Fenrisúlfr

Fenrisúlfr, also known as Fenrir, is a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology. He is the son of the trickster god Loki and the giantess Angrboða, and therefore the brother of Jörmungandr (the Midgard Serpent) and Hel. The name Fenrisúlfr is Old Norse for “Fenrir-wolf.”

Fenrisúlfr grows to immense size and strength, and the Aesir fear the danger he presents to the gods themselves. To prevent a prophecy that he would bring about great doom, the gods have the dwarves forge Gleipnir, a binding made from six seemingly harmless things. Fenrir agrees to be bound only if one of the gods places a hand in his mouth as a pledge of good faith; Tyr, the god of law and justice, volunteers. When Gleipnir holds and Fenrir cannot break free, he bites off Tyr’s hand. The gods then bind Fenrisúlfr to a rock or other fixed object with Gleipnir, keeping him imprisoned until the events of Ragnarok.

In the eschatological events of Norse myth, Fenrisúlfr is prophesied to break his bonds during Ragnarok and play a pivotal role in the destruction of the gods; most versions state that he slays Odin. Fenrisúlfr is ultimately slain by Vidar, one of Odin’s sons, who avenges his father by killing the wolf.

Fenrisúlfr’s story appears in key Norse sources such as the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. He is a central figure in the themes of fate, strength, and the cataclysmic conflicts that conclude the mythic world.