Summary

• Laurits' pet, the tapeworm named Jörmungandr, plays a crucial role in setting up the end of the world in Ragnarok Season 3, just like in Norse mythology.
• The release of Jörmungandr into the ocean foreshadows the beginning of the end and the eventual death of Magne, who is a reincarnation of Thor.
• The tapeworm symbolizes the trauma and delusions that Magne experiences, and defeating it signifies his recovery and return to a normal life.

The Netflix series Ragnarok saw a shocking moment where Lauritis got a tapeworm and ended up raising it as a pet. In the Season 2 finale, Laurits (Jonas Strand Gravli) released his pet serpent into the ocean, an act that perfectly set up the show’s ultimate ending. Over the course of its first two seasons, Ragnarok cultivated a languid pace to build up to the Twilight of the Gods, taking its time to flesh out a modernized mythology and in-depth character motivations. The second season of the Norwegian drama focused heavily on Laurits’ true identity and how the weight of the truth results in shifting allegiances.

After much foreshadowing, Ragnarok revealed that Laurits’ biological father was none other than Vidar (Gísli Örn Garðarsson), the patriarch of the corrupt Jutul industries, who also happened to be a giant. Despite growing up in a loving familial environment, Laurits does not share the sense of belonging in the same way his brother Magne (David Stakston) does, which further fuels a crisis in identity. Upon learning the truth, Laurits embraced his true self, which became possible after his powers as a half-giant were activated. However, Laurits was hurled into yet another emotional spiral when Magne accidentally killed Vidar during a fight.

What Is Laurits' Pet?

Laurits is represented by the trickster god Loki, so a strain of ambivalence dominates his decisions throughout Ragnarok, making it difficult to gauge where his true allegiance lies. Having lost his true father and being shunned by Wotan Wagner, the reincarnation of the Allfather Odin himself, Laurits injects himself with the latter’s blood, hence fulfilling the prophecy of his half-giant, half-god nature. Soon after, Laurits is taken to the hospital for a tapeworm removal procedure, which is a modern retelling of the birth of Jörmungandr, or the Midgard Serpent.

Deemed as one of the most terrifying creatures in Norse mythology, Jörmungandr is a giant in the form of a mighty serpent, responsible for triggering Ragnarok, or the end of the world. Representing an ouroboros, Jörmungandr harkens cyclical violence, along with the themes of destruction and rebirth - a process that is triggered when the serpent uncoils itself and moves towards land. As a means to cope with his mounting anguish, Laurits decided to keep Jörmungandr as a pet, although the snake was much smaller at the time.

How Does Laurits' Pet Set Up Ragnarok's End?

After being cornered by Fjor and Ran Jutul, Laurits offered them a critical piece of information: he had access to a weapon that would ultimately lead to his brother Magne’s death. As Magne is a reincarnation of the thunder god Thor, mythology points to a fierce battle between him and the Midgard Serpent, which eventually ends with Thor vanquishing the snake and being killed in the process. While it is still unclear whether Laurits truly wants Magne dead or whether it was simply a ploy to keep the Jutuls from killing him, the act of releasing Jörmungandr into the icy waters of the lake in Edda at the end of Season 2 harkens the beginning of the end.

Although Ragnarok has subverted certain notions whilst mythologizing gods and giants within a modern context, basic tenets of Norse mythology still apply to the characters, albeit in a slightly altered form. On following this strain, it is possible that at some point ahead in time, the rise of Jörmungandr could trigger the end of the world and eventually, the death of Magne. However, as destruction begets rebirth, is it possible for Magne to return as yet another reincarnation on Earth? Also, what kind of role could Laurits play in the wider scheme of things, and would he ever truly choose a side?

The Role Lauritis' Pet Plays In Season 3

For better or worse, the third season of Ragnarok turned the entire story on its head and showed that nothing was as it seemed. The entire purpose of Jörmungandr was to set up the end for Magne, as it did for Thor in the end-of-times tale of the mythical Ragnarok. The end of the world would come after Thor died fighting the serpent, and it would be reborn in an image that no longer needed or relied on the gods for assistance. That is what happened at the end of Ragnarok season 3, at least in a manner. However, as the season showed, Magne has a collection of comic books, including classic issues of Thor, which has these exact tales.

There is a moment in Norse history where Baldur dies and this is what actually starts Ragnarok. While Odin protected Baldur, this was still destined to happen and in the finale, Magne sees Baldur shot through the chest, where he dies. A broken-hearted Laurits then starts his war against humanity and his brother, and he orders Jörmungandr to kill Magne. While Magne defeats Laurits' tapeworm, the serpent's poisonous tooth pierces his back, ensuring his death. It isn't Magne who dies, though. It is his delusions. As the comic books showed, this entire story took place in Magne's head and was a result of him losing someone he loved.

In Norse mythology, Thor took nine steps after the tooth pierced him and died. The world ended only to be rebuilt as a better place. In Ragnarok, Magne took nine steps, and everything that was going on - the war, the battles, Ragnarok itself - all ended. Things returned to normal for Magne. While the show never really revealed if everything was in Magne's mind, the final battle clearly was, and it was assumed that Magne's fractured mind created all his trials and tribulations using a hero he idolized as a child - Thor. If that is true, Ragnarok is a story of a young man suffering great trauma and the Ragnarok tapeworm was the last piece to his recovery.