Fenrir
Profile
The giant wolf Fenrir must have been really adorable as a pup. Why else would the Aesir decide to banish Loki's other monster babies from Asgard, but raise Fenrir as a pet? They should have known better. After all, a prophetess warned them that Fenrir would kill Odin at Ragnarök. But Odin and Týr had a soft spot for the wolf, and just kept feeding him until he grew so big they couldn't control him. It took magical dwarvish bindings and gigantic stone stakes to leash him permanently, and Týr lost a hand in the process. Now, Fenrir howls in horrible pain from the sword stuck between his jaws to keep him from biting. He also slobbers a lot, causing the River Ván to flow. And like Loki's other kids, he waits eagerly for Ragnarök, the great battle when he'll finally get his revenge.
Basic Information
Name Fenrir
Nickname Fenris-Wolf, Hróðvitnir ("fame-wolf") (Skáldskaparmál 75), Vánargandr ("monster of the River Ván") (Skáldskaparmál 16), Fenny
Sex Male
Current city Island of Lyngvi, Lake Amsvartnir, Asgard
Work & Education
Occupation River-Maker
Education None. Týr and Odin may have wanted to train me like a dog, but I'm a wolf.
Beliefs
Political views Apocalypticist. I want the end of the world to come now so I can get out of these fetters and kill Odin, already.
Family & Friends (& Enemies)
Parents Loki and his giantess mistress, Angrboda
Siblings Midgard-Serpent Jormungand, lady of the underworld Hel, and half-brother Narfi
Children Moon- and Sun-swallowing wolf brothers Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson
Friends Fellow wolves Geri and Freki. I used to think Týr and Odin were my friends, but they betrayed me. Jerks.
Enemies All the Aesir gods, but especially Týr, Odin, and Viðarr
Relationships
Relationship status It's complicated with the Ironwood Giantess
Interested in Alpha Females
Favorites
TV Shows Quotations "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"
– Frank Churchill (Disney Sing-Along Songs)
"Another legend claims that we descended from wolves—and that the wolves are our brothers still."
– Jacob Black, Twilight
"I wouldn't want to miss a trip to Hogwarts […] not when there are throats to be ripped out… Delicious, delicious…"
– Fenrir Greyback, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
"We humans fear the beast within the wolf because we do not understand the beast within ourselves."
– Gerald Hausman
"What the hammer? what the chain? / In what furnace was thy brain? / What the anvil? what dread grasp / Dare its deadly terrors clasp?"
– William Blake, "The Tyger"Books The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Julie of the Wolves by Craighead George
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Howl by Allen Ginsberg
"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
"The Tyger" by William Blake
New Moon by Stephenie MyerMusic Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (Disney Sing-Along Songs)
Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran
Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf
Of Wolf and Man by Metallica
Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne
Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
The Big Bad Wolf by Duck Sauce
Seven Days to the Wolves by NightwishMovies White Fang
Dances with Wolves
Underworld
Never Cry Wolf
Red Riding Hood
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
WolfActivities & Interests
Likes Fresh meat
The smell of blood
The moon
Other wolves
Dens
Wolf Brand chiliInterests Lycanthropy (werewolves)
Lupophobia (fear of wolves)
Canine and Wolf studiesGroups The Wolf Pack
Save the Wolves Foundation
Fearsome Critters; Giant Man-Eating Canines Branch
Children of Loki
Monsters of Middle-EarthSpotter's Guide
Wolves are a pretty spooky bunch, so it's not easy to find them in the wild. But the gods of Asgard have guaranteed that they'll always know where to find Fenrir: chained to a rock on Lyngvi Island in the middle of Lake Amsvartnir. They've imprisoned him there to make sure he doesn't cause trouble for them during Ragnarök. To make your meeting go more smoothly, you might consider bringing some fresh meat. But be careful when you approach him—he may bite.
Sex: Male
Age: Young
Build: Muscular and Sinewy
Complexion: Hairy
Hair Color: Gray
Facial Hair: Body hair—all over (also known as fur…)
Scars/marks/tattoos: Puncture wounds in the gums from the sword gods stuck in his mouth to keep him from biting. Ouch.
Jewelry and accessories: A magical silk fetter, Gleipnir, and a sword that's stuck in his mouth
Clothing: Fur coat
Armor: Wolves don't need armor
Type of Weapon: Extremely lethal teethTypical Companions:
Týr, before he betrayed him
Known Hangouts:
Lyngvi Island, Lake Amsvartnir
Vigrið Battlefield (during Ragnarök)
The woods on a hunt (if he could escape)
At the mouth (literally!) of the River VánSightings
Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 20, 2019
Thorwald's Cross
It may be just a rock, but it tells a story. Etched on one side is Odin with his foot in a wolf's mouth. On the other, Christ defeats Satan. These parallel Christian and Pagan stories make this stone "syncretic"—a combination of traditions from both religions.
Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 20, 2019
Poetic Edda
Fenrir's first appearance in this collection of anonymous Old Icelandic poems comes at the end—the end of the world, that is. A wise woman called the Völuspá predicts that Fenrir will kill Odin during Ragnarök. Sorry, Odin.
Dec 20, 2019
Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson
The prophecies that Fenrir will wreak havoc during Ragnarök cause him lots of trouble as a young'un. The gods decide to chain him up, but he's too smart for them. It takes three fetters and Týr's loss of a hand before they finally get the job done. It still doesn't work, though: Fenrir still manages to kill Odin and to produce wolf-pups who swallow the sun and moon. What can we say? Destructiveness runs in the family.
Dec 20, 2019
"Om Fenrisulven og Tyr" by Adam Goetlob Oehlenschlager
This lyric poem about the binding of Fenrir was written by a guy who was kind of a big deal in Danish Romanticism—he was even crowned the "King of Nordic Poetry" in 1829. So we were surprised that we weren't able to find an English translation. (If you find one, let us know.) Anybody speak Danish?
Dec 20, 1965
Journey into Mystery #114 & ff (Marvel Comics Universe)
The comic-book version of Fenrir is kind of like a cross between a werewolf and a vampire. He can take on the human appearance of his last victim, and he grows stronger as he eats more people. That's a good thing, because Fenrir has more enemies here, including Beta Ray Bill and the Incredible Hulk.
Dec 20, 1999
Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Card Game
Fenrir has red eyes and long claws in his incarnation as a playing card. In this dueling game, he's an "effect monster," meaning that playing with him makes something bad happen to your opponent. We're guessing the one-handed Týr would agree.
Dec 20, 2019
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Fenrir is the name of a gray wolf that follows the hero around in this CGI film version of the popular role-playing game. But this wolf seems to be just an ordinary wolf, or maybe, as fans claim on the wiki, a symbol of the hero's "loneliness and his guilt for the deaths of two of his greatest friends" (source.)