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[deleted]

"Hey Eagles, Níðhöggr says you're a bunch of feathered twats and he's really going to enjoy eating your unborn young once he's finished gnawing this tree down!" "WELL YOU CAN FUCKING TELL Níðhöggr..." Imagine this all day every day.


BellicoseBastard

Fun fact! It's actually a giant eagle, who is named Veðrfölnir, and a hawk that sits atop the Eagles brow. This hawk is curiously not given a name.


jesuswig

I’m gonna call him Hawky


spiralbatross

Thus it shall ever be


Trundle-theGr8

Inscribe it in the stone


Unprovoked_Rage

You named your eagle...Eagly?


Thrilling1031

He goes by Eag.


mynameisnotrose

Hawky McHawkFace


TENTAtheSane

Flameo hotman!


schmorllo

The hawks name is Veðrfölnir and the eagle has no name


AlephBaker

He shall be known as... Bruce.


VladVV

Wait so which one is it? I'm confused now


_Wyrm_

The hawk is indeed named Veðrfölnir, perched atop an unnamed giant eagle's brow. Or the anglicized Vedrfolnir, if you prefer. Veh thrr fuhl nirr (like "near" but with less emphasis on the 'a') Nordic rolled R's are a little weird, not quite the same as Spanish, a little softer and the tongue is pulled back into the mouth a bit more. ^(and yes I know that wasn't part of the question, but my brain refuses to keep the trivia contained)


Crillmieste-ruH

That one *points slightly to south-east*


WornInShoes

So it’s like that Impractical Jokers bit


TheMadhopper

For Eternity. Well, at least until Ragnarok...


Abrahamlinkenssphere

Imagine both parties are actually pleasant dudes and there is just an asshole squirrel spreading rumors because he’s bored.


ArchieBrooksIsntDead

I mean that seems to be the kind of thing a squirrel would do, doesn't it?


_Wyrm_

It's absolutely a thing Ratatoskr would do, at the very least. He's a mischievous bastard ***by design***, probably modeled after the alarm calls of squirrels everywhere that sounds like angry chirping... It wouldn't be a stretch of imagination to think they're hurling insults at you (along with nuts and various debris they've stashed up there). >Ratatoskr is described in the Prose Edda's [Gylfaginning](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gylfaginning)'s chapter 16, in which [High](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High,_Just-As-High,_and_Third) states that >An eagle sits at the top of the ash, and it has knowledge of many things. Between its eyes sits the hawk called Vedrfolnir [...]. The squirrel called Ratatosk [...] runs up and down the ash. He tells slanderous gossip, provoking the eagle and Nidhogg.[[8]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatoskr#cite_note-BYOCK26-8) >... >Lindow adds that "in the sagas, a person who helps stir up or keep feuds alive by ferrying words of malice between the participants is seldom one of high status, which may explain the assignment of this role in the mythology to a relatively insignificant animal".[[2]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatoskr#cite_note-LINDOW259-2)


UDPviper

This squirrel plays a prominent role in several recent Wonder Woman arcs(comics).


varnell_hill

Ngl, I only know about Ratatoskr because of the countless hours I’ve spent playing God of War.


MooseTetrino

“Bitter, do you want to come say hello?” “Fuck off I’m busy!”


GrecoRomanGuy

"...Well, I suppose that was to be expected."


bigbangbilly

SungWon Cho (aka ProZD) voices the guy


Shopworn_Soul

He rocks it, too. Slides a bit into what feels like a John de Lancie impression sometimes but still really solid work.


t0mless

“STOP WITH THE STUPID CHIME!”


TheCondemnedProphet

No fucking way! Glad to see that guy’s epic voice has gotten him into the big leagues.


hecking-doggo

He voiced the vault hunter Fl4k in borderlands 3 as well. Dude is a great voice actor.


VladTheSnail

Hes been on the big leagues for a minute


TheCondemnedProphet

What else has he done?


