THE BINDING OF FENRIR
Reading edition
A Norse legend to show that little things are often stronger than large ones.
Loki, who was always doing what he should not do, had a fierce son named Fenrir. He looked like a wolf, and was so strong that nothing could bind him. Fenrir prowled around and was fed by Tyr who was the only god that Fenrir had the least fear of. Fenrir grew stronger and fiercer every day until Odin said he must be chained. The question was how to get a chain strong enough.
Thor said he would make one with his hammer. So he took his mighty hammer and went to the forge and worked all night making a chain. When the chain was ready he brought it to Odin, but Odin shook his head in doubt. Soon Fenrir came in and, strangely enough, he did not mind the chain being put around him and fastened to a stone. When he had finished eating he snapped the chain apart and walked away laughing.
Thor went to work to make another chain. For three days he hammered and forged until the chain was so big and strong and long that Thor himself could hardly carry it. All the gods said:
“It is a marvelous chain. Surely Fenrir cannot break this!” Fenrir again allowed himself to be bound as before, and when he had finished eating he broke that chain as easily as he had the other, and went away laughing again.
Frey now spoke up and said:
“I will go into the earth and get the dwarfs to forge me a chain.” So he departed and was gone for a long time. The dwarfs made the chain for him as he asked them, but they made it so light that it could hang on a dwarf’s little finger.
They made it out of the noise of a cat’s foot, the beard of a woman, the roots of stones, the breath of a fish and a few other things like that, but when Frey tried to break it he found that he was powerless even to stretch a tiny bit. What made it so strong, and in what manner the dwarfs made it no man ever knew.
Frey carried it back to Odin, and again Fenrir came in to be fed. He seemed afraid of the chain and would not let them put it on him unless he could hold Tyr’s hand in his mouth. Tyr agreed to this, and they tied Fenrir and bound him to a great tree. Fenrir roared and struggled and bit Tyr’s hand off in his efforts to get away. All in vain! The little chain held him. He was bound at last and could not get away.
All the gods set up a shout of joy, and Thor thrust his sword into the wolf man’s mouth. A mighty red river gushed forth and poured over the valley. It is a dark and turbid torrent that roars down the mountain like a great wolf in distress and pain; and it is running to this very day.