Jörmungandr

/ˈjɔɹmunˌɡɑndɹ̩//-mʊn-//-ˌɡænd-/

proper noun

The World Serpent or Midgard Serpent, an offspring of Loki, which is thrown into the ocean by Odin but grows to encircle the world, and is finally slain during Ragnarok by Thor, who then succumbs to its poisonous breath.

Similar
MiðgarðsormrMidgardsormrMidgard SerpentWorld Serpent
OriginOld Norse Jǫrmungandr →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. Norsehuman sciencesThe World Serpent or Midgard Serpent, an offspring of Loki, which is thrown into the ocean by Odin but grows to encircle the world, and is finally slain during Ragnarok by Thor, who then succumbs to its poisonous breath.

    The dragon Jörmungandr, for instance, was said to encircle the entire world of Midgard (where people live). To complete the circle, he bit his own tail.

    2006, Stephen Krensky, Dragons, page 28
    2 more examples

    The ultimate symbol of evil, the Midgard Serpent or Jörmungandr, was the offspring of the trickster Loki and the sorceress Angur-boda, who also gave birth to Hel (the queen of the dead) and the Fenris Wolf (see page 239).

    2006, Ruth Binney, Nature's Ways: Lore, Legend, Fact and Fiction, page 234

    Thus the Aegypto-Greek Ourobouros or Norse Jörmungandr (Midgard serpent) surrounds the cosmos, biting its own tail in a symbol of perpetuity and infinity, never ending, always regenerating.

    2010, Valerie Estelle Frankel, From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey through Myth and Legend, page 70

    Synonyms: Miðgarðsormr, Midgardsormr, Midgard Serpent, World Serpent

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounThe World Serpent or Midgard Serpent, an offspring of Loki, which is thrown into the ocean by Odin but grows to encircle the world, and is finally slain during Ragnarok by Thor, who then succumbs to its poisonous breath.

Similar
MiðgarðsormrMidgardsormrMidgard SerpentWorld Serpent

Origin

  1. Old NorseJǫrmungandr
  2. EnglishJörmungandr

Borrowed from Old Norse Jǫrmungandr.

More words from Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish Midgårdsormen
  • MidgårdsormenWorld Serpent
Greek Γιόρμουνγκαντ, Γιόρμουνγκαντερ
  • Γιόρμουνγκαντ (Giórmoungkant)World Serpent
  • Γιόρμουνγκαντερ (Giórmoungkanter)World Serpent
Persian یورمونگاند
  • یورمونگاند (jormungand)World Serpent
Polish Jormungand
  • JormungandWorld Serpent
Russian Ёрмунганд
  • Ёрмунганд (Jórmungand)World Serpent
Swedish Midgårdsormen
  • MidgårdsormenWorld Serpent
Cite this entry
APA

Jörmungandr. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/J%C3%B6rmungandr

MLA

“Jörmungandr.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/J%C3%B6rmungandr. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Jörmungandr,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/J%C3%B6rmungandr.

Source: Jörmungandr on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.