In Norse mythology, Fenrir is
a wolf. Fenrir
was the eldest of three children between Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The
Gods kept Fenrir in Asgard so that they might keep an eye on him.
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. Instead, they
tried to trick him. They said the wolf was weak and could never break free when
he was chained. Fenrir accepted the
challenge and let the Gods chain him with iron. Unfortunately, he was so immensely strong that
he managed to break the strongest fetters as if they were cobwebs.
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. Fenrir
had grown so large that when he
opened his mouth, his lower jaw would be against the Earth and his upper jaw
would scrape the universe. Flames burned
from his eyes and nostrils. Only God Tyr
was brave enough to feed him.
The Gods saw only one alternative: a magic chain (killing was forbidden in Asgard). They ordered the
dwarves to make something so strong that it could hold the wolf. 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 elements: the footstep 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. That is why these things are very rare in the
world today.
The Gods tried to trick the wolf again, only this time Fenrir 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, though, he 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, only Tyr agreed, and the Gods chained
the wolf with Gleipnir. No matter how
hard Fenrir struggled, he could not break free from this thin ribbon. In revenge, he bit off Tyr's hand.
Being very pleased with themselves, the Gods carried Fenrir off and chained
him to a rock, Gioll, a mile down into the Earth. When Fenrir howls in his anger, the ground and mountains tremble
violently and deep fractures form and rocks were thrown around. They put a sword between his
jaws to prevent him from biting. On the
day of Ragnarok, Fenrir will break his chains and join the giants in their
battle against the Gods. He will seek
out Odin and devour him. Odin's son Vidar will avenge his father by killing the
wolf. Vidar will grasp his jaws with one hand and
tear his mouth apart, killing the beast at last.
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