Is Odin afraid of Fenrir
The answer is a resounding yes – Odin, highest among Norse gods, fears Fenrir with an intensity unmatched across myths. This great wolf broodingly bounds towards a destiny where he will slay even the mighty Allfather. As battles go, it shall be epochal.
Across the arcs of lore, Odin has warily watched Fenrir grow in strength knowing the beasts could end his reign. Though he plots Fenrir‘s capture, destiny collects its debt. Their rivalry thus centers on power – who can control fate, and who succumbs to it.
Odin‘s Dread Multiplies As Fenrir‘s Might Becomes Unbound
Scholars of myth [1] trace Odin‘s dread towards Fenrir back to an ominous prophecy – one blurted out by a Völva after Odin himself demanded peeks at destiny. The revelation perturbed Odin deeply – it foretold his death at the jaws of a terrible wolf. A lifetime later, he would connect this prophecy to Loki‘s monstrous wolf-child Fenrir.
By then, tales of the colossal wolf had spread through Asgard. Playful as a pup, Fenrir rapidly grew, his shoulders reaching the clouds. Little could curb his chaotic energy – the gleam of raw power shone in his eyes. Gods watched uneasily as Odin welcomed Fenrir into their halls. They feared such unchecked strength allying with Loki‘s cunning.
Their relief was short-lived as Fenrir matured, for no prison could hold him. Chains broke like brittle bone upon his flex. Finally, at tremendous sacrifice, the magical dwarven ribbon Gleipnir binds Fenrir. But Odin recognizes the stay as temporary – Fenrir would someday rip even this. And the Wolf‘s vengeance would shake the pillars of all worlds.
Thus Odin‘s fear and schemes to control Fenrir intensify simultaneously alongside the wolf gathering his mythic might.
The Power To Rend Worlds – How Mighty is Fenrir?
To comprehend Odin‘s constant unease around Fenrir, we must grasp the sheer scale of the wolf‘s power. Son to destructive giants, chaos energy courses through Fenrir uncontrolled from birth. Myths hyperbolize his growth from a small pup into a hulking form blotting out any sun, fang and claws rending steel itself.
Consider what efforts it takes to finally confine the beast – Gleipnir is no mundane restraint but cosmic-forged, imbued with implausible ingredients like elf sound, woman beard, mountain roots and bear sinews to achieve unbreakable strength [2]. Lesser beings would twist into dust touching such craft, while Fenrir easily shatters common chains beforehand.
Additionally, once unleashed, Fenrir births monsters himself – the wolves Sköll and Hati who chase sun and moon, plus the World Serpent Jörmungandr. His offspring herald calamity worldwide, their father‘s domain. Truly ravenous earth-devouring power flows within Fenrir.
Odin glimpses all this from afar. And he knows confining Fenrir postpones Ragnarök‘s dawn but does not prevent it. Thus while forging his own legend through acts to expand influence, Odin ceaselessly worries if enough to evade lethal fate.
The Final Fight – Clash Of The Titans
It is during Ragnarok, the apocalyptic war foretold, that Odin‘s protracted game with Fate culminates. Fenrir shatters bindings, ribs steaming and jaws dripping venom, to tower over battlefield and gods. Eyes meet across chaos – two powers who long circled the other, well aware one would end the other. And then Fenrir charges, his very steps rending earth itself.
Legends paint vividly what follows next – Odin stands his ground as Fenrir pounces, his spear Gungnir raised. God and wolf clash; the heavens shake from shockwaves as they trade earth-tearing blows. Spear finds its mark, leaving bloody gashes upon the wolf but failing to stop his charge. In turn Odin‘s mount is crushed beneath his massive paws. They wrestle furiously in the mud amidst the shrieks of Valkyries and roar of Jörmungandr nearby rampaging across a whelming sea.
But Odin by now is wearied, his energy drained from prior combats in this cataclysmic war. His one moment of burned out exhaustion leaves an opening which Fenrir immediately seizes – his frothing maw descends and snaps shut upon Odin, venom flooding veins, crunching bone and ripping flesh irreparably. Thus the long-feared prophecy culminates; the Wolf has claimed his destined kill.
While Odin‘s son Vidar next rends Fenrir‘s jaw asunder to avenge his death, all of mythic Asgard lies in ruins, many gods slain. The mortal blow is already struck – Ragnarok dawns by the Wolf‘s fangs fulfilling fate. Hence despite distaste and efforts against monstrous Fenrir, Odin could not escape becoming the entrée of the beast he dreaded for so long. A sublime irony of destiny!
