Ragnarok and the Ramayana

If Ragnarok is based on events that took place around Indonesia before and after the Toba Catastrophe, then it would be reasonable to expect similar stories to exist in that region today. There should be Hindu legends with a similar story line. However, at first glance, there is no such equivalent story to be found. The only similarities between Hindu legends and Norse mythology is a fairly abundant reference to dwarfs, and the fact that humans are not directly involved in the wars waged by gods and demons.

But at closer inspection there seems to be a link. In both Norse mythology and Hindu legend, humans are helpless bystanders. The stories in both religions can therefore be assumed to be about natural catastrophes of various kinds. In this respect, the Hindu legend of Ramayana includes a war that may be of similar age to that of Ragnarok. It describes a great battle in which a land bridge between India and Ceylon appears, and where the center of civilization is moved from Nepal to Ceylon. A monkey army builds the land bridge. Hanuman, the leader of the monkey army, subsequently moves Mount Meru, the center of the world, to Ceylon. All of this is done as part of an effort by the god Rama to retrieve his kidnapped wife Sita.

Sita is the goddess of good fortune, success and happiness. Her abduction must therefore be interpreted as a loss of these qualities. A sudden deterioration of the climate would fit this narrative. Conditions in the Himalayas deteriorated while conditions around Ceylon improved, and that shift took place during a period of rapid change. The appearance of the land bridge indicate a falling sea level.

All of this fits well with the onset of the last major glaciation period that started around the time of the Toba Catastrophe. It appears then that Ragnarok and Ramayana may refer to the same event. Only the perspectives differ. Ragnarok took place relatively close to Toba, while Ramayana took place farther away. In both stories, land rise out of the sea, giving rise to a period of peace and prosperity after a prolonged war between gods and demons.

Odin and Fenris

By Emil Doepler - Doepler, Emil. ca. 1905. Walhall, die Götterwelt der Germanen. Martin Oldenbourg, Berlin. Page 55. Photographed and cropped by User:Haukurth., Public Domain, Link

When time comes for Ragnarok, the great battle between giants and gods, Loki and his children join the battle at the side of the giants.