragnarok, for example, predicts that the sky will sink into a pit of flame at the end of the world; this perhaps represented the loss of all that is high and lofty to the forces of evil, as Ragnarok is also associated with the freeing of chaos forces and the unleashing of the evil gods and beings of Norse mythology.

In other myths as well, fire acts as a destructive force. In Greek mythology, Prometheus was punished with being chained to a rock and having a vulture devour his innards for bringing the fire of the gods to the human world. Though all ancient cultures used fire, many of them regarded it with respect and fear as well.

The Dawn and Dusk of Man is a Thinkquest Mythology Project by Sheila, Min, Ana and Tencia of Montgomery Blair High School.