13 - Myth Selections

Loki had seven children. Three of them were bad children, and he did not want the gods to know about them. Their mother was a giantess, who was glad to have Loki build his palace in the land of the giants. But Odin found out about Loki's home, and ordered the three bad children to be brought to Asgard. Their names were Jormungandr, Hela, and Fenris.

As soon as Odin saw them, he knew that he could do nothing for the two older ones. So he sent Jormungandr to live in the bottom of the ocean, where he lay coiled around Midgard. He was the Midgard serpent. He was so long that when he had encircled the whole earth he was compelled to take his tail in his mouth. When he struggled to rise from his ocean bed, the waves dashed high, and fearful storms swept over the deep.

Hela was sent to Niflheim, where she ruled over the dead, except the heroes slain in battle, and their wives and sweethearts.

The gods thought that Fenris might grow better if he lived with them in Asgard. So, when the other two children were sent away, he was kept in the holy city.

He was a bad boy, and had snapped and snarled so long that he was called Fenris Wolf. He walked on his hands and feet. Hair grew all over his body. He had great hungry jaws, and he liked to eat the things that wolves eat.

The older he grew, the worse he became. He was more than ever like a wolf. He even kept the gods awake by howling on moonlight nights. He was already very large and was growing very fast, and Odin was worried about him. He called a council of all the gods to see what could be done with Fenris Wolf.

Heimdal, the guard of the rainbow bridge, and Bragi, and gentle Frey, thought the mighty spear, Gungnir, or Thor's new hammer, Mjolnir, could soon put an end to the wolf. But Odin and Thor and Tyr, the god of war, thought it would not be right to shed blood, unless it were that of an enemy, within the walls of Asgard. Balder, the Good, thought it would be better to kill the dangerous wolf, than to feed him every day a pigeon, a chicken, a lamb, and a calf. But Odin decided that he must be bound and not killed. Tyr alone dared touch him, and he coaxed Fenris Wolf away from the palaces to a hill within the city walls.

II. The Bonds of Fenris Wolf

Sometimes the gods played games of strength and skill, and they often asked Fenris Wolf to join them. They were not afraid of him at such times, for it pleased him to show how strong he was.

There was a blacksmith's shop in Asgard; and, by Odin's order, strong iron fetters were made for Fenris Wolf. When it was time for the games to begin,-the gods showed these fetters to Fenris; and he, knowing that he could break them as easily as Thor could break a thread, allowed himself to be bound. No sooner were they fastened than he broke them, as if they were wisps of grass.

Then the gods helped the smith, and together they made long, heavy chains, larger and heavier than had ever been seen. Fenris Wolf was not quite so ready to be bound with these; but they told him he could easily break them, and flattered him by tales of his great strength. So he let them bind his huge feet, and wind his body with the heavy chains, until he was covered with the links of iron. The gods did not think he could break loose, but he threw himself upon the ground and struggled hard. The big chains snapped as if they had been made of flax, and Fenris Wolf was free.

Then Odin sent to the dwarfs and elves. In a few days, the messengers came back with slender, silken bands. They were magic bands, and were made of six things that only dwarfs and elves could obtain. These things were the noise of the footfall of a cat, the beard of a woman, the roots of stones, the breath of fishes, the nerves of bears, and the sweat of birds. The gods then invited Fenris to play with them.

He was afraid of the silken bands, because he thought that there was magic about them. The gods laughed, because such a great strong fellow as he feared little strips of silk. So Fenris said that if Tyr would let him hold his right hand in his mouth, he would consent to be bound. Brave Tyr knew what that meant; but he stepped to Fenris's side, and put his right hand into the wolf's mouth, while the other gods fastened the silken bands.

Then the great wolf howled and struggled, and bit Tyr's hand until he bit it off; but he could not break the magic bands.

When he was tired out, the gods carried him to a great rock, to which they fastened him securely, with heavy iron chains. His bonds were never broken until the time of Ragnarok, or the Twilight of the Gods.

Brandish, Sarah. Old Norse Stories. 1st ed. American Book Company, 1900. 43-6. eBook. Digitized by Google. Consult the course texts for other versions of this myth.