Nordic index

Tyr and the wolf Fenrir


Title:God of War
Viking name:Tyr
Saxon name:Tiu
Relations:Son of Odin
Day of week:Tuesday

Loki had many horrible children, and the most terrible was the wolf Fenrir. It grew up in Asgard, but it became huge and fierce. When the wolf opened its mouth, its jaws stretched from sky to earth. Only Tyr was brave enough to feed it.

The gods were frightened of Fenrir, so they decided to chain it. They got the dwarves to make a magic chain, made of secret things like the noise of a moving cat, the roots of a mountain and the breath of a fish. It seemed like a cord made of silk, but nothing could break it.

The wolf was suspicious, and wouldn't allow anyone to go near it, unless Tyr, the only god it trusted, put his hand in the wolf's mouth. The gods quickly tied the wolf up. Fenrir snapped shut its mouth in anger, and Tyr's hand was bitten clean off. So Tyr lost his hand, but at least the gods were safe from the wolf. Fenrir will not break free until Ragnarok.

Fenrir is a werewolf in the Harry Potter books by J K Rowling.

Tyr and the Wolf