Snakes in the North! — Jormungandr —
From Wikipedia:
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr (pronounced [ˈjœrmuŋɡandr]), mostly known as Jormungand, or Midgard Serpent, or World Serpent, is a sea serpent, and the middle child of the giantess Angrboða and the god Loki.
According to the Prose Edda, Odin took Loki’s three children, Fenrisúlfr, Hel and Jörmungandr, and tossed Jörmungandr into the great ocean that encircles Midgard.
The serpent grew so large that he was able to surround the Earth and grasp his own tail. When he lets go the world will end. As a result he earned the alternate name of the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent. Jörmungandr’s arch enemy is the god Thor. (Source)
There are no snakes in Alaska. Zippo. Nada. None. You won’t find any snakes in Inuit mythology.
The inquiring mind would then ask, “Are there snakes in Norway?”
Yes.There are three kinds of snakes in Norway . One of them — the Common Viper (Vipera berus), also called hoggorm (“striking snake”) is venomous.
So why are there snakes in Norway but not in Alaska? Alaska is colder than Norway. Norway is warmed by the Gulf Stream, Alaska is “warmed ” by the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea.
Snakes are cold blooded. They don’t do well when they are frozen (unlike many Alaskans). (At least we don’t have venomous snakes.)
Could it have anything to do with the fact that Alaska, like Ireland, is separated from America by water–on the map, somewhere off the coast of California, south of Hawaii?
Or could it have to do with the effects of forty-below weather on a creature that moves with its belly in contact with the ground?
Ms. Mattie: No snakes in Alaska may also be because those cold, crawling snakes are having a hard time getting through Canadian customs.
I’m curious to know which species of snake is Jörmungandr, simply because I’d like to own my own miniature Jörmungandr