In addition to bringing balance to Yggdrasil, the monster also figures in the punishment of criminals. After the eagle and the dragon spend the day destroying Yggdrasil in their frenzy to attack each other, the tree is bathed in water from the wells of Urd, which promotes healing and new growth. This tension may seem undesirable, but it actually promotes a cycle of growth in the tree of life. The constant tension between the eagle and the dragon is fueled by Ratatoskr, a squirrel who runs up and down the tree ferrying insults between the two enemies. A great eagle, who represents wisdom and virtue, perches in the uppermost branches of the tree, while Nidhogg, representing chaos and evil, lurks in its roots. Roleīalance is extremely important in Norse mythology, and while Nidhogg does represent a ghastly force, he is still important to supporting the balance of Yggdrasil. Occasionally, he might slither into Hel to visit the dark goddess who some people consider his master. His mammoth body can be found twisting through the roots of Yggdrasil, especially around Niflheimr, the cold world from which all the rivers of Midgard spring. Beneath his bat-like wings, he carries the corpses of criminals. A pair of forelegs, complete with massive claws, help him to rip at the roots of Yggdrasil, but he has no back legs, only a serpentine tail. His body is covered in bright scales, and horns erupt from his head. It is said that even the sun and moon were dragged from the heights into Fenrir’s stomach.Nidhogg is a tremendous dragon. (Pronounced Vee-Darr) Before he was slain he had ran with his lower jaw on the ground and his upper jaw reaching the sky. During Ragnorak (Pronounced Rag-nore-ack) he killed Odin (Pronounced Oh-din) and Tyr. Fenrir was stuck to lay while the world continued on. Fenrir howled ceaselessly while he drooled a river called Expectation. Fenrir had a sword placed in his mighty jaws to keep them open. (Pronounced Tur) When Fenrir was bound he was chained to large boulders with runes on them like the tittle image. Once Fenrir was bound he couldn’t escape and ripped off the god’s hand. Fenrir became suspicious this time, he agreed to be bound as long as one of the gods placed their hand in Fenrir’s mouth as a sign of trust. It did not seem so strong, as it appeared to be soft and light to the touch. But, the third time Fenrir was going to be bound the gods asked the Dwarfs to forge the strongest chain in the Nine Worlds. The gods told Fenrir these were just tests.
#NIDHOGG PRONOUNCE FREE#
The first and second time Fenrir broke free with ease. So they made the obviously smart plan to chain Fenrir up. The gods feared Fenrir would wreck havoc across the nine worlds. They were frightened by how fast Fenrir grew, just like his brother Jormungand. (Pronounced Jor-Mun-gand) The gods captured him like they did with his brother. (Pronounced Fen-Reer) Fenrir is the son of Loki (Pronounced Low-key) and a gaintess named Angrboda.(Pronounced An-gre-boe-da) Fenrir had two siblings, the underworld goddess Hel and the world serpent Jormungand. One of the many questions I had was “ What is Norse Mythology’s strongest monster?” With my research I had discovered that it was a wolf named Fenrir. He was turned into a dragon because of how greedy he was. Hugin and Munin (Pronounced Who-Gin and Moo-Nin) Ravens that fly around the world to bring Odin the news from around the Nine Worlds.įafnir (Pronounced Faff-Ner) Is a dragon that was once a human. Sleipnir (Pronounced Slay-P-Nir) Odin’s eight legged horse that is the fastest in the Nine Worlds. Norns (Pronounced Nor-Ns) Fate or destiny. Land Spirits are animating spirits of certain locality, for example fire or water.
Nidhogg (Pronounced Need-Hog) Norse dragon that lives in the underworld feeding on the roots of the great tree that holds the Nine Worlds.Įlves (Pronounced Ell-V-S) Demigod like beings that are known for their pointy ears. Kraken (Pronounced Crack-En) Giant squid said to roam the depths of the chilling seas and destroy sailors ships while dragging the crew down to the icy depths. Trolls (Pronounced Tr-Ole) Fearsome, hairy, ape like beings that will attack any living thing in sight.įenrir (Pronounced Fen-Reer) See Fenrir for details. Jutun (Pronounced Jew-Ton) Nature spirit with superhuman strength. Jormungandr (Pronounced Jor-Mun-Gand-Er) Giant serpent that surrounds Earth and bites own tail to hold Earth together. Huldra (Pronounced Hul-Dra) Women long blonde hair with a cow tail, takes young men. Skoll and Haiti (Pronounced Sk-Oll and Hate-Ie) are wolves that hunt the sun and moon.īergkonge (Pronounced Berg-Kon-Ge) Takes women that travel alone.ĭwarf (Pronounced D-War-F) Short, stocky and strong human like beings.
One more question I had was “ How many monsters are there?” I have reason to believe there are more but, sadly I could only find a few.