Angrboda

Angrboda, also spelled Angrboða, is a figure in Norse mythology described as a giantess. In Old Norse, her name is often interpreted as “the one who brings grief” or “the one who brings sorrow.” There is little narrative detail about her beyond her role in Loki’s lore, and she is typically encountered as the mate of the trickster god Loki.

Angrboda is most famous as the mother of Loki’s three offspring: Fenrir, the enormous wolf; Jörmungandr, the world-serpent that encircles Midgard; and Hel, ruler of the realm of the dead. The birth of these children figures prominently in the myths because of prophecies that threaten the gods, prompting efforts to manage or suppress the danger they pose.

Fenrir grows powerful enough to be bound by the gods with a magical chain called Gleipnir; Jörmungandr is said to have grown so large that it loops around Midgard; Hel governs over the realm of the dead. These beings are central to the Norse eschatology of Ragnarok, though the exact details vary among sources.

Angrboda appears only briefly in the primary Norse sources, notably the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda compiled by Snorri Sturluson. In some versions she is associated with the world beyond the Æsir, in the lands of the giants (Jötunheim). Her portrayal remains relatively minimal, with most emphasis on her children and their fates.

In modern retellings and adaptations, Angrboda is often depicted as Loki’s mate and the mother of his monstrous offspring, with some works expanding her role to explore themes of fate, kinship, or the powers of the giants. She remains a minor yet pivotal figure in the mythic genealogy of the Norse cosmos.