Game of the Gods
In Norse mythology, the Game of the Gods is a motif associated with the golden age of the Æsir early in the mythic time cycle and with the survival of the new race of gods following the endtime of Ragnarök. The relevant passages are found in Völuspá, the first at stanza 8 occurring after the creation of the universe during a time of peace and prosperity: In their dwellings at peace they played at tables Of gold no lack did the gods then know Here the playing at tables refers to Tafl, a family of ancient Germanic board games somewhat resembling chess, although which variant of Tafl is being played or its rules are not known.