Norse mythology · 3 chapters

The Binding of Fenrir

Only one god is brave enough to place his hand in a monster's mouth

The gods know from prophecy that Fenrir will swallow Odin at Ragnarök. They decide to bind him while they still can. Twice they chain him with iron; twice he snaps the bonds with ease. They commission the dwarves of Svartalfheim to forge Gleipnir, a ribbon made from six impossible things: the sound of a cat's footstep, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish, the spittle of a bird. Fenrir agrees to be bound only if one of the gods places a hand in his mouth as a pledge of good faith. Only Tyr volunteers. Gleipnir holds. Fenrir bites off Tyr's hand. He remains bound on an island until Ragnarök, when the earth will crack and he will be free.