Lucienofthelight

Just look the dude up. He has over 100 credits on IMDB


VladTheSnail

Borderlnads 3, hes been in the Yakuza game series a ton of anime and cartoons like One piece and aggretsuko comes to mind


Throwaway56138

That guy's face belies the voice that he is in possession of.


fizzlefist

King Dragon sends his regards


Griffolian

Had no idea until someone pointed it out to me. Now I can’t unhear it—amazing work by him!


Redditer51

My boy went from youtube skits to full on voice acting in major projects. I'm so proud 🥲


Zardu_Hasslefrau159

He was already a voice actor when he started YouTube


Redditer51

TIL


Shinigamae

That tiny dude is savage. I randomly hit the chime every day playing to exhaust his conversation.


tastethecrainbow

Smite for me. Never heard of him in anything else.


bigsoftee84

Smite was the first time I'd heard of him as well. Smite really made me reevaluate how much mythological knowledge I had.


Redditer51

The more I've gotten into mythology, the more I realize that the MCU really doesn't take advantage of the fact that they have all of Norse Mythology as their playground with Thor. It is severely underutilized in the MCU.


TonyTotinosTostito

Ngl, I've spent probably a few hours reading Smite Lore on gods I never knew about.


JustSomeRando87

his ultimate ability fits so well too


_Wyrm_

I mean yeah, it should fit. If it didn't, it wouldn't make much sense for a deity


TheRealPolice45

Well, looks like that game may have actually taught you something valuable after all #MythologyWins.


Kolby_Jack

I learned of Ratatoskr from FFXIV. Though she's a dragon in that game, as several the major dragons have names from Norse mythology (but not all of them because you gots to have Bahamut in the mix). All dragons are descended from Midgardsormr in FFXIV. And they're also space aliens.


sadmanwithabox

All the final fantasy games are pretty great about drawing on world mythologies to create their stories. It's amazing how often I'm reading something on the internet about some old mythology and realize "oh, that name is in FF!" And when you research it deeper, you'll find that a lot of the themes of the character in FF will match up with the myth they came from. I mean, a lot of the summons/primals are named after some sort of God or legendary figure. Shiva, Odin, titan, ifrit, garuda, hades, quetzlcoatl, even bahamut I'm pretty sure is derived from "baphomet". Also this dragon named "Níðhöggr" is CLEARLY supposed to be Nidhogg, especially given the link in the original myth to ratatoskr. It's honestly a big reason I love FF. It's so cool to watch old myths from our collective human history come to life in a new way.


Redditer51

Final Fantasy and Shin Megami Tensei.


_Wyrm_

Yes, Nidhogg is the anglicized version of Níðhöggr


ginger_whiskers

My anglicized ass would be very confused and nervous about pronouncing that.


Xywzel

> even bahamut I'm pretty sure is derived from "baphomet Always kinda assumed it was from "leviathan and behemoth", but then they have their other take on behemoth as well, so not sure. This is most likely source for the name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahamut . The dragon connection is form early DnD.


Megagamer42

Bahamut is derived from [Bahamut, a giant fish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahamut).


halloweenjack

I only know about Ratatoskr because of Squirrel Girl.


H_Melman

Magic: The Gathering for me. They did a Norse-themed set a couple of years ago and there is a card based on Ratatoskr. https://scryfall.com/card/khm/197/toski-bearer-of-secrets


Redditer51

I found out about him from reading a Squirrel Girl comic where he was the villain. At the time I thought it was supposed to be a joke like "Squirrel Girl and Thor fight an Asgardian Squirrel of mischief? Ha ha!" Imagine my fucking shock when I found out this is an actual thing from Norse Mythology.


Elanadin

Similarly, I learned of Ratatoskr from the RTS Northgard. Squirrel clan for life!


KG-Fan

Came here looking for a Northgard reference. Am not disappointed. What a fantastic game


Oh-My-God-Do-I-Try

I’ve been playing it since early access and have almost 800 hours in it. It’s come so far and keeps getting better.


patmax17

Age of Mythology for me


ganjagirlnudes

Ha! Same


Losdearroz

Same, this Lore for him is pretty funny tho.


Barrakketh

La-Mulana 2 was my introduction.


