Norse mythology is a fascinating world, filled with gods, incredible stories, legends, but above all creatures. And it is certain that without these creatures, Norse mythology would not be as exciting as it is today.
These creatures take different forms, often that of an animal. Each of them has its own story and own legends. Some fought alongside the gods while others were fought by the gods.
Take a seat and let us immerse you in this legendary universe.
THE WOLVES
Fenrir
Fenrir is the wolf, or rather the most famous creature in Norse mythology. He is the wolf born of Loki. He has a brother and a sister: Jörmungand and Hel. Fenrir was quickly deemed too dangerous in the eyes of the gods, so they wanted to bind him.
46,90€
64,90€
They tried with a first bond, made by the dwarves of Svartalfheim, but the giant wolf broke free. The gods went to see the dwarves to ask for a stronger bond. But this second one broke even faster than the first. Fed up, the gods decided to return to the dwarves to ask this time for a bond that would make no noise and that Fenrir could not even feel. Using ingredients that no longer exist today, the dwarves made Gleipnir. The ribbon did not look stronger than a blade of grass, so Fenrir agreed to be imprisoned on the condition that one of the gods put his arm in the wolf’s mouth. Tyr accepted.
This time the bond held, preventing Fenrir from breaking free. The gods burst out laughing, seeing that such a threatening monster could not free himself from such a small piece of ribbon. All the gods laughed, except Tyr who had just lost his arm in Fenrir’s mouth, which bit it off immediately. Since that day, he has been known as the one-armed god.
Later, for Ragnarök, he will break free to fulfill his prophecy. He killed Odin, who was immediately avenged by one of his sons, Vidar.
Garm
Garm is the wolf-dog who guards the entrance to the world of the dead. He is often mistakenly confused with Fenrir. He will spend his life chained in the cave of Gnipahellir until Ragnarök, where he will fight the one-armed god Tyr and perish against him. The god will eventually succumb to the last blow inflicted by Garm.
Geri and Freki
Geri and Freki are Odin’s two wolves. Their names mean respectively “greedy” and “violent.” It is said that the god of gods gives them his food when he goes to Valhalla, contenting himself with wine. Odin’s two animals are often mentioned in poems as synonyms for wolf.
Hati and Sköll
Hati and Sköll are Loki’s two wolf grandsons. Their life is summed up by chasing respectively Màni and Sól (the moon and the sun). When the two wolves catch their targets, it will be the beginning of Ragnarök.
DRAGONS AND SERPENTS
Nidhogg
Nidhogg (modern anglicized spelling), or Níðhöggr, is a dragon that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil. In Norse culture, the word Nid represented loss of status in society and was reserved for outcasts. That is why we can connect Nidhogg with the lowest part of society. According to the Norse myth considered in the Poetic Edda, and its Voluspa section, the gnawing done by Nidhogg consumed souls that ended up in Nastrond, the part of Hel that contained the souls of the worst humans in the Viking world. Nidhogg is also mentioned at the end of Voluspa, where there is a description of Ragnarok and Nidhogg as one of the harbingers, coming with wings spread and the dead on them.
According to the Prose Edda section, Gylfaginning, many creatures live on Yggdrasil. Besides Nidhogg, who is mentioned as a serpent in this context, there is also Ratatoskr, a squirrel who sends envious messages between Nidhogg at the foot of the tree and a huge eagle (whose name is not mentioned here). In the other section, Skaldskaparmal, Nidhogg is mentioned as one of the dragons inhabiting the world.
The role of Nidhogg is not entirely clear as it can be used as a bearer of news indicating the end of the world, but its final act could also mean it has obtained redemption. Of course, as a dragon who ate the souls of wrongdoers at the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil, it was also a rather powerful cautionary tale. I really don’t know who wouldn’t be scared by the words “the giant serpent living at the roots of Yggdrasil will eat you unless you change your behavior.”
Jörmungand
Jormungand, also known as the Midgard serpent, is the creature that encircles Midgard, biting its own tail at the edge of the world. His father is the trickster god Loki, and his mother is the giantess Angrbroda. Jormungand was thrown into the great sea of Midgard by the god Odin, where he grew so large that he could encircle the Earth.
