| “ | Treacherous Odin! If you had not lied to me, I would have been a friend to the gods. But your fear has betrayed you. I will kill you, Father of the Gods. I will wait until the end of all things, and I will eat the sun and I will eat the moon. But I will take the most pleasure in killing you. | „ |
| ~ Fenrir |
Fenrir, also called Fenrisúlfr or Odinsbane, is a monstrous wolf from Norse mythology and is the sibling of Jormungandr and Hel. He is said to one day break free of his prison and will devour the gods during the Twilight of the Gods.
Overview
He was the son of the trickster god Loki and the giantess Angrboða, thus being the sibling of Jörmungandr and Hel, the goddess of death. Fenrir figures prominently in Norwegian and Icelandic poetry of the 10th and 11th centuries, and the poets speak apprehensively of the day when he will break loose.
History
Background
Fenrir is the child of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, and when news broke of their birth, Odin demanded them to be brought forth to Asgard. Odin threw Jormungandr into the sea and placed Hel within the Underworld, however, Fenrir was still a pup at the time and was allowed to remain in Asgard at the behest of Tyr whom Fenrir developed a close friendship with.
Imprisonment
However, Odin's paranoia and thus fears would slowly grow as he witnessed Fenrir's growth into a monstrous wolf, becoming so large he could not fit into the largest of huts. As he was forever growing, he was chained multiple times, but broke them off with a simple shake. The first, greatly strong, was called Leyding. They brought Leyding to Fenrir and suggested that the wolf try his strength with it. Fenrir judged that it was not beyond his strength, and so let the gods do what they wanted with it. At Fenrir's first kick the bind snapped, and Fenrir loosened himself from Leyding. The gods made a second fetter, twice as strong, and named it Dromi. The gods asked Fenrir to try the new fetter, and that should he break this feat of engineering, Fenrir would achieve great fame for his strength.
In the end, the Æsir started to fear that they would not be able to bind Fenrir, and so Odin sent Freyr's messenger Skírnir down into the land of Svartálfaheimr to seek aid from the dwarves. They made a rope called Gleipnir, containing the roots of a mountain, the breath of a fish, the sound of a cat's footfall, the sinews of a bear, the beard of a woman and the spittle of a bird, all of which are impossible items.
The Æsir went out on to the lake Amsvartnir sent for Fenrir to accompany them, and continued to the island Lyngvi (Old Norse "a place overgrown with heather"). The weak-looking rope was offered to Fenrir and, suspecting a trick, he asked for a gods to place his arm in the wolf's mouth. The god of courage, Tyr, volunteered, as a sign of trust and of their friendship. When Fenrir was bound, he was unable to shake off the chain and bit off Tyr's hand in revenge. The gods took a cord called Gelgja (Old Norse "fetter") hanging from Gleipnir, inserted the cord through a large stone slab called Gjöll (Old Norse "scream"), and the gods fastened the stone slab deep into the ground. After, the gods took a great rock called Thviti (Old Norse "hitter, batterer"), and thrust it even further into the ground as an anchoring peg. Fenrir reacted violently; he opened his jaws very wide, and tried to bite the gods. Then the gods thrust a sword into his mouth. Its hilt touched the lower jaw and its point the upper one; by means of it the jaws of the wolf were spread apart and the wolf gagged. Fenrir "howled horribly," saliva ran from his mouth, and this saliva formed the river Ván (Old Norse "hope"). There Fenrir will lie until Ragnarök, when he will break his bonds and fall upon the gods.
Ragnarök
However, after Fenrir's son Sköll has swallowed the sun and his other son Hati has swallowed the moon, the stars will disappear from the sky. The earth will shake violently, trees will be uprooted, mountains will fall, and all binds will snap – Fenrir will be free. Fenrir will go forth with his mouth opened wide, his upper jaw touching the sky and his lower jaw the earth, and flames will burn from his eyes and nostrils. Later, Fenrir will arrive at the field Vígríðr with his sibling Jörmungandr.
With the forces assembled there, an immense battle will take place. During this, Odin will ride to fight Fenrir. During the battle, Fenrir will eventually swallow Odin, killing him, and Odin's son Víðarr will move forward and kick one foot into the lower jaw of the wolf. This foot will bear a legendary shoe "for which the material has been collected throughout all time." With one hand, Víðarr will take hold of the wolf's upper jaw and tear apart his mouth, killing Fenrir.
Powers and Abilities
As an enormous wolf-like Jötunn whose gape was said to large enough to reach the sky, Fenrir arguably possesses wolf-like traits and abilities befitting his form albeit on a god-like scale. However, the most terrifying aspect of this Jötunn is his ability to devour anything and everything, even the gods themselves. Such traits were later passed to his progenies Sköll and Hati, who are destined to eat the sun and moon upon Ragnarök.
Even after his demise, Fenrir's spirit, while being housed in a Bloodline Blade, is said to be highly difficult to control and if the wielder is not properly trained both physically, mentally, and spiritually to use Fenrir without any major drawbacks, Fenrir's spirit would take over the mind of the wielder and eventually devour them. Miguel, who is one of the most powerful werewolves on Earth, made it clear that his greatest struggle was using Fenrir's power through the Bloodline Blade successfully even after 2,000 years. But when in sync with Fenrir, the wolf's spirit grants Miguel more than enough power to compete against the Antichrist alongside the other elders.