Tag: Fenrir

Gleipnir –

Walton Ford, 2012

In Norse mythology, Gleipnir is the binding that holds the mighty wolf Fenrir. The Gods had attempted to bind Fenrir twice before with huge chains of metal, but Fenrir was able to break free both times. Therefore, they commissioned the dwarves

in their underground realm of Niðavellir to forge a chain that was impossible to break. To create a chain to achieve the impossible, the dwarves fashioned the chain out of six supposedly impossible things:

• The sound of a cat’s footfall
• The beard of a woman
• The roots of a mountain
• The sinews of a bear
• The breath of a fish
• The spittle of a bird

Gleipnir, having bound Fenrir securely, was the cause of Týr’s lost hand, for Fenrir bit it off in revenge when he was not freed. Gleipnir is said to hold until Ragnarök, when Fenrir will finally break free and devour Odin.