The Binding of Fenrir
Fenrir
The gods restrain the wolf Fenrir with the impossible fetter Gleipnir, but only after Týr pledges his hand as security and loses it when the deception is revealed.
Ordinary chains fail against Fenrir, so a fine-looking bond is made from paradoxical ingredients. The wolf suspects a trap and requires a god’s hand in his mouth before consenting to the test.
Týr accepts the cost that makes the binding possible. Snorri places the episode within a larger sequence leading toward the wolf’s release and Óðin’s death at Ragnarök.
Optional reflection
Remember this story?
From binding of fenrir
Who places a hand in Fenrir’s mouth as a pledge?
Follow the thread
Connected lore
Curated relationships invite comparison without implying that distinct traditions are the same.
Sources & citations
Snorri Sturluson, Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning, 2nd ed., trans. Anthony Faulkes (2005). chapter 34.
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