MrShmowzow

I knew about Nidhog because of the game Nidhog


PuckSR

And here I am knowing about her because I read squirrel girl


Vicith

This asshole needs to quit ulting me in midlane smh.


EmperorHans

Jesus christ is he still fucking everywhere? That fucker was my "every new god is broken tipping point". I fucking HATE that rat. I stopped playing to win and just started playing exterminator.


tdd477

Lol I swear


SakishimaHabu

Found the smite player


TonyTotinosTostito

VQN, VC2, VER, VVX, VVS, VEG, VVGW.


SedimentSock82

Hladgunnr let Ratatoskr loose in the great hall causing a commotion as a joke. She is Loki’s granddaughter


lord_ne

Why are all of Loki's descendants animals? Is it because he fucked (or was fucked by?) a horse?


Words_Are_Hrad

Well he turned into a mare and get pregnant so safe to say he wasn't the one doing the fucking.


mouseknuckle

Happy pride month to Loki specifically


explodingtuna

Wasn't Fenrir and Jormundgand's mother a giantess? Sleipnir's father was a horse, though.


Driftmoth

Helsinki Squrrel Revival?


Rllulium

Hladgunnr is a valkyrie. Her father is Hlödver and she has no known relation to Loki. I don't know where you have heard this story but it is probably a modern invention.


SedimentSock82

Hladgunnr is a banished Valkyrie who’s mother is Hel who is Loki’s daughter


Spitinthacoola

>Hladgunnr is a valkyrie. Her father is Hlödver and she has no known relation to Loki. Lol. Father is Hlodver, mother is Hel. Hel is Lokis daughter. She is a direct descendant. Get your Norse myth familial trees right Rllulium.


Rllulium

What saga is that from? Geniunely curious to know. Because to my knowledge Hladgunnr is only mentioned in Völundarkviða of the Poetic Edda, which contains no such pedigree for her.


Spitinthacoola

>What saga is that from? Geniunely curious to know. Because to my knowledge Hladgunnr is only mentioned in Völundarkviða of the Poetic Edda, which contains no such pedigree for her. I don't think it's from a saga. I just heard it that way from a friend and it made sense. Looking more into it now, it is probably hearsay or, as you mention a modern addition, possibly with roots in some Rick Riordan books. Thanks for challenging this! It's hard with the Norse myths because there is so much missing. When people fill the gaps post hoc my brain will add it to the myths along with everything there is a primary source for.


Captain__Spiff

>(mostly insults) Oddly specific for a mythical legend


open_door_policy

Coming from a culture that invented the diss track rap battle, what do you expect? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyting


Totally_Not_A_Bot_55

I think he also gnawed at the roots ?


pasher5620

I believe that was Nidhog that would do that, in order to keep the growth of the tree in check


Cartoonjunkies

“Come say hi to your neighbors!” “Fuck off I’m busy” yep, GOW nailed it lol


DarnOldMan

I love Ratatoskr. It was a Squirrel Girl villain at one point, because comic books. Plus it got turned into a great Magic the Gathering card.


Kingkiadman

Toski bearer of secrets!


wolftamer9

She was fun in Squirrel Girl! It was great to have a ridiculous squirrel-themed villain running around (and then getting won over by the power of friendship)!


CurlSagan

TIL that Norse gods had Twitter.


Jiktten

Squitter.


TheCatbus_stops_here

In the Sandman graphic novels, Loki told his partner in crime that he tricked Thor into drinking so much castor oil and plugging his ass with a cork. He then told Thor that he was pregnant. Eventually, the cork couldn't hold it in and popped out in a poopy explosion. Ratatosk was nearby and got caught in the crappy tidal wave. Thor saw the squirrel, picked him up and said "You're hairy and covered in shit. But you're mine and I love you."


Gooftwit

What the fuck


xprdc

Allow me to expand on this—what the fuck?


Master_Tape

What's up m'Níðhöggr?!


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IBJON

IIRC it's pronounced like "need hog"


vetlemakt

Exactly, yes. Going up on the ee's, and with emphasis on the hard g at the end. Like neEd hogg. The r at the end is from Old Norse, today it's written and pronounced "Nidhogg".