Although Jormungand’s story begins with Odin, the god most connected to Jormungand throughout Norse myth is Odin’s son, the thunder god Thor. Norse mythology mentions three occasions when these two met.
The first time was when Odin was running errands for the giant king Utgarda-Loki. There, as a demonstration of strength, the king asked Thor to lift a colossal cat, which was actually Jormungand in disguise. Of course, Thor could not do it, but to everyone’s surprise, he managed to lift one of its paws off the ground, which was considered an impressive feat.
The second time they met was when Thor went fishing with the giant Hymir. On this trip, Hymir did not want to provide Thor with bait, so he took the head of Hymir’s largest ox. While fishing, Thor was not satisfied with his catch, so he persuaded Hymir to go further and further into the sea until at one point, Thor pulled Jormungand out of the water. Just as he was about to kill it, Hymir cut the line and released the dragon back into the sea.
The third and final meeting between Thor and Jormungand is supposed to take place at Ragnarok, which would begin when Jormungand releases his tail and comes from the sea. At this point, the thunder god will kill the serpent Jormungand but will die after nine steps because he will be poisoned by the dragon. This would also mark the end of Ragnarök.
Fafnir
Fafnir’s story begins with Loki, Odin, and Hoenir, who during their travels killed an otter that turned out to be a dwarf named Otr, son of the dwarf king Hreidmar. When Hreidmar learned they had killed his son, he captured the three gods with his two sons, Fafnir and Régis, refusing to release them until they paid a ransom in gold. Knowing this, Loki agreed but gave them Andvari’s gold, which was cursed, and the ring Andvaranaut, which would bring death to whoever wore it. Jealous of all this gold, Fafnir killed his father, the king, and took all the treasure. After some time, he transformed into a creature said to be something like a dragon, which breathed fire and spread poison across the land. He did everything in his power to accumulate all this wealth.
Long after that, Régis, Fafnir’s brother, wanted the gold treasure for himself. Since he could not kill his brother, he sent his stepson Sigurd to find and kill Fafnir. After a long and fierce battle, the young warrior succeeded in killing Fafnir. As he was dying, Fafnir wanted to know who the powerful warrior was who had managed to kill him. When he heard that his own brother Régis had sent him, he predicted that Régis would also kill Sigurd. After Sigurd killed Fafnir, he decided to claim the treasure for himself. Régis obviously could not stand this and decided to kill Sigurd and take the treasure himself. What he did not know was that while cooking the dragon’s heart, he tasted it. From that moment, he could understand the language of animals, so he heard from two birds that his father wanted to kill him. Of course, this did not happen, and Sigurd killed his father with the same sword he had used to kill the dragon and took the treasure. He said he was not afraid to receive the deadly curse since all men die.
OTHER CREATURES
Audhumla
Audhumla is the nursing cow of Norse mythology. She was born from the fusion of the dawn of time and ice. Ymir fed on the four rivers of milk that flowed from Audhumla.
Gullfaxi
Gullfaxi is the gold-maned horse fastest in Norse mythology according to legends. He belonged to the giant Hrungnir. Later, the giant was killed by Thor, so Gullfaxi was given to his son Magni. Besides running fast, he has the strange power to fly, swim, and also travel from world to world.
Hugin and Munin
These are Odin’s famous ravens, meaning thought and memory respectively. They are Odin’s messengers; every time the sun sets, they depart into the nine worlds and return at the end of the night to report to Odin what they have seen.
The Kraken
The Kraken is a legendary sea creature. It was the greatest fear of Vikings sailing to new lands (after Thor’s wrath, of course). And for good reason, the Kraken alone has the ability to grab the hull of a ship to sink it and devour all its travelers.
Sleipnir
Sleipnir is Odin’s eight-legged horse. He has several peculiarities besides belonging to the god of gods. Indeed, he moves very quickly. Legends say he moves as fast as Gullfaxi, the golden horse. Moreover, he can gallop on water and in the air, which is very convenient. Sleipnir is the son of Loki and a stallion: Svaðilfari. To give birth to this child, Loki had to transform into a mare, thus becoming the first transgender god.
