An end to make sense of the world

It is fair to assume that many end-of-the-world myths were initially meant to explain the world and the principles that govern it. They can be seen as complement to creation myths. Just like a story, the world itself should have a grand finale. End-of-the-world myths can therefore just be viewed as pre-scientific attempts to explain the course of the known universe. An the imagery used in these stories draws on historic experience of that time with whatever can put an end to things on a large scale: war, fire, disease, earthquakes and meteorites.