Fenrir

The tale of Fenrir

Fenrir is the eldest child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, brother of the World Serpent and of Hel. The gods had heard prophecies that great harm would come to them from Loki's children, so they took each one away. Jörmungandr was thrown into the sea, and Hel into the land of the dead. But Fenrir was only a wolf cub, and Odin decided to raise him in Asgard, where the gods could keep an eye on him.

The cub grew, and grew, and kept growing. Soon only brave Tyr, the god of war and law, dared to bring him his meat. The gods grew afraid.

The three chains

They decided to bind him. They forged a heavy chain called Leyding and told Fenrir it was a test of his strength. He let them put it on and broke it with one kick. They forged a second chain twice as strong, Dromi. He shook himself and burst it apart.

So Odin sent a messenger to the dwarves, the finest smiths in the nine worlds. They made Gleipnir, a ribbon as smooth and soft as silk. It was made of six things that no longer exist because the dwarves used them all: the sound of a cat's footstep, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish and the spit of a bird.

Tyr's hand

The gods took Fenrir to a lonely island in a lake and showed him the ribbon. The wolf grew suspicious. If it is so thin, he said, there is no glory in breaking it. If it is made by magic, I will not wear it. Unless one of you puts a hand in my mouth, as a pledge that you will set me free.

The gods looked at each other. Only Tyr stepped forward and laid his right hand between the wolf's jaws. They bound Fenrir with Gleipnir, and the more he struggled, the tighter it held. The gods laughed, all except Tyr, who lost his hand. Fenrir was chained to a rock, with a sword wedged in his jaws to keep them open, and the river of his drool still flows from them.

He waits. At Ragnarök the chain will break, and Fenrir will run with his lower jaw on the earth and his upper jaw against the sky. He will swallow Odin himself before Odin's son Vidar tears him apart.

Fenrir in Battle of Myths

Fenrir is a cost 3 Norse assassin and warrior. His ability, Devour, makes him leap at the weakest enemy and strike for heavy damage. An enemy low enough is swallowed whole. Like every Norse hero, he grows stronger with Ragnarök the longer a fight lasts.

Did you know?

• The loss of Tyr's hand is why the god of oaths has only one hand: a promise kept at a terrible price.
• In the game his quote mocks the ribbon: a chain made of a cat's footsteps and a woman's beard; surely it will hold.