Norse Mythology · monster

Fenrir

Fenrirr

monsterthe great wolf

The great wolf, son of Loki, whom the gods bound with the magic ribbon Gleipnir; he will kill Odin at Ragnarök.

Odin and Fenris · Mabel Dorothy Hardy · c. 1910 · British illustration · Public domain

The account

Who they are

Fenrir is the great wolf, son of Loki and the giantess Angerboa (Angrboða) [S2]. As a pup he was raised in Asgard, but the gods grew afraid of his strength and tried to bind him. The first two bindings (Leadbond and Dromi) he broke, but the third — a magic ribbon made of six impossible things (Gleipnir) — held, because only Týr placed his hand in the wolf's mouth as a pledge; when the binding held, Fenrir bit off his hand [S2]. Fenrir will break free at Ragnarök and grow so large that his jaw touches the earth and his mouth the sky; he will swallow the sun and kill Odin, who will be avenged by his son Víðarr [S1][S2].

Worth knowing

Son of Loki and the giantess Angerboa [S2].
Bound with the magic ribbon Gleipnir; bit off Týr's hand [S2].
Will kill Odin at Ragnarök [S1][S2].
Will be avenged by Odin's son Víðarr [S1][S2].

Relationships (8)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFLoki — Loki (with Angerboa) is the parent of Fenrir.[S2]

PARENT_OFAngerboa — Angerboa (with Loki) is the parent of Fenrir.[S2]

SIBLING_OFJörmungandr — Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel are siblings.[S2]

SIBLING_OFHel — Fenrir and Hel are siblings.[S2]

Conflict & enmity

FOUGHTTýr — Týr placed his hand in Fenrir's mouth to bind him; the wolf bit off his hand.[S2]

KILLEDOdin — Fenrir will kill Odin at Ragnarök.[S1] [S2]

KILLEDVíðarr — Víðarr will avenge Odin by slaying Fenrir.[S1] [S2]

FOUGHTGungnir — Gungnir is bound up in the binding of Fenrir.[S1]

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Myths featuring Fenrir

3 stories

The Binding of Fenrir

The gods, fearing the growing wolf Fenrir, tried to bind him. The first two bindings he broke, but the third — a magic ribbon made of six impossible things (Gleipnir) — held. Only Týr placed his hand in the wolf's mouth as a pledge; when the binding held, Fenrir bit off his hand [S2].

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Loki's Children

Loki, in the form of a mare, mated with the stallion Svaðilfari and bore Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of Odin. With the giantess Angerboa, Loki fathered the great monsters: the wolf Fenrir, the world-serpent Jörmungandr, and Hel, the ruler of the dead [S2].

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Ragnarök (The Fate of the Gods)

At the end of the world, a great winter (the Fimbulwinter) precedes Ragnarök. The bonds break: Fenrir breaks free, Jörmungandr rises from the sea, and the ship Naglfar (built from the nails of the dead) sails with the hosts of the dead. Heimdall sounds the horn Gjallarhorn; the gods ride to the field of Vígríðr. In the great battle, Odin is swallowed by Fenrir (avenged by Víðarr), Thor slays Jörmungandr but dies of his venom, Freyr is slain by Surt (having given away his sword), and Heimdall and Loki kill each other. Surt's fire destroys the world; from the ashes, a new world rises [S1][S2].

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Artifacts of Fenrir

Objects they wielded, forged, or were bound to

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Gungnir

S · DivineAssociated

Artworks

Depictions

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