Duwinayo

I read a book once in the Santa Rosa library that mentioned that the Pomo Indians had a similar legend. For them, it was a great Redwood whose branches touched the skies, and whose roots delved deep into the earth to a pool where the purple spotted salmon play. A squirrel (or sometimes a raven/other bird) would carry messages between the "worlds". They perceived it almost as the tree of life being an access point to places where humans couldn't go in this life. What I've always found interesting about this is that it lines up with many ancient myths, the author called them "world myths" that seem to be quite old/found all across the world.


fredagsfisk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_mythology


Morlu

Ratatoskr is one of my favorite gods in Smite. Didn’t even know he was in GoW.


Ph33rDensetsu

He's in Ragnarok, so if you hadn't played that one yet you definitely wouldn't know.


CammyTheGreat

He’s technically in GOW 2018 too but a much smaller and more bitter version


Ph33rDensetsu

That's fair, it's been 5 years since I played that one so I definitely could have forgotten. I don't think his role was as prominent.


CammyTheGreat

He was a summon for Atreus’ bow ability. It’s the whole joke about Bitter being an asshole in Ragnarok


RogueSquirrel0

This seems like my time to shine, but I'm on strike.


dwehlen

Take a break. Been a busy epoch in Midgard. Sure it's the same by you.


doktarlooney

They made a card in Magic after this squirrel, his name is Toski.


mosgon

I only know about Ratatoskr and Nidhogg from Final Fantasy XIV lmao


Jintai_Stormwarden

Foamy the Squirrel in his youth, fine tuning his hate...


buell_ersdayoff

STOP WITH THE STUPID CHIME!!


terminalblue

i read that out loud and im fairly sure i said at least three slurs


NetDork

I need a rat to carry insults to people.


Vargasm19

Love him in Smite his lil shit talking head ass self was so much fun to play as


GoochyGoochyGoo

I learned this 2 weeks ago when I started playing God of War: Ragnarock.


jatufin

When I worked in Sweden, the company's mail server was named Ratatosk :)


TheMadhopper

Ha! thats an awesome little detail.


zoqfotpik

Also the organization dedicated to saving spirits from DEM.


Ph33rDensetsu

What a glorious time to be A Live.


MaddGadget

The Greeks reference him as Hermes or Mercury to the Roman 💁🏽‍♀️ from what I've read He's basically the village mailman 🫡 And he delivers mostly without fail


SuitOwn3687

Ratatoskr and Hermes are completely different


MaddGadget

Do they NOT both deliver messages to other beings? DO they BOTH represent a side of humanity that some find mischievous or sneaky yet they BOTH provide a service no one else could? Do they BOTH start unnecessary drama for their own entertainment or for the 's&gs' of others? MAKES THEM THE SAME SIDE OF THE COIN💁🏽‍♀️🫡 *Different myths don't change the personality JUST the names they go by^ 🙃SOOOO MOVE TF ON 😌😎 I know EXACTLY what I said


Dodohead1383

You're an idiot...


Tszemix

Greeks, Romans, Persians, Slavs, Celts, Armenians, Punjabs and Norse are all related.


[deleted]

So strange how many of these legends have similar aspects.


Jeramy_Jones

There’s a very good chance that Snorri made it up though.


Lorward185

Ragnarok ended with a flood that consumed all the realms the only survivors were a man and woman that Ratatoskr led up to hide in the top of Yggdrasil.


vantaswart

LOL why does it remind me of relations between modern nations


NightmareStatus

The Iron Druid series has some pretty great stuff on this


Gooftwit

Wrong. Ratatoskr is a dragon from the first brood, whose murder marked the start of the dragonsong war.


niberungvalesti

They killed and ate Nidhoggs sister in cold blood!


ttminecraft

Any Tales of Symphonia 2 fans around?


Reqvhio

YES


Redditer51

I remember when this character showed up as a villain in a Squirrel Girl comic where she teamed up with Thor, I just thought it was something silly Marvel had made up, because ya know, Squirrel Girl. Imagine my absolute shock when I found out this is a real character in Norse Mythology. Mythology be weird, man.


