Name(s): Fenrir/Fenris
Country of Origin: Scandinavia
Description: What do you do when you discover there’s a giant wolf that will one day cause the downfall of your religion’s presence on Earth?
You tie that sucker up.
There are a lot of great tidbits about Fenrir, but I like when the gods (who will NOT go near him – except Tyr) try and convince Fenrir into chains. They figured they need him bound so he can’t cause the end of their world. They challenge him by appealing to his pride, “You say no bonds can hold you, but how do we know you’re strong unless you allow us to test you?”. They’ve tried similar tactics with Fenrir’s dad, so it’s a good plan.
Except Fenrir is not exaggerating, and he breaks out of every known chain. So now we need a miracle.
That’s where the dwarves come in. They’re very handy, and manage to come up with a supple, thin ribbon: Gleipnir. Composed of the roots of a mountain, a woman’s beard, the breathe of fishes, the sinews of a bear, a bird’s spittle, and the footsteps of a cat, there was nothing stronger.
He’s tricked, tied, and tossed a mile underneath the ground. In the process Tyr loses a hand, but it’s a small price to pay to have saved Odin and the whole Norse pantheon.
Of course, prophecies have a neat way of working out. On the day of Ragnarok, Fenrir will break his bonds, eat Odin and fight against the gods on the side of giants.
He’ll fall to Vidar, Odin’s son, but not before the damage is done.
Gotta love giant wolves.
Sources:
“Fenrir”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web. 31 Dec. 2013.
Rose, Carol. “Fenrir”. Giants, Monsters & Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend and Myth. 2000. Print.
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