(Also Life and Leifthrasir or Liftrasir)

"Life and Eager for Life"
"Life and He Who Super-abounds With Life"

"The sun turns black,
the earth sinks into the sea,
the bright stars disappear
from the sky; steam gushes forth
with fire, the high flame
plays up to the sky itself"

According to Norse Mythology, during the battle of Ragnarok, Surtr will fling fire in all directions. Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim and Niflheim will become raging furnaces, burning until nothing is left but ashes. The nine worlds will burn until they have become ashes, and the gods will die. Men, dwarves, elves and animals will all be wiped from existence, as well as the monsters and creatures of the underworld. The sun will blacken and the stars will blink out, and finally, the earth will sink into the sea.

But, safely hidden from the flaming sword of Surtr, two humans, Lif, a woman, and Lifthrasir, a man, will sleep in the branches of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. During the destruction, the tree (or sometimes Hodmimir's Forest or Hoddminir's Holt) is shaken and covered with ash, but the Laeradr (shelterer) remains standing. The last pair of humans will only leave the safety of the tree when they can once again see sunlight between the branches, and the world is green and fertile.

When Lif and Lifthrasir emerge, they sustain themselves on morning dew*, and go on to become the progenitors of the new race of humans.

Sources:
http://www.ylandtrust.org/
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/l/lif_and_lifthrasir.html
http://search.britannica.com/search?query=progeny&ct=ebi&fuzzy=N


* In keeping with other myths, 'morning dew' may imply mead.

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