Classification: Mythical Beasts & Cryptids

Temporal Range: 10th Century but possibly earlier

Geographic Range: Bound to a rock

Diet: Gods

Horde: Nordic

The child of the trickster god Loki and the jötunn Angrboða (YUR-tunn ANG-ur-boh-da), Fenrir is a giant wolf with a fierce temper. He is the father of the wolves who chase the sun and the moon, Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson (HROTH-vit-nee-son), and is a terrifying sight to behold.

It was foretold that Fenrir would play a key role in Ragnarök, the downfall of the gods, and he was punished even for the idea that he would be integral to this horrific event. In an attempt to stop Fenrir from getting involved in Ragnarök, several of the gods bound him with heavy chains to a rock, where it was originally thought he would eventually live out eternity or die in the process. However, during the binding, Fenrir refused to take this lightly and bit off the hand of the god Tyr. This was an equally sinister omen for Tyr, who was prophesied to be eaten by another giant dog, Garmr, during Ragnarök. Maybe Tyr should leave all canines alone since they clearly don’t like him.

It was feared that Fenrir would not only devour the sun but also Odin himself. But don’t worry, we’re almost certain that chaining a wolf this fierce to a giant rock will definitely hold him for the rest of time. Yes, it was a magic chain, but still, we’ll see how long that holds.