The Binding of Fenrir

Fenrir was one of three monstrous children born to Loki and the giantess Angrboda in the iron forests of Jotunheim. His siblings were Jormungandr, the World Serpent, and Hel, the half-living, half-dead mistress of the underworld. When the gods learned of these creatures and the prophecies surrounding them, they acted swiftly: Odin cast Jormungandr into the deep ocean and sent Hel to rule the realm of the dead. But Fenrir, they brought to Asgard to raise among the gods.

Only Tyr, the god of war and justice, was brave enough to feed the growing wolf. Day by day, Fenrir grew larger and more ferocious, until the gods realized with horror that the prophecies might be true: this beast was destined to devour the All-Father at Ragnarok.

The gods resolved to bind Fenrir, but they could not simply attack him outright, for it would violate the sanctuary of Asgard. Instead, they approached it as a game, challenging the wolf to test his strength against their strongest fetters.

First, they forged the chain called Leyding and brought it to Fenrir. The wolf examined it, judged it a small challenge, and allowed himself to be bound. With one mighty kick, he shattered it to pieces. The gods then forged Dromi, a chain twice as strong. Again Fenrir allowed himself to be bound, and though this time he struggled, the chain broke apart under his tremendous power. The wolf's fame only grew.

Desperate, the gods sent a messenger to the dwarves of Svartalfheim, the master craftsmen of the Nine Worlds. The dwarves forged Gleipnir, a creation unlike any other: not a chain of iron or steel, but a ribbon as smooth and soft as silk.

It was made from six impossible things: the sound of a cat's footfall, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish, and the spittle of a bird. This is why none of these things exist in the world today.

When the gods brought Gleipnir to Fenrir and challenged him once more, the wolf was suspicious. The ribbon looked like nothing, yet something about it troubled him. He agreed to be bound only on one condition: that one of the gods place a hand in his mouth as a pledge of good faith.

The gods looked at one another, and silence fell. They all understood what it would mean. Only Tyr stepped forward. The god of justice, who had fed Fenrir since he was a pup, placed his right hand between the wolf's terrible jaws without hesitation.

Gleipnir was wrapped around Fenrir's legs. The wolf strained against it, twisted and thrashed, but the more he struggled, the tighter the ribbon held. When Fenrir realized he had been tricked and could not break free, he bit down and severed Tyr's hand at the wrist.

The gods laughed in relief, all except Tyr, who bore his loss with the same quiet honor that defined him. They drove a great sword through Fenrir's jaws to hold them open, and the wolf's drool formed the river Van. There on the island of Lyngvi, in the lake Amsvartnir, Fenrir would remain bound until the day of Ragnarok, when he would at last break free and fulfill his destiny.