The dragon however survives to continue its existence in the new order that follows. Nidhogg rises at Ragnarok, bringing up the corpses of the dead to join battle. In the act of gnawing the root, Nidhogg joins the four stags Dainn, Dvalinn, Duneyr and Durathor who graze the leaves and bark of Yggdrasill higher up. Ratatosk in turn brings the eagles taunts back to Nidhogg. When not feeding upon the dead Nidhogg gnaws at the root of Yggdrasill and sends taunting messages to the eagle perched in its high branches via the squirrel Ratatosk. Living by the root of Yggdrasill,, Nidhogg feeds on the bodies of the dead at Hvergelmirin, a spring which is the source of the rivers of the world, located in the region of Niflheim or Hela. Some scholars prefer the reading Niðhöggr ( Striker in the Dark). In particular the length of the first vowel is not determined in the original sources. While the suffix of the name, -höggr, clearly means "striker" the prefix is not as clear. The Danish form Nidhug or "Nidhøg" can also be encountered. The Modern Icelandic forms Níðhöggur and Niðhöggur are also sometimes seen and sometimes Anglicized as Nidhoggur. The name can be represented in English texts as Nidhogg, Nidhoggr, Nithhogg, Nidhögg, Nidhöggr, Nithhöggr, Nídhöggr, Nithhoggr, Nidhhogg, Níðhögg, Niðhoggr, Níðhoggr, Nídhögg, Hidhaegg, or Nidhhoggr. In the standardized Old Norse orthography the name is spelled Níðhǫggr or Niðhǫggr but the letter 'ǫ' is frequently replaced with the Modern Icelandic 'ö' for reasons of familiarity or technical expediency.
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