The Prophesy of Fenrir

         Fenrir (pronounced "Fen-ree") is a gigantic, winged monster in the shape of a dragon, the only one of his kind.

         Fenrir was born in the great outpouring of magic in the creation of the world. He possessed such a potential for power, be it destruction or creation, that the gods feared him. The Vanir actually found Fenrir's egg and kept it a carefully-guarded secret, a secret they planned to unleash on the Aesir. But the hostilities between the two sets was dissolved in the crisis of Surt by the time Fenrir hatched. Then the gods were faced with what to do with this monster.

         When he was still a hatchling they had nothing to fear, but when the gods saw one day how he had grown, they decided to render him harmless. However, none of the gods had enough courage to face the gigantic dragon. Instead, they tried to trick him. They said the dragon was weak and could never break free when he was chained. Fenrir accepted the challenge and let the gods chain him. Unfortunately, he was so immensely strong that he managed to break the strongest fetters as if they were cobwebs.

         After that, the gods saw only one alternative left: a magic chain. They ordered the Vanir to make something so strong that it could hold the dragon. The result was a soft, thin ribbon, so incredibly strong despite what its size and appearance might suggest. The ribbon was fashioned of six strange elements: the footstep of a cat; the roots of a mountain; a woman's beard; the breath of fishes; the sinews of a bear; and a bird's spittle.

         The gods tried to trick the dragon again, only this time Fenrir was less eager to show his strength. He saw how thin the chain was, and said there was no pride in breaking such a weak chain. Eventually, though, he agreed, thinking that otherwise his strength and courage would be doubted. Suspecting treachery however, he in turn asked the gods for a token of good will: one of them had to put a hand between his jaws. The gods were not overly eager to do this, knowing what they could expect. Finally, only Tyr agreed, and the gods chained the dragon. No matter how hard Fenrir struggled, he could not break free from this thin ribbon. In revenge, he bit off Tyr's hand.

         Being very pleased with themselves, the gods carried Fenrir off and chained him to a rock a mile down into the earth. Yet they feared that this was not enough. The gods combined their strengths to entomb the dragon within the earth, at the very heart of a mountain.