Fenris the Wolf
Fenris (or Fenrir) is a gigantic and terrible monster in the shape of a wolf. He is the eldest child of
Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The gods learned of a prophecy which stated that the wolf and his family
would one day be responsible for the destruction of the world. They caught the wolf and locked him in a
cage. The god of war, Tyr, was the only one who dared to feed and take care of the wolf. When he was still
a pup they had nothing to fear, but when the gods saw one day how he had grown, they decided to render him
harmless. However, none of the gods had enough courage to face the gigantic wolf, so they tried to trick
him instead. They said the wolf was weak and that he could never break free when he was chained. Fenris
accepted the challenge, and let himself voluntarily be chained. Unfortunately, he was so immensely strong
that he managed to break the strongest fetters as if they were cobwebs.
After that, the gods saw only one alternative left: a magic chain. They ordered the dwarves to make
something so strong that it could hold the wolf, and the result was a soft, thin ribbon: Gleipnir. It was
incredibly strong, despite what its size and appearance might suggest. The ribbon was fashioned of six
strange elements: the noise made by the footfall of a cat; the roots of a mountain; a woman's beard;
the breath of fishes; the sinews of a bear; and a bird's spittle.
The gods tried to trick the wolf again, only this time Fenris was less eager to show his strength. He
saw how thin the chain was, and said that was no pride in breaking such a weak chain. Eventually Fenris
agreed, thinking that otherwise his strength and courage would be doubted. Suspecting treachery however,
he in turn asked the gods for a token of good will: one of them had to put a hand between his jaws. The
gods were not overly eager to do this, knowing what they could expect. Finally, it was Tyr who agreed, and
the gods chained the wolf with Gleipnir. No matter how hard Fenris struggled, he could not break free from
this thin ribbon, and eventually bit off Tyr's hand in revenge.
Being very pleased with themselves, the gods carried Fenris off and chained him to a rock, a mile down into
the earth. They put a sword between his jaws to prevent him from biting. On the day of Ragnarok, Fenris
will break his chains and join the giants in their battle against the gods. He will seek out Odin and
devour him. Vidar, Odin's son, will avenge his father by killing the wolf.
Another name for Fenris is Hrodvitnir ("mighty wolf").
Old Norse: FENRISÚLFR
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