In Norse mythology’s Ragnarok, Naglfar carries the dead and the giants to battle. The ship is described as being made from the fingernails and toenails of the dead, and it is released when the final upheaval begins. Its arrival is one of the ominous signs that the enemies of the gods are gathering.
The name Naglfar is sometimes translated or interpreted in connection with nails, which explains the ship’s grisly construction. Medieval sources warn that trimming the nails of the dead could delay the vessel’s completion, although this detail belongs to later explanatory tradition surrounding the myth.
Naglfar should not be confused with Skíðblaðnir, Freyr’s magical ship, which can be folded and always has a favorable wind. Nor is it Hringhorni, the ship associated with Baldr’s funeral. These ships belong to different mythic episodes and have different owners or functions.
At Ragnarok, Naglfar is connected with the forces opposing the gods, not with the gods’ own fleet.