During medieval times, Norsemen (also called Vikings) imagined some of the most fearsome beasts in European mythology. Among the worst was Fenrir. This humongous wolf was the son of a devious Norse god, and it thirsted for blood. Even other gods feared this massive beast, and came up with a clever plan to keep him locked up until the end of time.

Fenrir was the son of Loki, a deceptive god that battled with other Norse gods. Loki hoped Fenrir would ravage the people of Earth along with his other son, the giant serpent Jormungand.

The gods separated Fenrir from his father when the wolf was just a pup. They kept it caged, but the beast grew quickly to a gigantic size. The gods began to fear Fenrir, so they decided to chain him up.

Fenrir was a strong beast but not too smart, so the Norse gods thought they could trick him. They challenged the giant wolf to a test of strength to see if he could break free from their strongest chains, though their plan was to permanently bind him. Fenrir accepted and, to the gods’ horror, tore through the chains as if they were made of paper. The gods then hired dwarfs to create a magical ribbon, called Glepnir, that was thin but completely unbreakable. Fenrir couldn’t break Glepnir, and he was tied to a huge rock a mile below the Earth’s surface.

Strange Ingredients
The ribbon that bound Fenrir was made of six strange things: the sound of a cat’s footsteps, a woman’s beard, a bear’s fear, a mountain’s roots, a bird’s saliva and a fish’s breath.

End of Time
If the legends are true, on the day the world ends, which the Vikings called Ragnarok, Fenrir will break free of Glepnir and devour many people and gods alike. The beast is also supposed to swallow the sun.