Fenris, also called Fenrir, is the ancient dire wolf of Germanic-Norse myth and legend. Born of Giantess Angbodr and Trickster-God Loki, he was one of three offspring between them. Last blogpost’s Sleipnir, led into the ancient lore of creatures that both inspired and intimidated those in the regions of their origins. Fenris’s name contains “fen”, which is Olde English and Germanic language denoting “wetlands”. This blog explores the ideals of Fensalir, the abode of Frigg, Queen of Aesir. Her home she ruled was within wetlands of Yggdrasil-Asgaard itself.
Looking deeper into the myth, scholars have been able to determine that ancient Norse people saw these areas as evil, places they mired into without easily extricating themselves. The fears of these places have offered up in some areas, shrouds, containing bodies believed to have been ritually sacrificed, emerging from the mud. Accidental discoveries led to frightening realities of practices meant to placate what was believed to rule these regions. History long gone now is unlikely to be repeated. It is simply conjecture that the believed reign of Frigg over these areas was to allow for hope to establish itself. Fenris’s birth denied hope. Therefore, it is his sacrifice to her required by those yielding to her power over Nature. We can choose to see it this way. After all, it is Frigg who holds, in that tradition, foreknowledge to herself. Prophecy has twists we might not have understanding of that she may guard to protect us. It is with kindness to the myth of Fenris, and not fear, this is written.
Wolves are feral creatures. A dire wolf is a terrifying reality. It was the God Tyr who was Fenris’s caretaker, feeding and calming him as he could. Conditioned to trust him, Fenris would be mistled by deceit, costing him his liberty. In ancient lore, Frigg would have known what would transpire for both.
Fenris was so huge, his upper jaw touched the sky as his lower jaw the Earth. He proved to be so strong that the Gods determined they could not control him. They conspired amongst themselves to bind him and his power. Twice it failed, with bindings they challenged him to break, pushing his ego. The third time, dwarves were enlisted to make an impossible bind. They were able to create what is known as Gleipnir, a soft, to the touch ribbon. Fenris agreed only if a God would place his hand in his mouth, sacrificing it if he could not release himself. Tyr took that position. The outcome was loss of his hand and the right to rule the pantheon. Fenris’s mouth was forced open by a huge sword, creating the river, Van. Bound to heavy boulders he was sunk into the wetlands within the Isle of Lyngvi.
The legends claim that upon the day of Ragnarok, Fenris breaks free of the binds, having loosened them. He is to consume all of creation, including the sun. Said to be slain by Odin’s son, Vidar, he will cease to exist. His cries of injustice are said to reverberate in Valhalla as the howls of agony because he was deceived by Tyr.
Fenris can be considered the manifestation of fears of what we can not control, far beyond our own strength can take us. The size of our own fears can seem “dire” to us if we allow this space. Trying to control prophecy explains why Frigg did not care to reveal it, unlike the Pythia of Delphi. Once one knows an outcome, attempts to circumvent it occur. In Yggdrasil-Asgaard, Frigg existed in Fensalir, her watery realm. Wetlands can make us uncomfortable, however, they matter to ecosystems ancient people could not understand. What is not good for us, becomes trapped and filtered there, cleansing the waters. Ground waters feed fens, not rain, so it flows through them. The importance of recognizing how our fears that may or may not be founded in reality need filtering is imperative. We may think they will destroy our hopes and dreams through ignoring them. Sabotage will always rule us when we choose to deny anxiety.
The action of binding Fenris shows how his power over the Gods made them decide to take his freedom. Authority must never be from someone out of control of themselves over others. Chaos rules when it does. Sacrificing the manifestation of this chaos to the Goddess is how this is interpreted. She was best capable to be his caretaker following Tyr. Unable to destroy him, he stays within that wetland, filtering out our terrors and anxieties. Symbolism shows up as the epitome of a ferocious creature we are afraid to accept belongs to us. The depth of the human psyche shows us Fenris can exist within us as the wolf who requires freedom we struggle against. The destructiveness anyone can exhibit under duress is simply our innate nature crying out for release. We keep it mired within the Fensalir of our own minds.
Sources: “The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures”, by John & Caitlin Matthews; “Mythology for Dummies”, by Blackwell & Blackwell; “Animal Speak”, by Ted Andrews.
