In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr is described in Völuspá as flying over battlefields at Ragnarök.
Völuspá, one of the poems of the Poetic Edda, presents a prophetic account of the world’s destruction and renewal. Near the poem’s conclusion, Níðhöggr is associated with the aftermath of the catastrophe, appearing in a striking image above the battlefield. The detail reinforces the creature’s connection with death and the decay beneath the world tree.
Níðhöggr is also known for gnawing at Yggdrasil’s roots and feeding on the dead. These images make the dragon a symbol of corruption operating below and beyond the ordered cosmos. The creature is not one of the principal combatants in the final battle in the way Thor and Jörmungandr are.
Fafnir belongs to a heroic story about greed and transformation, while Jörmungandr is the Midgard Serpent who encounters Thor. Níðhöggr’s recurring settings are the roots of Yggdrasil and the grim landscape associated with the dead.