Fenrir

Fenrir is an immense wolf that was begat through the coupling of Loki and a jotunn. One of three children, the gods traced prophecies that from these siblings great mischief and disaster would arise for them. Thus was Fenrir raised by Odin and Tyr in Asgard, where they could keep close watch on him. Fenrir grew quickly, and as all prophecies foretold Fenrir would cause the gods harm, Odin has three fetters fashioned for Fenrir. 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. Fenrir considered that, while the fetter was very strong, his strength had grown since he broke Leyding; and also that he would have to take some risks if he were to become famous. Fenrir allowed them to place the fetter.

Fenrir shook himself, knocked the fetter to the ground, strained hard, and kicking with his feet, snapped the fetter – breaking it into pieces that flew far into the distance. High says that, as a result, to "loose from Leyding" or to "strike out of Dromi" have become sayings for when something is achieved with great effort. Fearing they would be unable to bind Fenrir, the Aesir sent Freyr's messenger Skirnir down into the land of Svartalfaheimr to have the dwarves make a fetter called Gleipnir. The dwarves constructed Gleipnir from six ingredients elements. The fetter was smooth and soft as a silken ribbon, yet strong and firm. Skirnir brought the ribbon to the Aesir, and they thanked him heartily for completing the task.

The gods showed Fenrir the silken fetter Gleipnir, told him to tear it, stated that it was much stronger than it appeared, passed it among themselves, used their hands to pull it, and yet it did not tear. However, they said that Fenrir would be able to tear it, to which Fenrir replied:

It looks to me that with this ribbon as though I will gain no fame from it if I do tear apart such a slender band, but if it is made with art and trickery, then even if it does look thin, this band is not going on my legs.

The Aesir said Fenrir would quickly tear apart a thin silken strip, noting that Fenrir earlier broke great iron binds, and added that if Fenrir wasn't able to break slender Gleipnir then Fenrir is nothing for the gods to fear, and as a result would be freed. Fenrir responded:

If you bind me so that I am unable to release myself, then you will be standing by in such a way that I should have to wait a long time before I got any help from you. I am reluctant to have this band put on me. But rather than that you question my courage, let someone put his hand in my mouth as a pledge that this is done in good faith.

With this statement, all of the Aesir look to one another, finding themselves in a dilemma. Everyone refused to place their hand in Fenrir's mouth until Tyr put out his right hand and placed it into the wolf's jaws. When Fenrir kicked, Gleipnir caught tightly, and the more Fenrir struggled, the stronger the band grew. At this, everyone laughed, except Tyr, who there lost his right hand. When the gods knew that Fenrir was fully bound, they took a cord called Gelgja hanging from Gleipnir, inserted the cord through a large stone slab called Gjoll, and the gods fastened the stone slab deep into the ground. After, the gods took a great rock called Thviti, 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. There Fenrir will lie until Ragnarok.

Before Fenrir was bound, he begat three children to witches: Garm, an immense wolf whose howls summon snowstorms; Hati, a wolf whose howls summoned destructive winds; and Skoll, a wolf whose maw dribbled with sparks and whose cries summoned volcanic eruptions from the earth's depths. Fenrir is primarily worshipped by kobolds, though he is acknowledged as a deity of growth and challenge by the Church of Odin.