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Surtr, a MythSource painting
Norse

Surtr

The Fire Giant · Lord of Muspell · Destroyer of the Gods

01Identity

Surtr in Norse tradition

At Ragnarök, Surtr leads the sons of Muspell towards Vigrid, carrying a sword that shines more brightly than the sun. They cross Bifröst after it has already been broken, then Surtr kills Freyr and sets the world and all the realms ablaze. As a fire giant and lord of Muspell, he is associated with burning, Ragnarök and the destruction of the gods and the world.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Surtr?

    Surtr is a Norse being associated with fire and burning, Múspell and its fire-host, Ragnarök, the destruction of the gods and the world.
    Source

    Source

    • Legends of Norse Mythology
    • Dictionary of northern mythology

  • What is Surtr associated with?

    fire and burning, Múspell and its fire-host, Ragnarök, the destruction of the gods and the world
    Source

    Source

    • Legends of Norse Mythology

  • Is Surtr in Thor: Ragnarok?

    Yes. It is linked here to Surtr at Ragnarök.

  • What happens in Surtr at Ragnarök?

    Surtr led the sons of Muspell across the broken Bifrost towards Vigrid, carrying a sword that shone more brightly than the sun.
    Source

    Source

    • the ancient sources
    • Legends of Norse Mythology
    • Treasury of Norse Mythology
02The names

The names Surtr answers to

Surt

English spelling of the Old Norse name Surtr

SourceDictionary of northern mythology

Surtur

Variant English and Latinized spelling of Surtr

SourceLegends of Norse Mythology

Surtr hinn svarti

Surtr the Black

SourceDictionary of northern mythology

03The myths

The myths of Surtr

1 myth, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources, with 3 reviewed modern reworks linked where the evidence supports it.

Surtr at Ragnarök

The misty sky split as Ragnarök began, and the sons of Muspell rode through the breach. Surtr led them, holding a flaming sword that burned so brightly that no mortal could look upon it. They crossed the rainbow bridge Bifrost, and the bridge crumbled beneath them. The riders formed their battle line and advanced towards the plain of Vigrid, where the gods and giants gathered.

Surtr guarded the border of Muspell, the hot and radiant land of fire. He led a great host from that realm into the world of the gods. His sword shone more brightly than the sun, and fire followed the host. Everything in its path caught fire. Fire also travelled across the earth from the south, and the forces of Muspell brought destruction across the world as the final battle continued.

Surtr met Freyr in the battle. Freyr was without the sword that had once fought by itself. He had given it to Skirnir during Skirnir’s quest to win Gerd, and he had no equal weapon when he faced Surtr. Surtr struck him down with the flaming sword. He then set the world and all the realms ablaze. The fire consumed everything, and the Norse world ended in flames.

Surtr at Ragnarök, a MythSource painting of the scene

In the modern world

Raanaa: The Shaman Girl - Helheim

Game

Surtr's flaming sword ends up burning Helheim instead of the whole world, and the player must return it before Helheim is destroyed by lava.

Surtr

tabletop

Surt leads the fire-giant 'Lords of the Flames' faction in this Ragnarok-themed miniatures game, matching his mythic role as leader of Muspell's forces.

Thor: Ragnarok

Film

Surtur, reunited with his crown and the Eternal Flame, grows to towering size and destroys Asgard with his flaming sword, fulfilling the Ragnarok prophecy at the scale of one realm.

3 sources· checked 2026-08-19

  1. 1Legends of Norse MythologyT1
  2. 2the ancient sourcesT1

    Quote

    “Surtr comes from the south with fire, defeats Freyr, and the flames he brings consume the earth.”

    the ancient sources

  3. 3Treasury of Norse MythologyT1

Also appears in

The myths across MythSource where Surtr features, each on that figure’s page.

The film

The Underdrawing video on Surtr embeds here once it publishes.