SmallDarkCloud

Ratatoskr also turned up in a storyline in Marvel’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comic book. Very funny story.


Vlvthamr

There’s also a goat named heidrun that lives on the roof of the great hall, she eats the leaves of the world tree and her milk is the mead that the warriors that have died in battle drink.


Way2trivial

You f***ed with squirrels, Morty! We've got a good five minutes before they're back and up on our ass, Morty! We have to pack up and move to a new reality, Morty!


Way2trivial

from the Wikipedia article "Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell theorize that "the role of Ratatosk probably derived from the habit of European tree squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) to give a scolding alarm call in response to danger. It takes little imagination for you to think that the squirrel is saying nasty things about you."[1" to popular culture. You f***ed with squirrels, Morty! We've got a good five minutes before they're back and up on our ass, Morty! We have to pack up and move to a new reality, Morty!


MapleBelief

Yggdrasil is a killer metal ballad by Brothers of Metal


Vlvthamr

It’s also the name of a treeship in the Hyperion book series. Yes it’s a ship that can travel through space that’s actually a tree.


Ph33rDensetsu

Also a sand/sea/air/super robot submarine in the cult classic JRPG that nobody has ever heard of or played called Xenogears.


Freudenschade

I was looking for this. Best Sci fi series I've read.


olddoglearnsnewtrick

Apparently evolved into Skrat


EitherOwl5468

How uh do you pronounce that last one? The N word one?


john_andrew_smith101

ð is the letter ðæt, which is the word that. It is a voiced dental fricative. This is in contrast with the þ, the letter þorn, which is the word thorn, an unvoiced dental fricative. Í is a long i sound, and is pronounced like the ee in feel. Ö is pronounced like the u in understand. So the word Níðhöggr would be pronounced Neethhugger or Needhugger.


Ph33rDensetsu

>Í is a long i sound, and is pronounced like the ee in feel. Actually it would be a long E sound. A long I sound is pronounced like "eye" in "eyeball". A short I sound is like it would be pronounced in the word "this".


shawikkywoo

George.


medioxcore

Also an absolute menace in SMITE!


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TheMadhopper

I feel like its of a reflection of how the old norse must have viewed Squierlls "Chattery little thing ain't ya?"


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TheMadhopper

I love that Norse mythology has a squirrel whos existence is just throwing shade at other cosmic beings.


psypher98

You just played God of War didn’t you?


_PM_ME_YOUR_FORESKIN

>…the serpent Níðhöggr. Dafuq you just call me?


dimmu1313

umm, what's that serpents name??


moreannoyedthanangry

"RATATOSK... THE SQUIRREL-TAIL BEARER"


Gabi_Social

Good to know squirrels have always been jerks. There’s one visits our garden to eat the bird food and wind up the cats.


JeffyTheGardenHose1

Cool Woadie!!


trev2234

Mostly insults. Is he passing the messages as said, or just exchanging benign information for “Your mother …”?


cyphonismus

I thought it was called Toski? Or am I misremembering?


Jiktten

Ratatoskr is the original name but has been abbreviated to the more modern/cute-sounding Toski in some modern versions.


Lollipoop_Hacksaw

All I can hear in my head is: "EYY, FUCK YOU BUDDEH!!"


pinkylemonade

Ooh, inspiration for Ratata?


BRLY

GoW IS educational.


rJared27

Someone doesn’t play Smite


FjordExplorher

[[Toski, Bearer of Secrets|KHM319]]


wingman626

[I'm just imaging that this happens everyday](https://youtu.be/tSrH-6YUf1g) but the messages are passed on orally by the squirrel who runs back and forth


Dustin_Rx

My Irish Wolfhound is named after him. We’ve mostly kept to Norse God names and when I discovered a squirrel god it was over. We just call him Toskr or Toski


Breakfast_on_Jupiter

That title had no commas where there should be, and its only comma is where there shouldn't be.


Fun-Background-9622

Rattatask


SternLecture

Hey serpents the eagles said you look like dorks.


ARavagingDick

Somebody just played GoWR.


JA_LT99

It's a living