Fenrir

• 1. The Wolf Born of Chaos

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  In the dark forest known as Járnviðr, an old woman sat and bred broods that would become the wolves of prophecy. One of these offspring was destined to swallow the moon in a troll's skin. This creature grew from the union of Loki and the female jötunn Angrboða. He arrived into the world alongside his siblings Hel and Jörmungandr. The gods traced prophecies that great mischief and disaster would arise from these three children. They expected trouble not only because of their mother but also because of their father. Odin threw Jörmungandr into the deep sea that lies round all lands. He cast Hel into Niflheim and gave her authority over nine worlds. Yet the wolf remained with the gods at home. Only Týr had the courage to approach Fenrir and offer him food. The gods noticed that Fenrir grew rapidly every day. All prophecies foretold he was destined to cause them harm.

• 2. The Silken Fetters And The Lost Hand

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  The gods prepared three fetters to restrain the growing beast. The first strong bond was called Leyding. At Fenrir's first kick, the bind snapped and the wolf loosened himself. A second fetter named Dromi proved twice as strong yet still broke when Fenrir kicked it. The gods feared they could not hold the wolf with iron chains. Odin sent Freyr's messenger Skírnir down into Svartálfaheimr to some dwarfs. These dwarves constructed a fetter called Gleipnir from six mythical ingredients. The ribbon appeared smooth and soft like silk yet remained firm and unbreakable. The gods showed the silken strip to Fenrir on the island Lyngvi. They told him to tear it and stated it was much stronger than it appeared. Fenrir replied that if he could not break such slender material then he was nothing for the gods to fear. He agreed only if someone placed their hand in his mouth as a pledge. Týr put out his right hand and placed it within the jaws of the wolf. When Fenrir kicked, Gleipnir caught tightly and the band grew stronger. Everyone laughed except Týr who there lost his right hand.

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• 3. Ragnarök And The Death Of Odin

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  Fenrisúlfr will be free when all binds snap during the events of Ragnarök. His upper jaw will touch the sky while his lower jaw touches the earth. Flames will burn from his eyes and nostrils. He arrives at the field Vígríðr with his sibling Jörmungandr. An immense battle takes place where forces are assembled. Odin rides to fight Fenrisúlfr but eventually swallows him. The god dies as the beast consumes him. Odin's son Víðarr moves forward to avenge his father. Víðarr kicks one foot into the lower jaw of the wolf. This foot bears a legendary shoe whose material has been collected throughout all time. With one hand Víðarr holds the wolf's upper jaw and tears apart his mouth. He kills Fenrisúlfr after the great struggle ends. The prophecy that Fenrir would kill Odin comes true before he is destroyed by the younger generation of gods.

• 4. Runestones And Pagan Christian Syncretism

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  Thorwald's Cross stands partially surviving at Kirk Andreas on the Isle of Man. Rundata dates this runestone to 940 while Pluskowski places it in the 11th century. A bearded human holds a spear downward at a wolf with his right foot inside its mouth. A large bird sits at the shoulder of the figure. Scholars interpret this image as Odin being consumed by Fenrir at Ragnarök. On the reverse side another image shows Christ triumphing over Satan. These combined elements describe the cross as syncretic art mixing pagan and Christian beliefs. The mid-11th century Gosforth Cross located in Cumbria England features figures in Borre style. One man thrusts a foot into the forked tongue of a monstrous head. Another hand rests against the upper jaw of the beast. This scene depicts Víðarr fighting Fenrir but also serves as a metaphor for Christ's defeat of Satan. The Ledberg stone in Sweden similarly features a legless helmeted man below the beast.

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• 5. Indo European Parallels And Pack Hierarchy

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  John Lindow theorizes that Garmr Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson were originally simply all Fenrir. He notes that Snorri is careful to make distinctions between these wolves. Ethologist Valerius Geist wrote that the maiming and killing of Odin was likely based on true experiences of wolf behavior. Wolves are genetically encoded to rise up in pack hierarchy. They have been recorded to rebel against and kill their parents. Apparently even the ancients knew that wolves may turn on their parents and siblings. Indo-European parallels exist between myths of Fenrir and the Persian demon Ahriman. Taxma Urupi rode Angra Mainyu as a horse for thirty years. After thirty years Ahriman outwitted and swallowed Taxmoruw. His brother Jamshid inserted his hand into Ahriman's anus and pulled out his brother's corpse. His hand withered from contact with the diabolic innards. These stories share themes of binding an evil being and the subsequent swallowing of the ruler figure.

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• 6. Modern Art And Video Game Appearances

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  Fenrisúlfr appears in modern literature including the poem Om Fenrisulven og Tyr by Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger published in 1819. The novel Der Fenriswolf by K. H. Strobl also features the beast. E. K. Reich and E. Larsen wrote Til kamp mod dødbideriet in 1974. Dorothy Hardy created artwork titled Odin and Fenris in 1909. Emil Doepler produced Odin und Fenriswolf in 1901 and Fesselung des Fenriswolfe around 1900. Arne Vinje Gunnerud sculpted a metal piece named Fenrir on the island of Askøy Norway. The 2022 game God of War Ragnarök depicts the wolf as a symbol of chaos. Scholars like Meyer Schapiro theorize connections between the Hell Mouth in medieval Christian iconography and Fenrir. He suggests the Anglo-Saxon taste for the Hell Mouth was perhaps influenced by the northern pagan myth of the Crack of Doom.