Ragnarök, the Norse vision of the destruction of the entire cosmos, right down to the gods themselves, remains a common them in modern culture, often replacing the word Armageddon. It’s an epic tale, and a pillar of Norse mythology, involving most of the great figures in the pantheon, and creatures within their world lore. The world tree, Yggdrasil, will fall, the great wolf Fenrir will slip his chains, giants, and the serpent Jormungand will rampage the Earth. Gods and beasts alike will fall in battle, and everything will end. Never let it be said that religion isn’t cheery…

One of the elements of Ragnarök, which this new series of two-ounce silver coins will be based around, is the tale of Sköll and Hati, a pair of wolves whose names translate as ‘One Who Mocks’, and ‘One Who Hates’, and who hunt the moon and sun respectively (a medieval historian had them the other way around, but many now believe that erroneous). They may have been the offspring of the mighty Fenrir, although as with all things mythological, accounts are contradictory. During Ragnarök, they finally get their prey, and devour the moon and sun.

The story of the two wolves is the basis for the first of Germania Mint’s Ragnarök series, and the design is a fine encapsulation of the legend. They’re depicted, in high-relief, circling the Earth, one chasing an inset sunstone, and one an inset moonstone. The Earth is devastated, and when the coin is subject to UV light, it glows with lava flows on the continents. The whole thing is antique-finished. Designer, Kinga Sabatowicz, has done a great job with this first issue.

The obverse is classic Germania Mint, featuring their terrific bicephalous eagle at the centre, also carries the myth, but in simpler, symbolic style. Symbols of the moon and sun are there, as are the two wolves and a runic-style path circling the coin’s rim. A ‘cracked-earth’ texture fills the background field. A fine debut for what could be a fascinating series, given the rich seam of source material. Just 500 will be struck, and they come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity.

We were fortunate to get a sample coin from Germania Mint, for which we’re very grateful, and as a result, can do some real-world photos of an actual coin for you, which I’ve added below. Enjoy.