Binding the wolf

Published: Tue, 11/17/20

Perhaps one of the most dramatic tales recounted by Snorri Sturluson in his Edda is the tale of how Fenriswolf was bound. The story goes that Loki had three children with a giantess named Angrboda, meaning ‘bringer of anguish’. You may be guessing already that such a relationship was not going to end well. One child was Hel, who was half alive and half dead, another the Midgard Serpent, and the third, a wolf cub. Odin made plans for Hel and the serpent, and then brought the wolf into Aesgard itself which proved to be a serious error of judgment. The animal grew ever larger and more fearsome and only Tyr, the bravest of the Aesir, would approach the creature to feed it.

Eventually it became clear that the appealing wolf cub, had actually become a dangerous monster and needed to be restrained. Just killing the creature was not an option since he had been invited into Aesgard, and murdering a guest went against all the sacred customs of hospitality. So, a chain by the name of Leyding was commissioned and Fenriswolf was persuaded to let himself be bound. It took little effort for the beast to break free. A second, supposedly much stronger fetter was made and named Dromi, but the wolf had grown even stronger since the first attempt at restraint and this chain was snapped with little more effort.

Odin realised that some serious, and possibly devious, craftsmanship was needed. Skirnir, Frey’s messenger who could safely be entrusted with the most challenging of missions, was dispatched to Swartheim, the land of the of the dark elves or dwarfs. A large sum of gold changed hands and Skirnir returned to Aesgard with a strange silky ribbon with the name of Gleipnir. It had been made with great skill from six ingredients: The sound a a cats footfall, the roots of a mountain, a woman’s beard, the sinews of a bear, a fish’s breath, and a bird’s spittle. At first the Aesir were puzzled since, apart from a the sinews of a bear, the other components may not even exist. When questioned on this Skirnir smiled and reported that he had indeed asked the makers of the bond the same question. The answer which he relayed was that, what does not exist cannot be broken.

Once again the wolf was bound. This time even Fenriswolf was suspicious of the silky ribbon and only allowed the mysterious fetter to be tightened and fixed because Tyr, the only one of the Aesir he trusted, put his hand between his jaws as a sign of good faith. The fetter held and Tyr lost his hand. From then on Fenriswolf remains bound until he breaks free on the day of Ragnarok.

The theme is this story is binding and restraint. Loki is considered evil because he has no patience with stupidity and refusal to accept the working of the Orlog. Loki’s three children represent three aspects of the Orlog. Hel is death, the serpent the force of nature, and the wolf is the passion for freedom and the expression of liberty.

Today the wolf in each of us is being restrained in order to control a terrible pandemic of, what exactly? A fairly mild kind of flu. However, our lords and masters are determined to impose lock downs, face covering, and who knows what else is to come, to manage something almost entirely created by the government, the BBC, and enforced by state officials. The only reason that these bonds are being accepted is because there has been trust in state, media, and officialdom, just as the wolf trusted Tyr, who was permanently maimed as a consequence.

What does not exist can bind the mind with unbreakable power if we believe it can. What does not exist can also be doubted and then it’s power evaporates like a morning mist in the sunshine.

Regards

Graham

PS I am currently finishing Module 10 of the foundation programme which focuses on Kreft and Loki. Module 9 explored the significance of Rei and Hel. If you are interested there are more details here https://iceandfire.org.uk/join.html